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Pastor's Wife (Samo)
[Church Offices]A pastor's wife is the spouse of a pastor. In Korean Protestant churches she is addressed by the honorific title samo. The title does not denote an office established by church constitutions, but in many churches the pastor's wife assists in pastoral ministry.
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.
Church Minister
[Church Offices]A church minister is a person whose principal work is ministry in the church, such as preaching, teaching, and pastoral care. In Korean Protestant usage, the associate pastors, evangelists, and others who assist the senior pastor are collectively called associate ministers.
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.
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.
Revival Meeting
[Worship & Rites]A revival meeting is a special series of gatherings held over several consecutive days to rekindle faith that has grown stagnant. It is also called a spiritual revival meeting. In Korea, revival meetings developed as an offshoot of Bible study gatherings known as Bible conferences (sagyeonghoe).
Funeral Service
[Worship & Rites]A funeral service is a worship service held when a church member dies, in which the deceased is committed to God, the bereaved are comforted, and the hope of the resurrection is confessed. The term can also refer collectively to the several services held at each stage of the funeral process.
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.
Church Dedication
[Worship & Rites]A church dedication is a service in which a newly built church building is offered to God as a place of worship. In Korean Protestant churches, it is usually held after all construction debt has been paid off.
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).
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.
Choir
[Worship & Rites]A choir is a body of singers that sings praise to God on behalf of the congregation during a church worship service. It is also called a sacred choir or praise choir, depending on the church.
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.