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Deacon
[Church Offices]A deacon holds a church office devoted to service, ministry, and the practical affairs of the congregation. In Korean Protestant churches, the office is divided into ordained deacons and acting deacons appointed annually, and its status and role vary by denomination.
New Believer
[Church Offices]A new believer is a person who has recently begun attending and registered with a church, or a church member who has only recently come to faith. Korean Protestant churches also use the terms "new family member" and "new fellow member" for such persons.
Missionary
[Church Offices]A missionary is a person whom a church or mission organization sends to another region or culture to proclaim the gospel and to carry out work such as church planting, education, medical care, and relief.
Elder
[Church Offices]An elder is a church officer elected from among the members to care for and govern the church together with the pastor. In Presbyterian churches the term refers to the ruling elders who make up the session; the status and role of the office vary by denomination.
Baptized Member
[Church Offices]A baptized member is a church member who has received baptism (or baptism by immersion) and become a full member of the church. A person baptized in infancy who later becomes a full member through a confirmation examination is called a confirmed member, and the two categories are sometimes referred to together.
Laity
[Church Offices]The laity are the ordinary members of a church, as distinct from clergy such as pastors and evangelists. In Korean Protestant churches, officers such as elders, kwonsa, and deacons are usually counted among the laity as well.
Saints
[Church Offices]Saints are those who belong to God and have been set apart for him, a biblical term for all Christians who believe in Jesus Christ. In Korean Protestant churches, the corresponding term (seongdo) is used both as a general term for church members and as a form of address for members who hold no church office.
Family Worship
[Worship & Rites]Family worship is worship that a family offers together at home, typically consisting of hymn singing, Scripture reading, and prayer. In Korean Protestant churches it is widely practiced, including on traditional holidays in connection with memorial services, and serves as a setting for faith education.
District Superintendent (Methodism)
[Church Offices]A district superintendent is a pastoral office in Methodist churches. The holder represents a district (district conference) made up of several congregations, provides pastoral care for the churches and pastors of that area, and oversees its administration.
Dedication Worship Service
[Worship & Rites]A dedication worship service is a worship service led by a particular organization or department within a congregation, in which its members renew their commitment to dedication, that is, to serving God with body and heart. It is widely practiced in Korean Protestant churches.
Priest
[Church Offices]A priest is one of the three holy orders in Anglicanism, alongside bishop and deacon, and is an ordained minister who presides at the Eucharist and cares for the church. Priests are commonly addressed as "Father," and unlike Roman Catholic priests, who observe celibacy, Anglican priests may marry.
Bishop
[Church Offices]A bishop is an officeholder who oversees and leads multiple churches and ministers. The term derives from the New Testament Greek episkopos ("one who watches over"). In Korea, the Protestant term for bishop refers mainly to leaders of Methodist denominations, while the Anglican and Catholic churches use a different Korean term for the same office.
Friday Prayer Meeting
[Worship & Rites]The Friday prayer meeting is a regular prayer gathering in Korean Protestantism, held from Friday evening into the night and consisting of worship songs, preaching, and prayer. Because participants once prayed through the night, it is also called the Friday all-night prayer meeting.
Wednesday Service
[Worship & Rites]A Wednesday service is a midweek worship service held on Wednesday, between one Lord's Day and the next. It is also known as a Wednesday prayer meeting. Most Korean Protestant churches hold it on Wednesday evening, and in Korea it is also called the samil service ("third-day service").
District Worship Meeting
[Worship & Rites]A district worship meeting is a small worship service and gathering held in homes by church members organized into geographical units, or districts, according to where they live. The practice is widespread in Korean Protestant churches, where it is known as guyeok yebae; in Methodist churches, a gathering of the same kind is called a class meeting (sokhoe).
Seeker Service
[Worship & Rites]A seeker service is a form of worship whose format and language are simplified so that people unfamiliar with church can take part without discomfort. It is also known as seeker-sensitive worship.
Installation of Church Officers
[Worship & Rites]The installation of church officers is a rite in which a church formally sets apart the officers it has elected, such as elders, deacons, and, in Korean churches, kwonsa (exhorters). In Korean Protestant usage, the rite is called an ordination service when it involves the laying on of hands, an inauguration service when duties are entrusted without the laying on of hands, and a pastoral installation service when a pastor is installed in a local church.
Lord's Supper
[Worship & Rites]The Lord's Supper is the rite instituted by Jesus Christ at the Last Supper. In it believers share the bread and the cup in remembrance of Christ's death, and it is one of the two sacraments observed by Protestants.
Laying On of Hands
[Worship & Rites]The laying on of hands is the act of placing one's hands on a person's head or body while praying. In Protestant churches it is practiced when installing church officers such as pastors, elders, and deacons, and in prayers for blessing or healing.
Catechumenate (Hakseup)
[Worship & Rites]The catechumenate is the stage before baptism in which a person learns the foundations of the faith and, after an examination, is received as a catechumen. In Korean Protestantism, where it is called hakseup, it is practiced chiefly in Presbyterian churches.