Korean Council Gathers in Las Vegas

Sixty-five people gathered in Las Vegas, Nev., in late April for a meeting of the Korean Council (KC) of the CRCNA. While the council hadn’t met since 2019 before the pandemic, participants came to this meeting excited because of a Korean Pastors Conference that was held in San Diego, Calif., last year.

“In the past, KC meetings were regionally biased and centered on first-generation Korean pastors,” said Rev. Munchul Kim, who had attended four previous KC meetings. “But at the conference in San Diego last year, all generations and all regions were embraced. I expected something similar” at this year’s KC meeting.

Rev. Gil Suh, a senior pastor of San Jose (Calif.) CRC, an English-speaking and primarily Caucasian church, attended KC for the first time. “I feel like I happened to attend the KC meeting at the very moment that the council was going through a major shift so that pastors from different generations can work together and take cautious steps toward a new future,” he said. “I felt that KC put the past behind them and came together for the future. I am looking forward to the future steps.”

The Korean Council’s name in Korean is 북미주 개혁교회 한인 교회 협의회, which translates literally to “Korean Churches Assembly in CRCNA.” This group was started in 1979 by Rev. Youngwook Kim, Rev. Sungwon Yoon, and Rev. Uihwan Kim.

“In 1979 there were only seven Korean churches belonging to the denomination,” explained Rev. Youngwook Kim, who attended this event to encourage younger pastors. “Some questioned the need for such a council, but we recognized that communication with the denomination can be difficult to do as individuals. We also wanted to encourage fellowship among Korean churches and promote the CRCNA, which was not well known in the Korean communities at that time.”

In those early years, the Korean Council played a role in raising Korean churches’ voices and advocating for changes. For example, KC took the lead in encouraging changes to the Candidacy Committee's policy that only Calvin Theological Seminary graduates could be ordained as CRCNA ministers of the Word. The former policy had impeded Korean pastors who had already completed M.Div. degrees in other seminaries from wanting to affiliate with the denomination.

“I started the Los Angeles Korean Church in 1976 after graduating from Chongshin Seminary in Korea, but the denomination would not ordain me as a minister of the Word because I did not graduate from Calvin Seminary,” said Rev. Kim. “At the time, I was in the middle of a master's degree program at Fuller Theological Seminary and was ministering in Los Angeles, so I couldn’t travel to Michigan to take classes from Calvin Theological Seminary. As the Korean Council, we spoke to the denomination about our difficulties. After three years our request was accepted, and the graduates of Chongshin, Kosin, Jangsin, and Fuller were recognized by the CRCNA and were able to be ordained as ministers of the Word. It would not have been possible with only an individual's voice. It was made possible by Korean churches working together as KC.”

Today there are 117 Korean churches in the CRCNA. An additional 10 congregations are in the process of affiliating. As the number of Korean churches increased over the years, Resonate Global Mission also hired a staff member and began an official department to support Korean churches.

Other changes have also taken place. For a while, all Korean churches in the CRCNA were made up of first-generation immigrants. Today the Korean congregations in the CRCNA also include children and grandchildren of those early church members. More English is spoken and used during worship, and the needs of the community are different from when the churches were first formed. In addition, the CRCNA today also includes Korean-speaking chaplains, youth pastors, and other ministry leaders who do not serve in a senior pastor role.

At the 2023 KC meeting, held at Henderson Christ Love Presbyterian Church, some participants noted that the Korean name might need to be adapted because it is not inclusive of the full range of Korean ministry in the denomination today.

As an additional reflection on this new reality, Rev. Munchul Kim was appointed to serve as the next KC president. Kim, who serves as a chaplain in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, is the first KC president who is not a senior pastor of a Korean church.

The election of Munchul Kim “was a meaningful moment. It showed that KC is willing to embrace change and expand the perspective of what church is to include – not only local congregations but also various areas of ministry,” said Rev. Hun-suk Bae of Ann Arbor (Mich.) Hope Church.

The other officers elected were Rev. Eunbeom Kim as vice president, Rev. Hun-Seok Bae as executive director, Rev. Joshua Jung as secretary, and Rev. Sangjung Park as treasurer.

In addition to the election of new leadership, the KC meeting included two lectures by Rev. Stephen Ro, followed by opportunities for discussion in a small group setting. Many of the participants noted these lectures as a highlight of the meeting.

Mrs. Sunhwa Kim, who is married to Rev. Moonbae Kim, the pastor at Korean Grace CRC in Wyoming, Mich., attended the meeting and said, “The lecture was great and gave me food for thought. It resonated with me when Rev. Ro said that the gospel is a proclamation, not a performance, and that our ministry should flow out of joy and gratitude because of the love we have received from God.”

“This is the first time we had a lecture in the KC meeting,” said Rev. Daniel Kim, who had participated in KC previously. “It was good to learn from Rev. Ro on church planting, building leadership in the church, and holistic ministry. . . . I was impressed that the ministry of the church is not limited to having a good faith life within the church but also expands broadly to how we impact the community outside our church.”

Rev. Joshua Jung of Grace Church in Orlando, Fla., who works in multiethnic ministry, said, “The part that particularly struck me was ‘Focus on what to focus on.’ I have always thought that ministry is about choice and concentration. I couldn’t agree enough when he said that you should focus on what you are good at, because it is a waste of time if you focus on what you are not good at. I like meeting people, so I spend more energy and time on meeting people and sharing the gospel than preparing sermons at my desk. I felt confirmed in my choices during the lecture.”

Participants also said they appreciated spending time in small group sessions and informal fellowship. Rev. KangWon Kim of Happy Valley CRC in Pleasanton, Calif., said, “It became a space for existing and new members to break down the walls in their hearts. The existing members know each other well, but [a gathering like this] can be very awkward for new members. It was nice, as the weekend progressed, to see newcomers share their thoughts freely and have fun together.”

Rev. Joshua Lee, who joined the CRCNA last year, said, “It was the first time I attended an event like this after being ordained in the denomination. I was surprised that the CRCNA has a family atmosphere, unlike other denominations I experienced previously. It was awesome that everyone was friendly and talked to me as if we had always been together. And the lecture was great as well. It challenged me to think about the gospel more deeply once again, and I wanted to preach the gospel in the church.”

Participants also had the opportunity to fellowship with one another as they toured Zion Canyon in nearby Zion National Park. The combination of lectures, formal meetings, small groups, and informal times together helped participants to establish a sense of belonging with one another, they said.

Rev. David Sung of Living Water CRC in Grand Rapids, Mich., confessed that he had not always felt a sense of belonging to the Korean Council in the past, because the church he serves is primarily English speaking. “Through this particular KC meeting, I felt a sense of calling to serve as a bridge so that younger Korean ministers who are serving second-generation immigrant churches could also be involved.”

“I was able to see the generational change in the meeting,” added Rev. Hee Gyu Park of New Vision Church in Santa Maria, Calif. “I feel proud that we are getting closer to the essence of the kingdom of God . . . as a denomination. I want to praise and encourage the KC leadership for preparing the 37th KC meeting so well.”

According to Rev. Bae, the KC will meet again next year and will continue this year’s theme of “Toward Unity and the Future.” This, said Rev. Daniel Kim, will require continued prayer and support. “KC is in the middle of a transition,” he said as he closed the meeting. “It means there is tension. Please pray for us to get through this time well.”