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Benediction
[Worship & Rites]The benediction is the part of a worship service in which, at its close, the minister asks for or pronounces God's blessing upon the congregation. In Catholic and Anglican usage, it is commonly referred to as the blessing.
Confirmation
[Worship & Rites]Confirmation is the rite by which a person baptized in infancy, upon growing up, personally professes the faith and becomes a full baptized member of the church. In Korean Protestant usage it is commonly called ipgyo ("entering the church"), while Lutheran and some other churches use a term meaning "rite of strengthening faith."
Church Bulletin
[Worship & Rites]A church bulletin is a newsletter that a church publishes every Lord's Day, containing the order of worship, sermon information, church news, and announcements.
Memorial Service (Chudo Yebae)
[Worship & Rites]A memorial service is a worship service in which bereaved family members and fellow church members gather, usually on the anniversary of a death or on a major holiday, to remember a person who has died. In Korean Protestantism it became established as a rite that takes the place of Confucian ancestral rites; it is also known as a remembrance service (chumo yebae).
Sacrament
[Worship & Rites]A sacrament is a rite believed to have been instituted by Christ that signifies God's grace through visible signs such as water, bread, and wine. Protestants generally recognize two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Offertory
[Worship & Rites]The offertory is the part of a worship service in which offerings and gifts are presented to God, or the act of presenting them. It is also commonly called the "offering time."
Sermon
[Worship & Rites]A sermon is the proclamation of the Word in worship that expounds a biblical text and applies it to present-day life. It is regarded as a central element of the worship service, and in Korean Protestant churches it is commonly referred to simply as "the Word" (malsseum).
Board of Church Officers (Jejikhoe)
[Organization & Polity]The board of church officers (jejikhoe) is a deliberative body in which a congregation's officers, such as pastors, elders, deacons, and kwonsas, meet to discuss and carry out the practical work of church finances and service. It is found chiefly in Korean Presbyterian churches, where it operates under the provisions of the church constitution.
Ten Commandments
[Worship & Rites]The Ten Commandments are the ten commands recorded in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 of the Old Testament, which God is said to have given to Israel at Mount Sinai. In Korean Protestant churches they are used, together with the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer, as core content for basic instruction in the faith.
Christian Wedding Service
[Worship & Rites]A Christian wedding service is a ceremony conducted as an act of worship in which a Christian man and woman make their marriage vows before God and receive a blessing upon their union. It is usually officiated by a pastor and may be held in a church or a wedding hall.
Session (Presbyterian)
[Organization & Polity]The session is the lowest church court in Presbyterian polity, governing an individual congregation. Composed of the senior pastor and the active ruling elders, it oversees the spiritual life of church members and makes decisions about the operation of the church.
Lord's Prayer
[Worship & Rites]The Lord's Prayer is the prayer that Jesus Christ taught his disciples. It is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and nearly all churches, regardless of denomination, recite it together in worship and use it in instruction.
Annual Conference
[Organization & Polity]In Methodism, an annual conference is both the yearly meeting at which the clergy and lay representatives of a given region decide on the ordination of ministers, clergy membership and appointments, and the administration of local churches, and the regional unit over which that meeting has jurisdiction.
Gospel Songs
[Worship & Rites]Gospel songs are Christian songs composed outside the hymnals officially authorized by denominations and sung in church and in the life of faith. In Korean Protestant churches, the term is also used interchangeably with CCM (contemporary Christian music) and praise songs.
Representative Prayer
[Worship & Rites]Representative prayer is a prayer offered aloud by one person on behalf of the entire congregation during a worship service or gathering. In Korean churches it is usually led by lay officers such as elders, senior deaconesses (kwonsa), and deacons.
General Assembly
[Organization & Polity]A general assembly is the highest national decision-making body of a denomination. It amends the denominational constitution, sets policy, and elects officers. Among Korean Protestant denominations, Presbyterian bodies usually hold their regular general assembly each September.
Presbytery
[Organization & Polity]A presbytery is a governing court in Presbyterian churches in which the ministers and ruling elder representatives of a given region meet to govern the churches of that region. It is the intermediate court between the session and the general assembly.
District Conference
[Organization & Polity]A district conference is an intermediate-level body formed by the churches of a given region in Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and other denominations, or the meeting that such a body holds. It occupies roughly the same position as the presbytery in Presbyterian churches.
Hymn
[Worship & Rites]A hymn is a song sung by a congregation to praise God and confess the faith; the term also refers to a book collecting such songs. In Korean Protestant churches, the term commonly refers to the common hymnal shared by many denominations.
Responsive Reading
[Worship & Rites]A responsive reading is an element of worship, and also the text used for it, in which the leader and the congregation read a passage of Scripture, usually from the Psalms, alternately verse by verse. In Korean Protestant churches it is also known as seongsi gyodok, "the alternate reading of sacred poems."