Presbyterian Church of Korea explained

The Presbyterian Church of Korea
Main Classification:	Protestant
Orientation:	Calvinist
Polity:	Presbyterian
Founder:	Seo Sang-ryun
Founded Date:	1884 when a church was founded in
Founded Place:	Hwanghae province.
Separations:	Gosin (1952), Gijang (1953), Tonghap and Hapdong (1959)
Area:	Korea

Hangul:	대한예수교장로회
Hanja:	大韓예수敎長老會
Rr:	Daehan yesugyo jangnohoe
Mr:	Taehan yesugyo changnohoe

The Presbyterian Church of Korea (PCK), also abbreviated as Yejang, is a Protestant denomination based in South Korea that follows Calvinist theology and the Westminster Confession of Faith. Since the 1950s, the denomination has separated into various branches of the same name. As of 2019, 286 branches in South Korea, many of which have separated from the PCK, use the title 'Presbyterian Church of Korea'.^[1]

History

Early Missionaries

Christianity is believed to have first arrived in Korea in 1865 when pastor Robert Jermain Thomas was captured and martyred during the General Sherman incident.^[2] Full-blown missions were able to take place twenty years later when Horace Newton Allen of the Northern Presbyterian Church was admitted into the royal court of Joseon as a doctor. In 1885, Horace Grant Underwood and arrived and established the Korean mission church for the Northern Presbyterian Church. The Korean edition of the Bible was first translated by John Ross during the 1870s. It was first printed and published by the British and Foreign Bible Society and the Scottish Bible Society in 1886.^[3]

In 1889, Canadian missionary James Scarth Gale and Australian Joseph Henry Davies arrived in Korea. American missionary Samuel Austin Moffett arrived the following year. In 1891, female teachers such as Isabella Menzies, Jean Perry and Mary Fawcett arrived from Australia. Dr. James MacKenzie arrived 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.^[4]

Dr. McKenzie died after a year and a half while working in evangelism and medical care in Sorae Church, Hwanghae Province. His efforts led to the organization of the Korean mission church of the Presbyterian Church in Canada in Wonsan. In the Southern Presbyterian Church, pastors William D. Reynolds and Lewis B. Tate arrived in 1892 and organized the Korean mission church for the Southern Presbyterian Church in Jeolla Province.

In 1889, the Northern Presbyterian Church and the Presbyterian Church of Victoria created The United Council of Presbyterian Missions, with John W. Heron as chairman, to settle issues over the unification of churches. In 1893, the council became the Council of Missions Holding the Presbyterian Form of Government . The two councils consisted only of foreign missionaries.

First Korean Churches

The first Korean Presbyterian church was founded by Seo Sang-ryun in Hwanghae province in 1884.^[5] Shortly thereafter, several foreign Presbyterian missionaries arrived on the peninsula, including Horace Allen, Horace G. Underwood, and Henry Davies.

Like other Christian groups, the Korean Presbyterians such as Gil Seon-ju were closely involved in the peaceful March 1st Movement for Korean independence in 1919.^[6]

By 1937, the Presbyterian churches were largely independent of financial support from the United States.^[7] Presbyterianism in Korea was reconstructed after World War II in 1947. The church adopted the name the Reformed Church in Korea.

In the 1950s, the church suffered tensions because of issues of theology, ecumenism, and worship. The first of these occurred in 1952, over issues related to shinto shrine worship, resulted in the formation of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin). In the second in 1953, the "Presbyterian Church of the Republic of Korea" separated from the PCK. In the third schism in 1959, the Presbyterian Church of Korea broke into two equal sections: the Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap) and The Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong).

General assembly

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

See also

• Christianity in Korea
• Presbyterianism
• Presbyterianism in South Korea

Further reading

• 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)
• Book: Harry Andrew Rhodes. History of the Korea mission: Presbyterian church U. S. A., 1884-1934. 1934. Chosen mission Presbyterian church U. S. A..
• Book: Koon Sik Shim. Rev. Sang-Dong Han, The Founder of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin): A Biography. 2008. The Hermit Kingdom Press. 978-1-59689-073-2.

Notes and References

1. Web site: 전국 교단 총 374개, '대한예수교장로회'만 286개. 최승현. January 2, 2019. Newsnjoy.
2. 宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄. 김만형. 1934-09-07. The Chosun Ilbo.
3. 朝鮮長老敎會의今昔 可驚할五十年發達史 (中). 정인과. 1934-06-28. The Dong-A Ilbo.
4. 宣敎五十週年맛는 長老會懷舊錄 (二). 김만형. 1934-09-08. The Chosun Ilbo.
5. Web site: The Presbyterian Church of Korea : History. 2008-04-16. Pck.or.kr.
6. 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. 10.2307/3170582. 3170582.
7. Kenneth Scott Latourette, Christianity in a Revolutionary Age: Vol. 5: The Twentieth century outside Europe (1962) pp 414-5