Korean Intercultural Congregational Support
The mission of Korean Intercultural Congregational Support is to inspire, equip, and connect Korean congregations in the PC(USA). Today there are 350 Korean congregations with nearly 50,000 active members. Korean congregations are located in 15 synods and 120 presbyteries throughout the country while there is a strong presence in both coasts. Korean Intercultural Ministries covers three main objectives to fulfill its mission: leadership development, congregational support, and English ministry.
The Leadership development is a major focus of the Korean Intercultural Congregational Support Office. The office sponsors and supports conferences and gatherings for the various groups of the Korean leaders in the denomination to provide up-to-date resources and in-depth trainings based on the PC(USA) Constitution and Reformed Faith tradition along with fellowship and network among the Korean pastors and elders.
The second focus of Korean Intercultural Congregational ministries is to support congregations for healthy growth and to develop New Worshiping Communities. The Office supports PMA’s 1001 New Worshiping Communities mission strategy. Over the years, more than 40 Korean New Worshiping Communities have been started and 12 Korean NWC coaches have been trained. The overall strategy of the Korean office in regard to the congregational support is to challenge presbyteries and the Korean leaders to start NWCs at diverse yet unique situations while the office supports and nurtures the existing Korean congregations.
The third focus is English Ministry. The English Ministry (EM) in the context of Korean speaking 1st generation congregations is crucial and challenging task to continue and inherit Korean American identity and faith without losing roots and flying beyond Koreanness. Korean Intercultural Congregational Support office works in collaboration with English Ministry leaders for transformational leadership training and mentoring programs. The overall mission strategy of the English Ministry in the context of Korean American congregations is to empower the second generation Korean American Presbyterians.
Korean churches face two emerging challenges: First is the congregational aging of some of the first-generation congregations. And second is the decrease of the immigration directly from Korea, but the increase of the permanent Korean American residents. Our short-term solutions are leadership recruitment and development, congregational renewal, mission coordination, and outreach promotion. The long-term goals consist of two areas: First, helping Korean churches to be connected with the rich legacy of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) mission endeavor in Korea from the previous century. Second is to develop a national strategic plan to ensure the continuation of the vitality of Korean congregations, particularly in the context of the post-Covid era.
The Korean Intercultural Congregational Office sponsors the annual conference of the National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches (NCKPC). This gathering functions as the main engine of Korean congregations by addressing the most pressing issues of the Korean congregations and developing a national strategy.
The Korean Intercultural Congregational Office also coordinates three nongeographic Korean language presbyteries — Eastern Korean American Presbytery (NYC/New Jersey area), Midwest Korean American Presbytery (Chicago area), and Atlantic Korean American Presbytery (D.C. and Atlanta areas) — by the Coordinating Committee for Korean American Presbyteries (CCKAP). By gathering leaders from three Korean American presbyteries, it creates a powerful network for the Korean congregations to actively participate in the life and mission of the PC(USA).
Contact Us
Moongil Cho
Support Associate
800-728-7228, ext. 5683
moongil.cho@pcusa.org