Jesus proclaimed at Matt 18:20 “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Jesus shared comfort with the minority and blessed them with the hands of healing. It is a picture of a church that should be a community in which even a few prayers gather and bear testimony calling the name of Jesus. If just two or three people get together, this meeting is not recognized as a church in reality. A rule of Korean Methodist Church says that a newly settled church has to be composed of more than 12 members who have been baptized. Korean Presbyterian Church, on the other hand, sets up a rule that a criterion of establishing a church is more than 15 baptized christian. At this stage, it is strongly needed to discuss what Jesus get together with even a few people means to the reality of modern church and to the argument of minor church in Korea. This study is just a general view for the establishment of the identity of small church. This paper is to introduce the concept of a small church in America. Then the approach to Korean situation is researched with the evaluation of missiology. It is desired that this study may be the foundation which sets up the criterion for the small churches in Korea.

• 이후천(협성대 교수ㆍ선교학)