South Korea: Evangelism Rebooted

“I thought about the aggressive methods used for decades – like threats of hellfire. I considered the deep-seated distrust toward the Korean church. And a doubt lingered deep within me: ‘Isn’t staying quiet a better way to share the gospel?’” 

This honest sentiment came from a staff worker in IVF, the IFES movement in South Korea. Such reluctance to start conversations about Christ is not uncommon on campus.  

That’s why Confirming the DNA of an Evangelist within Me was the theme of an IVF camp in January. Could students and staff rediscover the joy of the gospel and gain confidence in talking about it? 

To heighten personal engagement, interactive Scripture sessions replaced traditional speaker-led talks. In this way, the 130 participants – students, staff workers, and graduates from across the country – not only studied biblical examples of evangelists but also explored how those stories connected with theirs. 

Alongside, workshops covered how evangelistic vocabulary has evolved and looked at ways of expressing the gospel message in everyday speech. The staff organising the camp shared: 

“Students overcame their vague fears of evangelism. They started to put the gospel into language familiar to them – not as abstract dogma but as a love that’s shared through relationship.” 

Feedback from students showed a shift in attitudes: 

“Even the word ‘evangelism’ used to make me feel uncomfortable. But now I’m curious about specific ways to put it into practice.” 

“As a student leader, I used to only think about the required minimum, like ‘How much do we have to do?’. But now I’m asking, ‘How far can we go?’”. 

And the staff worker? 

“During those four days, I immersed myself in the study and experience of evangelism. The sincere hearts of the staff members and their message – that the gospel is shared through ‘presence’ and ‘investing time’ – pulled me out of my doubts.” 

January’s Evangelism Camp was an important stepping stone towards IVF’s 2030 vision of “Evangelistic Community”. Next year’s nationwide Evangelism Camp will be too. And, in May, students and staff on many campuses will have opportunities to express their “evangelist DNA” during “Mission Week”. 

One tool they’ll be able to use is Evangelism Cards. The beta version was tested and refined by camp participants and is now being distributed to IVF groups. The hope is that this practical aid to gospel storytelling will channel the enthusiasm stirred by camp into ongoing campus evangelism.