Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) | |
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Classification | Protestant |
Orientation | Calvinist |
Theology | Reformed Evangelical |
Polity | Presbyterian |
Region | South Korea |
Origin | 1959 South Korea |
Separated from | Presbyterian Church in Korea (TongHap) |
Branched from | Presbyterian Church of Korea |
Separations | Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin) |
Congregations | 11,758 |
Members | 2,556,182 [1] |
Ministers | 24,855 |
Official website | gapck |
Presbyterian Church in Korea | |
Hangul | 대한예수교장로회(합동) |
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Hanja | 大韓예수敎長老會(合同) |
Revised Romanization | Daehan yesugyo jangnohoe Hapdong |
McCune–Reischauer | Taehan yesugyo changnohoe Haptong |
The Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) is an Evangelical Presbyterian denomination,which is the biggest Christian church in South Korea. The headquarters of the church is in Seoul,South Korea. [2]
In 1959 at the 44th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea the denomination divided for the third time (1951,1953,and 1959) into two equal parts due to the church's view of the issue of ecumenism and the World Council of Churches. The church was divided for and against Park Hyun-nyon,president of the Presbyterian Seminary Society of the General Assembly. The anti-Park party is called 'Tonghap' (the united body) and the pro-Park party is called 'Hapdong' (the union body). [3]
The divisions from all three splits during the 50s still exist. The divisions from the third split between Tonghap and Hapdong respectively are still the largest Presbyterian dominations in South Korea. [3]
The HapDong section represented more theologically conservative wing than the TongHap. The Tonghap group maintained its affiliation to the World Council of Churches and the National Council of Churches and allowed relatively wide range of theological positions. [4] [5]
The Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) was the more conservative group in the schism. Its conservative doctrinal basis made it possible to unite later with the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin) in 1960. But this union did not last and a group of Koshin churches separated a few years later,although about 150 Koshin congregations stayed with HapDong. In 1961,another group separated to form the Bible Presbyterian Church,later to be called the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Daeshin). [2]
At the 64th General assembly in 1979 the church suffered another division. Kim Hee Bo the President of the ChongShin Seminary advocated for the historical-critical approach to the Pentateuch. The church divided into a mainline and non-mainline groups. The debate centered about two issues:the authorship of the Pentateuch and the relationship with the ChongShin Seminary. The non-mainline section fragmented in the following years.
In the 1990s the current HapDong experienced phenomenal growth. By the early 2000s,HapDong developed into the largest denomination in South Korea with more than 2.2 million communicant members,5,123 congregations,and 6,300 ordained pastors. [2] [6] These figures differ from the statistics offered by Chongshin Seminary,which claims the church has 11,000 congregations and about 3 million members. [7]
In South Korea there are about 15 million Protestants,about 9 million are Presbyterians in more than 100 denominations. [8]
The Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong) is a theologically conservative denomination. The Hapdong group subscribe the historic Presbyterian Confessions like:
According to the Apostle Paul's instructions,there are no women ordinations.
The Chongshin University and Chongshin Seminary are the only official educational institutions of the HapDong Church to train pastors. [7] [9]
The Presbyterian Church in Korea HapDong created the Global Missions Society (GMS) in South Korea for supporting evangelism and missions. The Global Mission Society,the missionary body of the Hapdong General Assembly of Presbyterian Churches of Korea,is the single largest Presbyterian missionary organization in South Korea and the world with over 2,500 missionaries working in Europe,Asia,Russia,Latin America,Africa. [10] [11] [12]
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that traces its origin to the Church of Scotland. Presbyterian churches derive their name from the presbyterian form of church government by representative assemblies of elders. Many Reformed churches are organised this way,but the word Presbyterian,when capitalized,is often applied uniquely to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland or to English Dissenter groups that formed during the English Civil War.
The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body,behind the Presbyterian Church (USA),and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presbyterian in government. It is characterized by a blend of Calvinist practice and broad evangelicalism.
Chongshin University is a Christian university in Seoul,South Korea. It has deep historical ties to conservative Presbyterianism,reformed theology,and belongs to the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong). The current president is Jae Seo Lee.
The Presbyterian Church in the United States of America (PCUSA) was the first national Presbyterian denomination in the United States,existing from 1789 to 1958. In that year,the PCUSA merged with the United Presbyterian Church of North America,a denomination with roots in the Seceder and Covenanter traditions of Presbyterianism. The new church was named the United Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. It was a predecessor to the contemporary Presbyterian Church (USA).
The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea or the KiJang Presbyterian Church is an ecumenically-minded Presbyterian denomination in South Korea.
The Presbyterian Church of the Philippines (PCP),officially The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of the Philippines,is a growing evangelical,Bible-based Reformed church in the Philippines. It was officially founded in 1987 and the General Assembly was organized in September 1996.
The Africa Evangelical Presbyterian Church (AEPC) is a growing conservative Presbyterian and Reformed Church which adheres to the Westminster Confession of Faith started in Kenya,later spread to the surrounding countries like Burundi,Tanzania,Congo and as far as Zimbabwe. The headquarters of the church is located in Nairobi,Kenya. The current Moderator is Rev. Dr Joseph Mutei installed on Sunday 26th June 2022
The Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap) is a mainline Protestant denomination based in South Korea;it currently has the second largest membership of any Presbyterian denomination in the world. It is affiliated with its daughter denomination,the Korean Presbyterian Church in America (KPCA) in the United States,which adopted the "Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad" as its new name in 2009.
The Reformed Church in Japan is a confessional Calvinist denomination in Japan. It was formerly a member of the World Communion of Reformed Churches,but it chose to suspend its membership.
The Reformed Presbyterian Church in Taiwan was officially established in 1971 when the First Presbytery was formed as a result of the union of various conservative Presbyterian and Continental Reformed congregations planted by various missionary groups. Its origin could be traced back to the 1950s when the very first missionaries of those Presbyterian and Continental Reformed missionaries arrived in Taiwan.
The Presbyterian Church in Japan is a conservative Reformed denomination in Japan,founded by American missionaries in the mid-1900s.
The Conservative Presbyterian Church in Korea was formed in 1963 when Pastor Kim Oh-Sung gathered 102 congregations to form a new denomination. Choi Sung-Gon became the moderator. Their conviction was that the neo-orthodox theology was the main reason of the division between the Presbyterian Church in Korea (TongHap) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong). The conservative Calvinism was propagated in this new church. For 5–6 years the church was inactive. Graduates from SungHwa seminary —Cho Won-Kuk,Kim Duk-Sun,and Chung In-Young —met in 1972 and succeeded in restoring the denomination. When HapDong divided in 1979,many ministers and about 200 congregations joined non-mainline churches of HapDong. Only 22 stayed in BoSu. In 2004 it had 12,779 members and 110 congregations. It affirms the Westminster Confession and the Apostles Creed.
The Presbyterian Church in Korea (Baekseok) other name is the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDongJeongTong) is strong Presbyterian Reformed denomination in South Korea,originated in the mainline and non-mainline division in 1979. In 1980 the non-mainline group founded the HapDongJinRi. One year later some members joined the YunHap section. The founding date of the denomination is in 1982,when these 2 group united and formed the current denomination. It's growing rapidly by evangelism and integrating other small groups. In 2004 it has 611,000 members and 1,700 congregations 39 presbyteries and a General Assembly. Total ordinated clergy is 2,905. There's no women ordination. The denomination adheres to the Apostles Creed and Westminster Confession of Faith.
The Presbyterian Church in Korea (YeJangHapBo) is a Christian denomination created as the result of bringing together various Hapdong groups,both mainline and non-mainline. In 1980 No Jin-Young from the mainline group,You Je-Shun,Son Chi-So from the neutral group and Bak Dong-Sup from the non-mainline faction created HapDongBoSu. Later it was renamed to YeJangHapBo. It has 187,500 members and 300 congregations in 16 Presbyteries and a General Assembly.
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