projects that takes place in the church community.‟10 Social Service is equivalent to the terms
commonly used in Korea such as „Social Work‟, „Social Welfare‟.
The idea of social welfare of church is best expressed in the Bible. Especially,
Genesis 1 talks about human relationships of Christianity in the creation. God made the man
in His own image. But all humans have lost the beauty and the issue became a gruesome
reality. Therefore, in this reality, the problem can be summarized as „how can we recover to
our original image?‟ In terms of Christian ethics, in this world, every human receives love
from the Absolute (Jn. 3:16). Between man and another man, the relationship between nature
and humans, in the relationship between God and the companionship of friends, or
relationship between yourself and your child makes brotherliness (Jn. 15:12).
1. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever
Believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (Jn. 3:16)
2. This is my commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.
(Jn. 15:12)11
Human‟s dignity is defined well in the Book of Genesis. Humanity was created in
God‟s image. We are to submit to the will of God and to govern the human creatures.
According to this Bible, the Word became the flesh and came to the earth. Jesus came as a
human to the Earth to save humans. Human beings are creatures of God and are the subjects
of love.
If we explore how scholars defined church‟s social welfare, it is as follows.
Garland defined social welfare activities of the church as “the church or church‟s
social work professionals and social welfare activities as acting as a practice field, Church
takes place under the organization‟s support for social welfare activities.” In other words, the
10 Korea‟s Development Research Group Volunteers, Church of Korea Community service projects
Survey (Seoul: Korea‟s Development Research Group Volunteers, 1990), 35.
11 See, John 3:16; 15:12, NASB