It’s the job of the Rev. Luke Choi to inspire, equip and connect the 400 Korean Presbyterian congregations and their 50,000 active members spread across the United States.
Along with that responsibility, Choi, the guest on Monday’s edition of Coffee with the Clerk, works with presbyteries, synods and the General Assembly to help Korean congregations “get the help they deserve,” Choi told the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, during the Facebook Live event.
“A lot of Korean congregations do not know how to get support from their mid councils, and mid councils because of language and cultural barriers have a hard time reaching out to them,” Choi said.
Choi, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s manager for Korean-speaking councils support and an assistant stated clerk in the Office of the General Assembly, has been on the job for a little over two years. In 2016, the 222nd General Assembly created the position “for the purposes of supporting and nurturing healthy, connectional Korean-language congregations and presbyteries and second-generation Korean congregations.”
Choi told Nelson that Korean-American leaders “are starting to serve beyond their congregations in presbyteries, synods and at the General Assembly.”
“We are seeing more people who are comfortable with English and are better assimilated into the mainstream culture,” he said.
He encourages Presbyterian churches struggling with declining membership and decreased financial resources to pair with a nearby Korean congregation with what’s often a younger membership.
“Some of these churches are on the verge of closing,” Choi said, noting there are at least one or two in most presbyteries around the country. If the congregations are considering a partnership, Choi administers what he called “a compatibility test” to each body.
“I hope that more congregations will consider partnering with emerging Korean congregations so they can benefit one another,” he said, adding that benefits for the non-Korean congregation embarking on such a partnership include “diversifying the congregation and strengthening a church that was on the verge of closing.”
“A lot of pieces have to come together in order for that to come to fruition,” he said, “but there are maybe a dozen congregations doing something wonderful.”
Choi said he’s taking Nelson’s lead by hitting the road to visit as many congregations and mid councils as he can.
“You are a hands-on person yourself. You make it a point to visit our constituents to make that connection and develop that network of support,” Choi told Nelson. “I am following in your footsteps. I try to get out there as much as I can. I think I am best utilized when I am on the road.”
Choi said that while some South Koreans still hold a grudge against the U.S. for such events as the No Gun Ri massacre in 1950, (for which Nelson apologized on behalf of the PC[USA] in 2017, apologizing not on behalf of the U.S. government, but for the silence that followed even decades after the massacre) the “vast majority of the Christian community in Korea have a general sense of gratefulness for what the United States did for South Korea.”
“When I left in 1982, the country was still developing. Now it’s one of the richest countries in the world. I think everybody is hoping we are this close to being reunited,” he said, holding his fingers about two inches apart to describe people in both North and South Korea. “You take away the top leadership, and we could be one nation right now.”
South Korea is “a legitimate Christian nation,” with Protestants and Catholics outnumbering other religious groups, according to Choi. Millions of Koreans are praying every day for peace in the Korean peninsula.
“I believe that as long as people are leaning on God with everything they’ve got, the Lord will keep them safe,” he told Nelson. “The Lord will not let that place go kaboom.”
Just about anywhere people go in the United States, they’ll find a Korean congregation, Choi said.
“When Koreans emigrate, the first thing they do is form a Christian congregation, which I’m very proud of,” he said.
Choi touted last week’s launch of the PC(USA)’s Korean web page. The new page provides translation and consolidation of PC(USA) resources in one place.
“We hope it helps constituents be better informed,” Choi said, inviting listeners to revisit the page frequently. “It’s a work in progress. It’ll get better and better.”