Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea
| Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Reformed |
| Polity | Presbyterian |
| Associations | World Council of Churches, World Communion of Reformed Churches |
| Region | South Korea |
| Origin | 1960 Seoul |
| Congregations | 998 |
| Members | 335,000 |
| Ministers | 830 |
The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea or the KiJang Presbyterian Church is an ecumenically-minded
History
The Presbyterian Church in Korea was established in 1902. The first General Assembly was held in 1912. Ministers from Australia, Canada and America came in increasing number to Korea. The church faced several hardships during the Japanese occupation. The Pyungyang Seminary was forced to close its doors in 1938. Some leaders went into exile. One year later Chosun Seminary was opened in the south, this become the nucleus of KiJang. In contrast with the Pyungyang Seminary, the Chosun Seminary adopted a progressive theological line. In 1946 the Presbyterian Church of Korea adopted the Chosun Seminary. The President of the Seminary, Dr. Kim Jae-Joon, published an essay that caused a violent debate between conservatives and progressive theological positions. Dr. Park Hyung-Ryong decided to leave the seminary and he was followed by 51 students in 1947. The Assembly also recognized this new Seminary. Now there were two competing seminaries under the authority of the
Statistics
In 2004 there were 326,000 members and 801 congregations with 631 ordained ministers in 10 Presbyteries.
It had 335,000 members in almost 1,000 congregations and 830 pastors in 2006.[3]
Theology
Member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches.[4] It affirms the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Larger Catechism and Westminster Shorter Catechism.
Sister Church relations established with :
- Church of Scotland
- United Protestant Church of France
- Swiss Reformed Church[5]
- United Church of Canada[6]
See also
References
- ^ "Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea". World Council of Churches.
- ^ "¢Æ¢Æ The Presbyterian Church of Korea ¢Æ¢Æ".
- ^ "Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea".
- ^ "www.wcrc.ch/node/164". Archived from the original on August 8, 2012.
- ^ "Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions".
- ^ "www.united-church.ca/partners/global/asia/south-korea#prok".
External links
- Official website 한국기독교장로회총회
