Special Dawn Prayer Meeting
Feasts & Seasons. Also called Teuksae, Special Dawn Prayer Service, Special Early Morning Prayer Meeting, Special Dawn Revival Meeting, Special Dawn Assembly.
A special dawn prayer meeting (teuksae) is a dawn prayer gathering that a church holds for a set period and around a chosen theme, with greater intensity than its regular dawn prayer meetings. The practice grew out of the dawn prayer tradition of Korean Protestantism.
About this articleAI draft from a Korean source. Notes on Korean Protestant practice. No sources listed. Not yet reviewed by a person.
- Origin
Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
- Perspective
Includes notes on Korean Protestant practice; other traditions are noted where they differ.
- Sources
None listed yet. The article draws on the biblical text and general reference works. Add a source
- Review
Not yet reviewed by a person. Last edited by a person: never. Translation updated 5 November 2026. Edit history
Definition and Meaning
A special dawn prayer meeting is a dawn prayer gathering that a church holds over a set period, on a larger scale and with greater intensity than its regular dawn prayer meeting. In Korean Protestant churches it is commonly shortened to teuksae, and some churches call it a "special dawn assembly" or "special dawn revival meeting." Regular dawn prayer meetings are held daily. A special dawn prayer meeting, by contrast, has a predetermined period and theme and aims to draw the participation of the entire congregation.
Biblical and Historical Background
Passages commonly cited in support of dawn prayer include Mark 1:35, which records that Jesus, "rising up a great while before day," went out to a solitary place to pray, and Psalm 57:8, "I myself will awake early." Scripture, however, does not make dawn prayer obligatory. The practice of gathering for prayer at a fixed hour is a tradition that the church has developed.
The Korean dawn prayer meeting is widely said to have originated in the early 1900s at Jangdaehyeon Church in Pyongyang, where Kil Sun-joo gathered with church members to pray at dawn. The practice then spread around the time of the Pyongyang Great Revival. Building on this tradition, the special dawn prayer meeting became established as a form of intensive prayer over a set period, although exactly when it began is not clearly known.
Perspective: Korean Protestant practiceHow this idea is used in Korean churches, kept from the original Korean article.
- Timing: Such meetings are frequently held during Lent and Holy Week, in the first week of the new year (New Year special dawn prayer meetings), and around the beginning of the first and second halves of the year. They are also held ahead of major events, such as a church's founding anniversary or a building project.
- Duration: The length varies by church; common durations include three days, one week, twenty-one days, and forty days.
- Order of service: A typical meeting consists of praise, a sermon, corporate audible prayer (tongseong gido, in which many pray aloud together), and individual prayer. The senior pastor may preach a sermon series on a single theme, or an outside speaker may be invited. Some churches start later or divide the meeting into first and second sessions so that working people and students can attend.
- Participation: Churches often encourage children and whole families to attend. To this end, some churches take attendance, provide transportation, or serve breakfast. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more churches have offered online streaming alongside in-person meetings.
In Korea the practice is widespread across many denominations, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, and Pentecostal (Full Gospel) churches. It is not a rite prescribed by denominational constitutions but an event that individual congregations choose to hold on their own initiative. In churches that keep a tradition of morning prayer prescribed in a prayer book, such as the Anglican Church of Korea, the Korean-style special dawn prayer meeting is reportedly relatively rare.
Supporters regard special dawn prayer meetings as conducive to spiritual awakening and to the unity of the church community. Critics point to problems such as competition over attendance, the tendency to turn prayer into a mere event, and the burden on members' sleep and health.
See also 8
Is there a problem with this article? Report it
Log in to report. Reports are reviewed within 24 hours.
Discussion 0
Share corrections, other viewpoints or questions about this article.