Cultivating a Lifelong Learning Community among the KCCC Missionaries

This study concerns KCCC missionaries’ practice of self-development in the mission field and it argues that they need to cultivate a lifelong learning community in the mission field. This study also establishes that as part of member care, there is need for KCCC missionaries to practice self-development. The review of the literature focuses on the importance of the missionary’s practice of self-development during the on-field stage. This study also examines Korean sociocultural values, which have influenced relationships and impacted the missionaries’ practice of self-development in the mission field. It also discusses the four main Korean religions that influenced and shaped Korean cultural values, as well as Hofstede’s theory of cultural dimensions. Throughout the analysis of the data, this study discovers that KCCC missionaries are aware of the necessity of practicing self-development in the mission field, and they want to develop and equip themselves for personal growth so as to respond to the changing needs in the mission field. KCCC missionaries are also aware that Korean sociocultural values affect them while practicing self-development in the mission field. The discussion of data implies that KCCC missionaries need to think of creative approaches in order to create an environment in which to practice self-development in the mission field. One of the approaches is to describe a realistic future state by adopting the theory of adaptive change; then, it also proposes suggestive dynamic change strategies in the context of KCCC missionaries. This study also assessed their skills and qualities as missionaries, encouraging each of them to consider their personal goals and to set definitive steps to reach these goals so as to realize and maximize their potential as a missionary. Finally, this study concludes with an emphasis that self-development should be a way-of-life for KCCC missionaries. Mentor: Elizabeth L. Glanville, Ph