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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.
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.
Seven Sacraments
[Doctrine & Theology]The Seven Sacraments are the seven rites that the Catholic Church professes to be signs of grace instituted by Christ: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders, and Matrimony. Most Protestants recognize only two sacraments, Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Evangelist (Jeondosa)
[Church Offices]In Korean Protestant churches, an evangelist (jeondosa) is a minister who serves in a congregation before ordination as a pastor and is responsible for duties such as education, pastoral visitation, and preaching. The position is usually held by theological students or seminary graduates.
Pastor Emeritus
[Church Offices]Pastor emeritus is an honorary title that a church confers on a retired pastor who served that congregation for many years, in recognition of that service. The title carries no authority to govern the church; it expresses honor and respect.
Online Worship
[Worship & Rites]Online worship is a form of worship in which a church streams or broadcasts its service over the internet or other media, allowing members to participate through a screen rather than gathering in a church building. It is also known as remote worship or video worship.
Pastoral District (Gyogu)
[Organization & Polity]A pastoral district is a unit into which church members are divided, by region or by group, for pastoral care and church governance. In Korean Protestantism the term (gyogu) usually refers to a pastoral district within a single congregation, while in Anglicanism it refers to a regional church unit, or diocese, under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
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.
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.
Transfer of Membership
[Christian Life]Transfer of membership is the procedure by which a church member's record is moved from one church to another when the member leaves one congregation for another. The term also refers to the certificate, or letter of transfer, that the original church issues for this purpose.
Plymouth Brethren
[Denominations]The Plymouth Brethren are a Protestant denomination rooted in the Brethren movement that began in Dublin, Ireland, in the 1820s. They have no clerical order separating pastors from laity and no denominational organization. Instead, their church life centers on local assemblies led by elders.
Revelation 2:10
[Bible Verses]Revelation 2:10 is Christ's word to the church in Smyrna: "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." The verse calls believers to remain faithful even to martyrdom under persecution. In Korean Protestant churches it is widely used to encourage church officers at their ordination and in their service, although this application has been questioned.
Revelation 3:20
[Bible Verses]Revelation 3:20 records Christ's words, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." The verse is widely used in evangelism and in prayers for receiving Christ, but discussions of it also note that it was originally addressed to the lukewarm church in Laodicea.
Matthew 18:15–17
[Bible Verses]Matthew 18:15–17 sets out a step-by-step procedure for when a brother sins: one should first admonish him privately, then with one or two witnesses, and, if he still refuses to listen, tell it to the church. It is the foundational text for church discipline, and its scope of application is debated when it is applied to conflicts and crimes within the church.
Thyatira
[Bible]Thyatira was a city in the region of Lydia in western Asia Minor. In the Acts of the Apostles it appears as the hometown of Lydia, and in the Book of Revelation it is the site of the fourth of the seven churches.
Sardis
[Bible]Sardis was an ancient city in western Asia Minor (modern Turkey) and the site of one of the seven churches to which the Book of Revelation addresses letters. Revelation 3:1-6 contains the message sent to this church.
Body of Christ
[Doctrine & Theology]The Body of Christ is a New Testament expression that likens the church to a single body with Jesus Christ as its head and believers as its members. It is used to describe both the unity and the diversity of the church.
Bride of Christ
[Doctrine & Theology]The Bride of Christ is a biblical image that likens the church to a bride united with Jesus Christ in a marriage covenant. It expresses the love between Christ and the church, the church's purity, and the eschatological consummation of their relationship.
Amish
[Denominations]The Amish are a Protestant community that separated from the Anabaptists of Switzerland and Alsace in the late seventeenth century. They emphasize believer's baptism and separation from the world, and they are known for their plain dress and limited use of technology.
Remonstrants
[History]The Remonstrants were Arminian Reformed ministers in the Netherlands who in 1610 submitted a five-article Remonstrance challenging the Calvinist doctrine of predestination; the name also refers to their successors.