Korean women’s fertility rate is rapidly declining as it goes down from 4.5 in 1970 to 1.3 in 2002. The impacts of the low fertility rate are many, e.g., the decline of Korean population, the lack of industrial man powers, the numerical rise of foreign workers, the growth of older generation, and so on. Soon Korean church will be under direct impacts of the low fertility rate as well. The present paper aims to investigate (1) the growth rate of Korean Christian pop띠 ation based on the scientific national census; (2) the rapid decline of the Korean women’s fertility rate; (3) the influence of the 1997 IMF econornic crisis upon the decline of fertility rate; (4) practical suggestions for the future ministry from missiological analysis which include counseling, silver rninistry, rninistry to corning generation, rninistry to foreign workers, and encouragement for childbe뻐ng for the Christian farnilies. What Korean churches need now is to recognize the importance of the rnissionary proclaim in the Book of Genesis (9: 1): “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth." Otherwise, Korean church would have a significant difficulty to maintain the present energy and enthusiasm due to the sharp decline of the Christian pop비ation in Korea near soon.

• 김상근(연세대) | Sang-keun Kim