wfn.org | Korean-American United Methodist church enjoys growth

[NewsDesk <NewsDesk@UMCOM.UMC.ORG>]

May 11, 1998    Contact: Tim Tanton*(615)742-5470*Nashville, Tenn.
10-21-35-71BP{292}

NOTE:  This story is accompanied by UMNS #293, and a photograph is
available.

LOS ANGELES (UMNS) - It doesn't take long to figure out why the
Korean-American church is the fastest-growing part of  the United
Methodist denomination.

The evangelical fervor comes through in the singing, the hand motions,
the loud praying and, most of all, the preaching. That zeal fuels the
missionary efforts that have produced hundreds of churches in the Korean
immigrant community since the 1970s.

About 400 pastors and laity gathered to celebrate that work and fix
their gaze on the future during the Korean-American United Methodist
Mission Convocation, held May 4-7 at the Wilshire Radisson Hotel. The
crowd increased to about 1,000 people for the evening worship services
at nearby Wilshire United Methodist Church, with people attending from
around the area.

As they celebrated their unity, the Korean Americans also found
themselves dealing with issues related to diversity, ranging from the
need to draw more young people into the life of the church to the call
from clergywomen for more leadership opportunities. Issues related to
homosexuality also were raised, and a leading pastor in the Korean
church gave a warning about the future of the denomination.

The Korean-American United Methodist church has grown from less than 20
congregations in the mid-1970s to about 285 churches and 62 mission
(unchartered) churches today. Korean-American congregations account for
more than half of the United Methodist churches formed since 1981.

"In the 1980s, the growth was phenomenal," said the Rev. Jong Sung Kim,
executive secretary of Asian-Pacific Ministries for the United Methodist
Board of Global Ministries in New York.

"The rate has slowed down significantly," but Koreans are still
immigrating to the United States, Kim said. "We will not grow as fast as
we did in the 1980s, but still there is room for us to continue to
grow."

Traditionally, the churches have been strong on the East Coast and West
Coast and in the Chicago area, he said. Now, growth opportunities are
seen in cities like Dallas, Houston and Atlanta, he said.

Two forces are driving the growth of  the Korean-American United
Methodist churches in the United States, said Bishop Hae-Jong Kim,
chairperson of the National Committee on Korean American Ministries and
head of the church's New York West Area.

"First, there has been a steady and dynamic growth of our church in
Korea, and that is carried over when (Koreans) come to the States," he
said.

Second, Korean immigrants find the church a place for ethnic fellowship,
he said. They are assimilated into the fellowship first, then they learn
about Christ, he said. At least 50 percent of all Korean immigrants are
affiliated with a church.

Drawing second- and third-generation leaders into the life of the church
has become a priority for the Korean-American community. A Board of
Global Ministries task force is working on strategies, and its goals
include recruiting young clergy. In the next two years, the task force
also wants to establish two new English-language ministries, preferably
in Los Angeles and New York, Jong Sung Kim said.

One of several convocation workshops focused on embracing
second-generation Korean-Americans. Ideas included having a young person
as a member of a local church staff-parish relations council. Some
ministries also can be filled more effectively by second-generation
Korean-Americans, whose language and cultural skills are often stronger
than those of first-generation pastors, said the Rev. Daniel Yongkak
Shin, pastor of the Delaware Korean United Methodist Church. Involving
young people as leaders in Habitat for Humanity and Meals on Wheels
programs are other possibilities, he said.

The churches must make young people more welcome, discussion group
members agreed.

"We are not hospitable for them," Shin said, "but we are working very
hard on that issue."

Likewise, Korean-American clergywomen are seeking more leadership
opportunities in Korean congregations. Currently, there are about 70
Korean-American women among ordained United Methodists, yet most of
those women serve non-Korean or multicultural churches.

Women pastors have not been given the opportunity to serve Korean
congregations, said the Rev. Insook Hwang, president of the
Korean-American Clergywomen Association.

"Appointments have to be made according to the pastor's gifts,
experiences, training and leadership style, rather than gender," Hwang
said.

Hwang's remarks, as she led a Bible study session, were well received by
the convocation. In an interview later, Bishop Kim noted that there are
more Korean ministers ordained, male and female, than there are Korean
congregations available.

"It will come, it will come," Bishop Kim said. "Remember, it took a long
time for American churches to accept women clergy, and it's really
commonplace now."

While the Korean-Americans have brought many new members to the United
Methodist Church, one pastor issued a warning about the future of the
denomination.

The Rev. Amos Rhee, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Flushing,
N.Y., called for a reformation of the church's leadership and its
seminaries, and warned against allowing homosexuals into positions of
church leadership. Leadership has gone astray, he said, while the
seminaries aren't teaching pastors how to serve local churches
effectively.

"We need to experience a new reformation. Brothers and sisters in
Christ, we need to wake up," he said. "We cannot ignore what's happening
around us."

He also voiced concern that the United Methodist Church's handling of
homosexuality-related issues would undo the work of Korean pastors in
building congregations. If local churches are forced to accept a liberal
policy toward homosexuality, "we will be shattered," he said.

He likened the denomination to a cancer patient, noting that it has lost
1.3 million members in the last 10 years. "Each day, we're losing 400
members. If we continue to lose that many people each day, what will
happen to us?"

The denomination, with its current theology and beliefs, "won't lead us
ahead," he said.

Bishop Kim and others were more positive about the direction of the
church.

"I think (Rhee's) challenge to reform has certain validity, but then we
have a lot of positive ... strength in our denomination. I feel more
optimistic."

He noted that the United Methodist Council of Bishops recently issued a
statement affirming its intention to uphold the denomination's governing
Book of Discipline, which contains a passage in the Social Principles
prohibiting same-sex unions.

Later, during evening worship, Bishop Kim encouraged the pastors to
embrace the diversity of the church. In the United States, diversity is
present in the basic fabric of society, he said.

"I call upon us to be the people of understanding," he said.

"Don't be ashamed of being United Methodist," he added. "In fact, be
proud of being United Methodist."

During its plenary session, the Korean church's caucus voted to appoint
a team that will write a position statement on homosexuality, supporting
the recent Council of Bishops' statement.

The caucus also heard a report on a General Conference task force that
is working on a needs assessment of the Korean community. The task force
was mandated after the 1996 General Conference, the top lawmaking body
of the denomination, heard a proposal for a Korean-language missionary
annual conference. The task force will submit a proposal to the 2000
General Conference with recommendations for helping Korean-Americans.
The group is surveying Korean pastors and selected lay people, and it
will organize focus groups to discuss needs, Bishop Kim said.

The caucus also:
	
*	Elected as president Cheo Kwon Lee, pastor of Bell Memorial
United Methodist Church in California, succeeding Rhee for a two-year
term;

*	Voted to wait at least another year before deciding what
Korean-language title should be given to the position of  permanent
deacon; and

*	Heard a report from the United Methodist Publishing House on
plans for a bilingual Korean-English hymnal, which will be available in
2001.

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