News

Korea

June 7, 2013

“Personal and Relational Education for Missionaries through CME Visits on all Continents”

“Dr. John Jun, the former general director of UBF, the leader of the Continuous Missionary Education (CME) ministry in UBF, the hard worker of God throughout the world.” 

UBF, a well-known organization for sending the most missionaries among evangelical churches in Korea, inspires and strengthens missionaries through CME ministry along with its 50^th anniversary. Dr. John Jun, honorary director of UBF (73 yrs.), is the leader of CME ministry. After having resigned as the director of UBF, he started “CME ministry” for the sake of 1,541 UBF missionaries in 95 countries around the world since 2011. While working as the director for UBF, he traveled everywhere holding continental Bible conferences and observing the mission field. Being with missionaries in the mission field inspired him to see the necessity of CME ministry and he started the ministry after raising the funds for it ($180,000). In order to listen to missionaries’ needs and give them the word of God, he devoted himself to the preparation with much prayer for two years throughout visiting CIS, Africa, Europe and other continents. He prays earnestly for the powerful work of the Holy Spirit on each mission field and in each missionary by sharing the word of God and encouraging them in prayer. One principle of CME ministry is to be in the place of the missionaries. In this way he can catch up on the real issues they face in the mission field. “The active communication with missionaries staying in close relationship with them is the key to understand them and to know their situations and prayer topics precisely; otherwise, it would be superficial.” Staying with missionaries for six days, while at the same time teaching them, helps him to know the mission field in detail. He helps lonely missionaries to find strength in God by sharing the gospel, encouraging them, and having loving fellowship in God for a week. Dr. John Jun has met a total of 220 missionaries in Europe and Africa last year. The missionaries are greatly encouraged to find strength in God through their fellowship with Dr. John Jun. Many UBF missionaries are lay-missionaries, working in their professional field during the day; therefore, he usually meets them in the evening. “I am focused on helping them out of my burning (compassionate) heart because of the lack of time. I pour out all my energy and effort on serving them the word of God so that they may gain strength in God. It’s difficult and stressful but also very meaningful for me to do so.”  As is the pattern in UBF, he engages in 1:1 Bible study and in writing and sharing a reflection on the Bible passage. The most serious problem among missionaries is to lose their first love of God and his calling. Doing both work and ministry causes a stressful situation of not having much time to spend with their children and lacking the time to form deep relationships with them. Children’s education, co-working in ministry and relationship issues at work are additional areas of concern for missionaries. Many questions arise in the life of mission, and through conversation and Biblical counseling, he helps missionaries so much so that they even miss having fellowship with him and always ask him to visit again.

Dr. John Jun explains his plan to let the elder missionaries take charge of CME ministry by continent because it will take too long for a second visit around the world. Three elder missionaries have already been working in CME in North and South America. Dr. John Jun says that many missionaries will be very encouraged by this support. (Speaking as a Korean), he says that it is better to see Korea from outside the country. “Korean churches focus more on numbers of church members rather than the evangelization of one person. What we need to do is not to increase the number of our church members, but to evangelize unbelievers until they become believers and then raise them as disciples of Jesus. Otherwise, the work of the Holy Spirit might disappear.” He adds that he has more passion for Korea and a clear mind to pray for Korea, perhaps, because he is outside of Korea much more than in Korea. “The nearly 10,000,000 Christians in Korea need to think about the reason(s) why Korean churches are not advancing. This happened because we didn’t help believers to be disciples of Jesus. We need to win the battle every day with ourselves not to compromise with materialism, but to take up our own cross through the help of the Holy Spirit and follow Jesus.” As the Bible records that there were about 120 members of the upper room in the book of Acts (Chap. 1), UBF tends to maintain a maximum of 120 members per chapter.  In doing so, UBF stresses Jesus’ value on quality more than quantity and seeks to follow his example. Dr. John Jun mentioned that the central UBF HQ is located in the state of Illinois where homosexual marriage is tolerated.  “As all 50 states of the U.S.A. probably will go in the same direction and since this is a sign of the end of the world,” he emphasizes, “we need to be the salt and light of the world and should not be indecisive or unclear by maintaining some kind of middle/neutral position.  He is working hard this year by visiting CIS, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Australia to minister CME. Because of his age facing jet lag crossing the continent, it is hard for him but whenever he thinks of missionaries’ needs and the precious fellowship he can have with them, he gains new strength. He says this with a big smile.

By Seonglok Yang, reporter

http://www.deulsoritimes.co.kr/?var=news_view&page=1&code=301&no=26685