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Theological Seminary
[Organization & Polity]A theological seminary, or graduate school of theology, is a graduate-level program whose primary purpose is the training of pastors. Its core program is the Master of Divinity (M.Div.), and many Korean Protestant denominations treat completion of this program as a basic requirement for ordination.
Non-Self-Supporting Church
[Organization & Polity]A non-self-supporting church is a church that cannot cover its pastor's living allowance and operating expenses from its members' offerings alone and therefore receives support from its denomination or from other churches. It is also called a "future self-supporting church."
Denomination
[Organization & Polity]A denomination is an organized body formed by churches that share a common confession of faith and system of church government. Several denominations may exist within a single denominational tradition.
Small Group
[Christian Life]A small group is a gathering within a church in which anywhere from a few to a dozen or so members meet regularly to share Scripture, pray, and care for one another. Depending on the church and denomination, such groups go by various names, including cells and classes; Korean churches also use terms such as guyeok (district), sokhoe (class), mokjang (pasture), darakbang (upper room), and sun.
Special Dawn Prayer Meeting
[Feasts & Seasons]A special dawn prayer meeting (teuksae) is a dawn prayer gathering that a church holds for a set period and around a chosen theme, with greater intensity than its regular dawn prayer meetings. The practice grew out of the dawn prayer tradition of Korean Protestantism.
Thanksgiving Offering
[Christian Life]A thanksgiving offering is an offering given in gratitude for grace received from God. In Korean churches, it is commonly given separately from regular offerings, with the giver writing the reason for thanksgiving on an offering envelope.
Church Membership Register
[Christian Life]A church membership register is the record of a person's status as an enrolled member of a particular church, together with that member's personal details and history of faith; the term can also refer to the membership status itself.
Building Fund Offering
[Christian Life]A building fund offering is an offering collected separately from general offerings to pay for constructing, purchasing, or renovating church buildings such as sanctuaries and education buildings.
Testimony
[Christian Life]A testimony is a believer's account, given before others, of faith experiences in his or her own life, bearing witness to what God has done.
House Church
[Christian Life]A house church is a form of church in which believers gather in homes to share meals, study the Word, and pray together as a community. Among Korean Protestants, the term usually refers to the pastoral model that Pastor Young-Gi Chai began at Seoul Baptist Church of Houston.
Young Adult Ministry
[Christian Life]A young adult ministry is an age-based church department that follows the church school years and gathers mainly college students and unmarried young adults in their twenties and thirties. Depending on the church, it may also be called a young adults' association or a college ministry.
Worship Team
[Christian Life]A worship team is a ministry group within a church that leads the congregation's singing in worship services and gatherings through vocals and instruments. It typically consists of vocalists along with keyboard, guitar, bass, and drums.
New Members' Class
[Christian Life]A new members' class is an introductory course, typically lasting several weeks, in which people who have newly joined a church learn the basics of the Christian faith and the life of that congregation. It is also called a new believers' class.
Church Retreat
[Christian Life]A church retreat is a gathering in which church members leave their daily routines and stay together for several days to focus on worship, prayer, Bible study, and fellowship. In Korean Protestant churches, retreats are usually held by individual church departments during school vacations.
Bible Translations
[Bible]A Bible translation renders the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of Scripture into another language. Translations differ in how closely they follow the wording of the original or render its meaning in natural modern language. Korean churches use several Korean translations, including the New Korean Revised Version, the New Korean Standard Version, the Common Translation, and the Easy Bible.
Infant Baptism Controversy
[Controversies]A debate over whether baptism may be administered to infants who cannot yet profess faith for themselves. Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, and Anglican churches, among others, practice infant baptism, while Baptist and Full Gospel churches baptize (by immersion) only those who have professed faith.
Baptism by Sprinkling and by Immersion
[Controversies]A debate over whether the biblical mode of baptism is sprinkling or pouring water on the head or submerging the whole body in water. In Korean Protestant usage, the same Greek word is rendered by two different terms: Presbyterians, Methodists, and others use a term meaning a rite of washing, while Baptists and others use a term meaning a rite of immersion.
Tithing Controversy
[Controversies]A debate over whether the tithe, the giving of one-tenth of one's income, remains an obligation for Christians today.
The Sabbath and the Lord's Day
[Controversies]A discussion of whether Christians should observe the seventh-day (Saturday) Sabbath or the first-day (Sunday) Lord's Day, and whether the Lord's Day should be kept in the manner of the Old Testament Sabbath.
WCC Controversy
[Controversies]A controversy among Korean Protestant churches over whether to join and cooperate with the World Council of Churches (WCC). It was one of the causes of the 1959 division of the Presbyterian Church in Korea into the Tonghap and Hapdong branches, and it flared up again on a large scale when the WCC held its assembly in Busan in 2013.