The Korean Department of Alphacrucis University College recently hosted an international mission and church planting conference run by the Korean Society of Mission Studies (KSOMS). The KSOMS is an ecumenical professional association based at Mokowan University which brings together over 230 academics and missionaries and is presided over by its President, Dr Dong-Gyu Choi from Seoul Theological University.

This joint conference drew together approximately 120 people including scholars, Sydney-based Korean pastors and Christian leaders, lay people, and Alphacrucis alumni and students, including higher degree candidates.  The theme of the conference centred on the various issues shaping Post-Modern Christian mission and included the following conference papers;

Session 1: 2:00pm -3.30 pm

Presider: Dr Oh-Hun Kwon, Mokwon University 

Dr Chil-Sung Kim, “A study on the First Korean missionaries,” Mokwon University  

Dr Ki-Tae Song, “An analysis of leadership styles of Korean diaspora pastoral leaders in Sydney,” Alphacrucis University College

Rev Sung-Tae Kim, “Ministry to Aboriginals and a suggestion to Korean Church’s engagement in the ministry.”

Session 2: 4:00pm – 6:00 pm

Presider: Oh-Young Kwon, Alphacrucis University College 

Dr Eun-Soo Kim, “Tendency and preview of post-modern mission,” Chun Joo University

Seung-Kyu Lee, “A study on the possibility of Agency Theology,” King’s College, London  

Sng-Rack Joo, “Sociological implications of Fresh expressions of church as a model of missional church: a qualitative study of entrepreneurial church planting,” Seoul Theological University

This international conference was a great success and provided a wonderful setting for critical academic collaboration between scholars, mission agency executives and students. The AC Korean Department looks forward to ongoing engagement with high quality international conferences and academic bodies such as KSOMS as it seeks to advance its scholarly engagement with Korean diaspora studies and the historical, social and theological dimensions of the Korean Church, both in Australia and abroad. 

In 2017, the Australian Research Theology Foundation Inc. provided funding for “Dreaming and Spirit-filled Christianity: Intersections of Pentecostal/Charismatic and Australian Spirituality.” This project explores intersections between Spirituality of the Dreaming and Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity from the perspective of Aboriginal Australian Pentecostals. As such, it elevates the diverse perspectives of Aboriginal pastors and leaders, seeking to reveal ways in which their Christian faith and Indigenous spiritualties are navigated.

Central to the project is elevating the voices of Christian Aboriginal leaders, thus, the project is grounded on a qualitative methodology that brings together the written work of Christian Aboriginals as well as narratives constructed from interviews with Aboriginal pastors and leaders. Project leaders have coordinated with The Grasstree Gathering, a national, non-denominational event that brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian leaders from across Australia.

The project facilitates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in research, not merely as subjects but as researchers and writers. Additionally, while the project predominantly focuses on Aboriginal Pentecostal voices, it maintains a broad scope for the incorporation of other denominational voices within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait community.

This project advances research in the study of the intersection between two religious traditions that are of primary importance in Australia’s public life, while amplifying Aboriginal voices which are too often marginalised in theological academic discourse. Furthermore, the project has the flavour of an interreligious dialogue with the key difference being that the subject of the spiritual experiences in question represents both traditions. As a theoretical project, it is properly categorised as research into basic theology, but it has an applied relevance, since the intersections identified can inform liturgical practices.  The works collated will be published in the Australasian Pentecostal Studies Supplementary series.

In 2017, Alphacrucis University College and Chaplaincy Australia received two research grants from ACC NSW State Executive to develop culturally sensitive and pedagogically appropriate chaplaincy training materials for Australian Indigenous leaders. These materials were subsequently used in a three-day ministry chaplaincy Upgrade course which was undertaken by seven experienced Aboriginal pastoral leaders training to become Chaplains. Furthermore, Chaplaincy Australia offered scholarships to these Aboriginal leaders to undertake their training. As a result of the generosity from ACC NSW and the partnership between AC and Chaplaincy Australia, these Chaplains can now reach out to individuals in Indigenous communities who are out of reach of the Church. To read more about Indigenous Chaplaincy, please click here. 

In 2018, Alphacrucis University College was awarded funding for a project titled, Postgraduate Training for the Next Generation of Christian Non-for-Profit Leaders. The grant funds awarded will engage an external organisation to work collaboratively with the Dean of Business and other AC staff to establish a Non-for-Profit leadership stream within our existing Master of Leadership program.  The university college is uniquely positioned in that it provides both Christian theological and business/leadership training at a degree-level. This project addresses further needs specifically within the Christian NFP sector by training up Christian leaders who are equipped with both leadership and theological expertise, and therefore able to manage complex NFP organisations.  It is anticipated that the project will make a long-term contribution to the quality of Christian leadership in the sector. 

The Australasian Pentecostal Studies Centre has been instrumental in elevating and shaping current and future scholarship in the area of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianities. It comprises the largest collection of Australasian Pentecostal and Charismatic materials in the southern hemisphere. Over several years, the APSC has attracted funding from the National Library of Australia which has been absorbed into heritage collection training workshops for AC staff and members of external heritage collections, as well as significance and preservation assessments of the APSC materials. In her 2015 Significance Assessment, Dr Roslyn Russell claimed that “the APSC is of considerable historical significance for its capacity to trace the development of Pentecostal spirituality in Australia from the revivals and street meetings of the early twentieth century to massive churches such as Hillsong.”

In 2017, the APSC established a partnership with the Religion and Society Research Cluster within the School of Social Sciences and Psychology at Western Sydney University to jointly convene the Pentecostal Charismatic Christianities in Oceania Annual Symposium. Uniquely, the symposium elicits cross-disciplinary dialogue between historical and anthropological approaches to Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianities Studies, from both secular and Christian worldviews.  As such, the APSC has made considerable developments in the emerging field of Pentecostal and Charismatic studies. If you would like to know more about the Australasian Pentecostal Studies Centre, its collection and activities please visit the APSC website.