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New Apostolic Reformation
[Controversies]A charismatic movement holding that the offices of apostle and prophet have been restored today and should lead the church. Several Presbyterian denominations in Korea have adopted resolutions cautioning against it or prohibiting participation in it.
Assurance of Salvation
[Controversies]A discussion of whether a person who has once been saved can lose salvation, and of the grounds on which a person may be assured of being saved.
Megachurch
[History]A megachurch is a large Protestant church with an average Sunday worship attendance of 2,000 or more. In South Korea, megachurches multiplied rapidly during the period of industrialization and urbanization, chiefly in Seoul.
Heresy Designation
[Heresies & Cults]A heresy designation is a formal determination by a denominational general assembly or an interdenominational church body, made after investigating the teachings of a particular individual or group, that those teachings have departed from orthodox doctrine. Because each denomination makes its own determinations, conclusions and their severity can differ from one denomination to another.
Book of Job
[Bible]A book of the Old Testament belonging to the wisdom literature. It tells the story of Job, a righteous man who suffers for reasons unknown to him, debates with his friends, and encounters God, and it addresses the question of why the righteous suffer.
Pulpit
[Worship & Rites]A pulpit is a platform at the front of a church sanctuary, raised above the congregational seating, where the preacher stands to preach and lead worship. The term can also refer to the preaching stand placed on that platform or to the ministry of preaching itself.
Military Chaplain (Protestant)
[Church Offices]A military chaplain is a pastor who serves within the armed forces, overseeing the religious life of service members and providing counseling. In South Korea, the term refers specifically to a Protestant pastor commissioned as a chaplain officer.
School Chaplain
[Church Offices]A school chaplain is a pastor attached to a school founded on Christian principles who is responsible for worship, religious education, and counseling for students, faculty, and staff.
Doxology
[Worship & Rites]A doxology is a short utterance or song of praise that gives glory to the triune God. The term refers both to the words of praise that close Scripture passages and prayers and to the brief hymns sung at the beginning or end of worship.
Women's Evangelistic Society
[Organization & Polity]A Women's Evangelistic Society is a self-governing association formed by the women members of a church for evangelism, missions, and service. Methodist churches and some other denominations call it a Women's Missionary Society.
Commissioner (Church Delegate)
[Organization & Polity]A commissioner is a delegate sent by a lower church assembly, such as a session, presbytery, or district conference, to represent it at a higher assembly, such as a presbytery or general assembly. The term is used mainly in Presbyterian churches; other denominations use terms such as "delegate" or "representative."
Cooperating Pastor
[Church Offices]A cooperating pastor is an ordained pastor who is affiliated with a church or institution and assists the senior pastor in ministry. The title is used mainly in Presbyterian churches, and its conditions of service and standing within the presbytery vary according to each denomination's constitution.
Parable
[Bible]A parable is a form of speech that conveys spiritual truth through comparison with everyday objects or stories familiar to the listener. In the church the term usually refers to the parables of Jesus recorded in the Gospels, which deal chiefly with the kingdom of God.
Sabbatical
[Organization & Polity]A sabbatical is a period during which a pastor or missionary, after serving for a set length of time, steps away from ministry to rest, study, pursue further training, and recharge. The term is taken from the Old Testament ordinances concerning the sabbatical year.
Steward
[Doctrine & Theology]A steward is a person entrusted with managing a master's household and property. In Protestantism, the term refers to the teaching that life, time, talents, and material possessions are entrusted to people by God and are to be used responsibly.
Confession of Faith
[Doctrine & Theology]A confession of faith is the act by which Christians declare what they believe, in speech or in writing, or a document formally adopted by a church that sets out what it believes. A brief summary document of this kind is commonly called a creed.
Pastoral Pension
[Organization & Polity]A pastoral pension is a pension system operated by a denomination or church to support pastors who have retired or can no longer carry out their duties, as well as their surviving families.
Joint Easter Service
[Worship & Rites]A joint Easter service is a worship service held on Easter at which multiple denominations and churches gather together, often at dawn. In Korea, the first such service is reported to have been held in 1947 on Namsan in Seoul.
Praise Gathering
[Christian Life]A praise gathering is a meeting that exalts God primarily through the congregation singing a series of praise songs in succession. In Korea, such gatherings spread widely among young adults under the name "praise and worship."
Pastoral Honorarium
[Organization & Polity]A pastoral honorarium is money that a church pays regularly to its ministers, such as the senior pastor, associate pastors, and evangelists, to support their living. It is often referred to simply as an "honorarium."