Presbyterian Church of Korea
The Presbyterian Church of Korea | |
---|---|
Classification | Protestant |
Orientation | Calvinist |
Polity | Presbyterian |
Region | Korea |
Origin | Early 1880s Hwanghae Province (Sorae Church) or Seoul (Saemoonan Church) |
Separations | Gosin (1952), Gijang (1953), Tonghap and Hapdong (1959) |
Korean name | |
Hangul | 대한예수교장로회 |
Hanja | 大韓예수敎長老會 |
RR | Daehan yesugyo jangnohoe |
MR | Taehan yesugyo changnohoe |
The Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK; Korean: 대한예수교장로회; Hanja: 大韓예수敎長老會), also known as Yejang (예장), is a Protestant denomination based in South Korea that adheres to Calvinist theology and the Westminster Confession of Faith.
The origins of Korean Presbyterianism date back to the 1880s. Seo Sang-ryun, one of the first Koreans converted by Scottish Presbyterian missionaries, returned to Korea from Manchuria and established the Sorae Church in 1884.
The expansion of the Presbyterian mission led to increased demand for Korean pastors. In 1907, Presbyterians from the United States, Australia, and Canada established the first theological seminary in Korea, located in Pyongyang. That same year, the PCK organized its first presbytery.[1]
Since the 1950s, the PCK has split into several denominations due to theological and political disputes. As of 2019, there were 286 branches in South Korea, with approximately four million church attendees.[2] Many of these branches still use the title "Presbyterian Church of Korea."[3]
History
[edit]Early Missionaries
[edit]Calvinism first arrived in Korea in 1865 when pastor Robert Jermain Thomas was captured and martyred during the General Sherman incident.[4] The first Korean Presbyterian church was founded by Seo Sang-ryun in Hwanghae Province in 1884.[5] Sang-ryun had been converted to Christianity by Scottish pastor John McIntyre during his time in Manchuria.[6]
Full-scale missions began 20 years later when Horace Newton Allen of the Northern Presbyterian Church was admitted into the royal court of Joseon as a physician.[7] In 1885, Horace Underwood and John W. Heron arrived and established the Korean mission for the Northern Presbyterian Church. Notably, although the first Korean Bible was translated by John Ross in the 1870s, this edition was printed and published by the British and Foreign Bible Society and the Scottish Bible Society in 1886.[8]
Shortly thereafter, more Western missionaries began arriving in Korea. These new arrivals included Canadian missionary James Scarth Gale and Australian Joseph Henry Davies in 1889, followed by American missionary Samuel Austin Moffett in 1890. In 1891, female teachers such as Isabella Menzies, Jean Perry, and Mary Fawcett arrived from Australia. Dr. James MacKenzie landed in 1893, and in 1898, Dr. Robert Grierson, pastor W. R. Foote, and Duncan MacRae of the Presbyterian Church in Canada arrived to serve as missionaries.[9]
McKenzie died a year and a half after his arrival while working in evangelism and medical care at Sorae Church, Hwanghae Province. His efforts led to the organization of the Korean mission church for the Presbyterian Church in Canada (캐나다장로회조선선교회) in Wonsan. Pastors William D. Reynolds and Lewis B. Tate arrived in 1892 and organized the Korean mission church for the Southern Presbyterian Church (남장로회조선선교회) in Jeolla Province.[9]
In 1889, the Northern Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church of Victoria created The United Council of Presbyterian Missions (장로교선교연합공의회; 長老敎宣敎聯合公議會), with John W. Heron as chairman, to settle issues over the unification of churches. In 1893, the United Council of Presbyterian Missions became the Council of Missions Holding the Presbyterian Form of Government[10] (장로교선교공의회, also known as the Council of Missions). Both councils consisted solely of foreign missionaries.[9]
Birth of the PCK
[edit]Elections for the first Korean presbyters for the council began in 1900. Sŏ Kyŏng-cho (Hwanghae), Kim Chong-sŏp, and I Yŏng-ŭn (both South Pyongan) were elected as elders that year.[a] In 1901, Kil Sŏn-chu and Pang Kich'ang were elected as elders. On September 20 of the same year, three Korean presbyters and six ministers, along with 25 missionaries, organized the Council of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Chosun)[spelling?] (조선예수교장로회공의회; 朝鮮예수敎長老會公議會) at a missionary council held at the Saemoonan Church in Seoul. Missionary William L. Swallen was inaugurated as the first chairman. However, because the Council of Missions retained jurisdiction over church affairs, the Presbyterian Church of Korea initially functioned only as a fraternal organization. In 1902, Yang Chŏn-paek was appointed as an elder, and additional elders were elected in 1903.[11]

In 1901, Samuel Moffett established the Pyongyang Theological Seminary and became its first principal. The spread of Presbyterianism was further intensified by the Great Pyongyang Revival of 1907. On June 20, 1907, Kil Sŏn-chu, Yang Chŏn-paek, Han Sŏk-chin , I Kip'ung , Sŏ Kyŏng-cho, Song In-sŏ , and Pang Kich'ang became the first graduates of the Pyongyang Theological Seminary. That same year, the United Council decided to appoint a party committee member to oversee church affairs for the five local councils of Pyeongan, Gyeongseong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang, and Hamgyeong.[12]

On September 17, 1907, with the approval of four presbyters from the Mission Council, 33 missionaries and 38 presbyters organized the Presbyterian Church of Korea into an independent church. The five local councils were reorganized into the seven sub-presbyteries (대리회; 代理會; Daeri-hoe)[13] of Pyongbuk, Pyongnam, Hwanghae, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Hamgyong, and Gyeongsang.[12][14] The PCK was also known during this era as the "Independent Council" (독노회; 獨老會; Dongnohoe). On September 17, 1911, during an assembly at Nammoon Church, Daegu, the Independent Council agreed to create a General Assembly, and converting the seven sub-presbyteries into official presbyteries. On September 1, 1912, the first General Assembly of the PCK took place in Pyongyang.[11][15] In 1916, the Presbytery of Gyeongsang was divided into the presbyteries of Gyeongnam and Gyeongbuk, and the presbytery of Pyongseo (west Pyongan) was separated from the presbytery of Pyongbuk.[12]
The Colonial Period
[edit]After the Japanese annexation of Korea in 1910, Korean Presbyterians were advised to remain uninvolved in any political cause. As a result, initial relationships between the colonial government and the Presbyterians were peaceful. Missionaries accepted Japanese rule as "the powers that be" and asserted a position of "loyal recognition" of the occupation.[16] Nevertheless, many Korean Presbyterians were suspected by the colonial government of being political agents and were arrested, often without proper explanation or trial. In the 105-Man Incident, a group of Presbyterians was accused of plotting to assassinate then-Governor-General of Korea Terauchi Masatake in Sonchon. Missionaries were also accused of distributing firearms for the alleged assassination plot.[17]
The Government-General of Chōsen actively pursued policies that suppressed Christianity. A set of restrictions established in 1915 limited evangelist activities and placed sermons under police scrutiny. The same year, the colonial government further demanded that all schools in Korea discontinue all courses on Bible studies within ten years.[18] Tensions between Christians and the colonial government led many Korean Presbyterians, such as Kil Sŏn-chu, to become closely involved in the March First Movement of 1919.[18][19] Of the thirty-three representatives of the movement, sixteen were Christians,[20] and seven were Presbyterians.[citation needed]
The persecution of Christians intensified as a result of the movement. Presbyterians' properties were frequently destroyed by police forces, and many missionaries were placed under scrutiny. By the end of June 1919, 1,461 Presbyterians had been arrested by Japanese police; within less than four months, the total number of Presbyterian arrests increased to 3,804. Forty-one Presbyterian leaders were killed, and twelve churches were destroyed.[21] Horace Underwood made detailed accounts of the Jeam-ni Massacre[22] during a trip to Suwon with his colleagues.[21]
The March First Movement did not end in complete vain, however, as it led to the resignation of Governor-General Hasegawa Yoshimichi on August 4, 1919, and the appointment of Saitō Makoto as his successor. Saitō accepted the Korean representatives' demands and agreed to alleviate restrictions on protests and the press.[18] In September, a complaint documenting the requests of the church to the colonial government, which included an end to the ban on Bible study courses, was drafted among six missionary councils. The complaint was submitted to the Government-General, which accepted the requests.[18]
By 1937, the Presbyterian churches were largely independent of financial support from the United States.[23] Presbyterianism in Korea was reconstructed after World War II in 1947, when the church adopted the name Reformed Church in Korea.[citation needed]
Schisms in the 1950s
[edit]In the 1950s, the Presbyterian Church of Korea suffered from a series of schisms over issues of theology, ecumenism, and worship.[24]
The first of these divisions was connected to a controversy that began in the 1930s, when Korea was still under Japanese rule. At that time, university students were instructed to bow to the Shinto shrine in worship, which was theologically and politically controversial for Christians. While many complied, some Christians at Pyongyang Theological Seminary adamantly opposed it, holding that the Bible prohibited such actions. After Korea's liberation from Japanese rule and subsequent division, many northern Koreans relocated to the south. Those who formerly opposed the Shinto shrine worship established a new seminary, Koryo Theological Seminary (now Kosin University) in 1946, and eventually formed a new denomination, Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin) in 1951.[25]
The second division occurred in 1953, when progressives separated to form the Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea (KiJang). In the 1970s, the KiJang Presbyterians would produce some of the key leaders of minjung theology, a movement advocating social justice under the dictatorship of Park Chung Hee.[26]
In 1959, at the 44th General Assembly, a third schism divided the Presbyterian Church of Korea into two equal branches: the Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong). The main issue was whether the Church should be a part of the ecumenical organization, the World Council of Churches (WCC). Park Hyun-nyon, president of the Presbyterian Seminary of the General Assembly, led the formation of the evangelical "HapDong" (the union body), whereas those who supported relations with the WCC formed the ecumenical "TongHap" (the united body). Today, TongHap and HapDong represent the largest factions of Korean Presbyterianism.[24]
General assembly
[edit]General assembly |
Date | Host | General Secretary | Note | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1907 | Samuel Austin Moffet | Dongnohoe | |||||
2 | 1908 | James Scarth Gale | ||||||
3 | 1909 | Horace Grant Underwood | ||||||
4 | 1910 | James Scarth Gale | ||||||
5 | 1911 | W. D. Reynolds | ||||||
1 | September 1–4, 1912 | Pyongyang Theological Seminary | Horace Grant Underwood | General assembly era | ||||
2 | September 7–11, 1913 | Soandong Church, Seoul | G. Engel | |||||
3 | September 6–9, 1914 | Namsanhyeon Church, Chaeryong | Eugene Bell | |||||
4 | September 4–18, 1915 | Seomunbak Church, Jeonju | Kim Pil-su | |||||
5 | September 2–6, 1916 | Pyongyang Theological Seminary | Yang Jeon-baek | |||||
6 | September 1–6, 1917 | Seungdong Church, Seoul | Han Seok-jin | |||||
7 | August 31–September 5, 1918 | Sincheonbuk Church, Sinchon | Kim Seon-du | |||||
8 | October 4–9, 1919 | Pyongyang Theological Seminary | Samuel Austin Moffet | |||||
9 | October 2–7, 1920 | Andong Church, Seoul | Kim Ik-du | |||||
10 | September 10–15, 1921 | Jangdaehyeon Church, Pyongyang | Lee Ki-pung | |||||
11 | September 10–15, 1922 | Seungdong Church, Seoul | Kim Seong-taek | |||||
12 | September 8–13, 1923 | Sinuiju Church | Ham Tae-yeong | |||||
13 | September 13–18, 1924 | Sinchangni Church, Hamhung | Lee Ja-ik | |||||
14 | September 12–18, 1925 | Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang | Im Taek-gwon | |||||
15 | September 11–17, 1926 | Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang | Kim Seok-chan | |||||
16 | September 9–15, 1927 | Gwangseok Church, Wonsan | Kim Yeong-hun | |||||
17 | September 7–13, 1928 | Sinjeong Church, Daegu | Yeom Bong-nam | |||||
18 | September 6–12, 1929 | Saemunan Church, Seoul | Cha Jae-myeong | |||||
19 | September 12–18, 1930 | Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang | Hong Jong-pil | |||||
20 | September 11–17, 1931 | Geumgangsan Church | Jang Gyu-myeong | |||||
21 | September 9–16, 1932 | Changdong Church, Pyongyang | Namgung Hyeok | |||||
22 | September 8–15, 1933 | Seoncheonnam Church, Sonchon | Jang Heung-beom | |||||
23 | September 7–14, 1934 | Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang | Lee In-sik | |||||
24 | September 6–13, 1935 | Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang | Jeong In-gwa | |||||
25 | September 11–19, 1936 | Yangnim Church, Gwangju | Lee Seung-gil | |||||
26 | September 10–16, 1937 | Daegu Jeil Church, Daegu | Lee Mun-ju | |||||
27 | September 9–15, 1938 | Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang | Hong Taek-gi | |||||
28 | September 8–15, 1939 | Sineuiju Jei Church, Sinuiju | Yun Ha-yeong | |||||
29 | September 6–13, 1940 | Changdong Church, Pyongyang | Kwak Jin-geun | |||||
30 | November 21–26, 1941 | Changdong Church, Pyongyang | Choi Ji-hwa | |||||
31 | October 16–20, 1942 | Seomunbak Church, Pyongyang | Kim Eung-sun | 1943–45: Discontinued due to World War II | ||||
32 | June 11–14, 1946 | Seungdong Church, Seoul | Bae Eun-hui | South Korea era | ||||
33 | April 18–22, 1947 | Daegu Jeil Church, Daegu | Lee Ja-ik | |||||
34 | April 20–23, 1948 | Saemunan Church, Seoul | Lee Ja-ik | |||||
35 | April 19–23, 1949 | Saemunan Church, Seoul | Choi Jae-hwa | |||||
36 | April 21–25, 1950 | Daegu Jeil Church, Daegu | ||||||
36 | May 25–29, 1951 | Jungang Church, Busan | Kwon Yeon-ho | |||||
37 | April 29–May 2, 1952 | Seomun Church, Daegu | Kim Jae-seok | |||||
38 | April 24–28, 1953 | Seomun Church, Daegu | Myeong Sin-hong | |||||
39 | April 23–27, 1954 | Jungang Church, Andong | Lee Won-yeong | |||||
40 | April 22–26, 1955 | Yeongnak Church, Seoul | Han Gyeong-jik | |||||
41 | September 20–25, 1956 | Saemunan Church, Seoul | Lee Dae-yeong | |||||
42 | September 19–24, 1957 | Jungang Church, Busan | Jeon Pil-sun | |||||
43 | September 25–October 1, 1958 | Yeongnak Church, Seoul | No Jin-hyeon | |||||
44 | September 24–29, 1959 | Jungang Church, Daejeon | Schism |
Branches of the PCK
[edit]All of these churches have the same confessional basis the Apostle Creed and the Westminster Confession.
See also
[edit]Footnotes
[edit]- ^ I Yŏng-ŭn died before he was given an ordination
References
[edit]- ^ Outlook, The Presbyterian (July 18, 2017). "A history of Presbyterian mission in Korea". The Presbyterian Outlook. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
- ^ Park, Dong Hyun (June 8, 2019). "한국장로교회 교세 통계(예장통합/합동)" [Statistics on the Presbyterian Church in Korea (PCK) Membership (TongHap/HapDong)]. PE News. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
- ^ 최승현 (January 2, 2019). "전국 교단 총 374개, '대한예수교장로회'만 286개". Newsnjoy.
- ^ 김만형 (September 7, 1934). "宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄". The Chosun Ilbo.
- ^ "The Presbyterian Church of Korea : History". Pck.or.kr. Retrieved April 16, 2008.
- ^ 민경배. "서상륜 (徐相崙)". Encyclopedia of Korean Culture. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ K, David (March 1, 2017). "Presbyterianism in the Hermit Kingdom: Presbyterian Church of Korea at 110". Presbyterian Historical Society.
- ^ 정인과 (June 28, 1934). "朝鮮長老敎會의今昔 可驚할五十年發達史 (中)". The Dong-A Ilbo.
- ^ a b c 김만형 (September 8, 1934). "宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄 (二)". The Chosun Ilbo.
- ^ 장대선 (May 1, 2019). "공의회시대, 혹은 그 선교시대로 돌아간 한국의 장로교회". bohnd.net.
- ^ a b 김만형 (September 9, 1934). "宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄 ㈢". The Chosun Ilbo.
- ^ a b c 김만형 (September 10, 1934). "宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄 ㈣". The Chosun Ilbo.
- ^ 이상규. "경상대리회". 부산역사문화대전 (in Korean). Academy of Korean Studies. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ Jae Buhm Hwang (2007). "1907년 대한예수교장로회(독노회) 설립과정 및 그 의의에 대한 연구" [The Independent Korean Presbyterian Church of 1907: its Origin and Meaning]. 한국교회사학회 (in Korean). 20: 281–313. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ 정인과 (June 28, 1934). "朝鮮長老敎會의今昔 可驚할五十年發達史 (中)". The Dong-A Ilbo.
- ^ Kang 1984, pp. 35–36.
- ^ Kang 1984, p. 37.
- ^ a b c d "2) 3·1운동과 기독교". Database of Korean History (in Korean). National Institute of Korean History. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
- ^ Lee, Timothy S. (2000). "A Political Factor in the Rise of Protestantism in Korea: Protestantism and the 1919 March First Movement". Church History: Studies in Christianity and Culture. 69 (1): 116–142. doi:10.2307/3170582. JSTOR 3170582.
- ^ Kang 1984, p. 41.
- ^ a b "3) 일제통치와 한국 기독교". National Institute of Korean History. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
- ^ Kang 1984, p. 42.
- ^ Kenneth Scott Latourette, Christianity in a Revolutionary Age: Vol. 5: The Twentieth century outside Europe (1962) pp 414-5
- ^ a b Kim, In Soo (2016). "Towards Peace and Reconciliation between South and North Korean Churches: Contextual Analysis of the Two Churches". In Kim, Sebastian C. H.; Kollontai, Pauline; Hoyland, Greg (eds.). Peace and Reconciliation: In Search of Shared Identity. Routledge. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-317-08290-3.
- ^ Chung, Meehyun (2024). "Protestant Theology in Korea". In Wolfe, Brendan N. (ed.). St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology.
- ^ Clark, Donald N. (1995). "Growth and Limitations of Minjung Christianity". In Wells, Kenneth M. (ed.). South Korea's Minjung Movement: The Culture and Politics of Dissidence. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-6439-2.
Bibliography
[edit]- Kang, Wi Jo (1984). "The Presbyterians and the Japanese in Korea". Journal of Presbyterian History. 62 (1): 35–50. JSTOR 23328501. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
Further reading
[edit]- Clark, Donald N. Christianity in Modern Korea (University Press of America, 1986)
- Grayson, James H. Korea—A Religious History (Routledge Curzon, 2002)
- Kang, Wi Jo. Christ and Caesar in Modern Korea: A History of Christianity and Politics ( State University of New York Press, 1997)
- Latourette, Kenneth Scott. Christianity in a Revolutionary Age: Vol. 5: The Twentieth century outside Europe (1962) pp 412–23
- Lee, Timothy S. "A Political Factor in the Rise of Protestantism in Korea: Protestantism and the 1919 March First Movement," Church History 2000. 69#1 pp 116–42. in JSTOR
- Mullins, Mark, and Richard Fox Young, eds. Perspectives on Christianity in Korea and Japan: The Gospel and Culture in East Asia (Edwin Mellen, 1995)
- Park, Chung-shin. Protestantism and Politics in Korea (U. of Washington Press, 2003)
- Harry Andrew Rhodes (1934). History of the Korea mission: Presbyterian church U. S. A., 1884-1934. Chosen mission Presbyterian church U. S. A.
- Koon Sik Shim (2008). Rev. Sang-Dong Han, The Founder of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin): A Biography. The Hermit Kingdom Press. ISBN 978-1-59689-073-2.