NCCK – The Next 100 Years

A letter from Kurt Esslinger and Hyeyoung Lee, mission co-workers serving in South Korea

Summer 2024

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Dear friends,

The National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK) decided to begin its 100th year with a conference on the future of the ecumenical movement in Korea earlier this year. They gathered members throughout the NCCK denominations to consider how the council should approach its next 100 years. Women spoke about their frustration due to the lack of representation for women in leadership of the NCCK since older men hold most leadership positions and spend the most time talking in committee meetings and assemblies working on policy. Panels also included young leadership from the Ecumenical Youth Council of Korea (EYCK) to share the ways they feel their voice is diminished in the ecumenical community as current NCCK leadership carry on projects without giving them as much space to express themselves or exercise their vision for ecumenical life. There was even discussion of the lack of support for the queer community in the Korean Church, and a need to provide a safe space for those discussing queer theology and LGBTQ+ affirming perspectives. They acknowledged the difficulty of doing this openly while NCCK member denominations still hold anti-LGTBQ+ positions, one denomination having recently excommunicated a minister for performing a prayer of blessing at a Queer Pride Festival in Seoul.

Participants, including Rev. Kurt Esslinger, discuss the state of the Reconciliation and Reunification Committee

This conversation certainly made for an awkward atmosphere for parts of the two-day conference. The NCCK also spent time recognizing the positive work done up to that point. Some speakers outlined the successes of the NCCK’s ecumenical movement in the past, especially work in leading the democratization movement and fighting human rights violations in South Korea. A major part of that work came through the Industrial Mission Foundation which worked on justice and evangelism among the laborers in factories and farmlands throughout Korea. The NCCK also had a major impact on the movement for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. Secular NGOs in the labor movement and peace movement today continue to cite the NCCK’s legacy in helping to pave the way for their work that continues today.

This discussion of the NCCK’s ecumenical history comes in the context of demographic changes in South Korea that have contributed to what is now shrinking numbers for all of Korea’s main denominations. For decades South Korea had shown constant church growth in membership across the board. As mainline denominations in the U.S. began to shrink in the 1970s, South Korea’s mainline denominations posted growth year after year. That trend has now come to an end and has also led to dwindling support for the ecumenical movement. This is leading to introspection and re-evaluation for all church denominations in Korea. Some of those present at this NCCK conference suggested that re-invigorating the spirit of the Industrial Missions that spurred justice and faith movements could bring back ecumenical passion. Others suggested that the NCCK must imagine a whole new reorganization that provides a new foundation for the leadership of women, youth, LGBTQ+ members, people with disabilities, and others who, up to now, have had their voices minimized in decision-making spaces of church institutions.

Panelists such as Ms. Susannah Choi of the Korean YWCA talk about NCCK’s future

As this meeting was part of the preparations for the coming 100th general assembly of the NCCK no policy decisions were made directly. Nevertheless, those gathered did agree to spend the months leading up to the anniversary discussing and imagining what a new NCCK might look like. They agreed that the NCCK has made invaluable contributions to the ecumenical movement and to Korean society over the last century. However, the leaders who led that struggle decades ago have maintained those positions of leadership up to now. Yet the context of issues in Korea has significantly changed. While a full democracy has not yet come to fruition, many reforms have moved South Korea from dictatorship toward democracy. As democratic reforms now have a plethora of civil society groups available to champion them, new issues have risen to the forefront of Korean society, especially gender equality, treatment of immigrant communities, and the growing interest in creating queer friendly Korean churches. To address the new dynamics of Korean society and live into new visions of being the church in 2024, the participants at this conference agreed that the NCCK needs to open up space for new leadership.

With that in mind, the participants agreed that discussions would continue and focus on how the NCCK can make more space for women, youth, and people with disabilities to take leadership in its structure and committees. There was also discussion of whether a new committee structure would be better suited to address the issues of today, so discussions will also imagine possibilities for a new committee setup rather than the current setup that has generally been in place since the outset of the NCCK’s participation in the human rights and democracy movement within South Korea. At the NCCK staff face some anxiety for the work that will come with facilitating those changes, but there is excitement that this might open more flexibility to deal with increasingly important issues.

As Hyeyoung and I witness these discussions and searches for new visions, we continue to appreciate the invaluable support we receive from all of you. As we continue to receive your prayers, donations, and messages of encouragement we are re-ignited with a sense of purpose for our ministry as Presbyterians in Korea. We hope to continue sharing this journey with you throughout the year, and we hope you participate in this movement of change, reform, and new life in the Spirit of God all around us!

Peace be with you all.

Kurt and Hyeyoung