Sending

Definition and Meaning

The Sino-Korean term pasong (派送) literally means "to divide into branches and send out." In Korean churches it is used chiefly in two senses.

• Sending in worship: The element at the end of worship in which the congregation is sent back into daily life. It signifies going out into the world after receiving a blessing and an exhortation.
• Sending of persons: The act by which a church or denomination sends missionaries, pastors, or volunteers to an assigned field of ministry.

The hymn sung at the close of worship is commonly called a "sending song" or "sending hymn." A gospel song bearing the title "Sending Song" is also widely sung in churches.

Biblical and Historical Background

Passages frequently cited as the basis for sending include the following:

• The accounts of Jesus sending out the twelve disciples and the seventy (Matthew 10; Luke 10:1)
• "As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you" (John 20:21)
• The so-called Great Commission, in which the risen Jesus commanded his disciples to go to all nations (Matthew 28:19–20)
• The church at Antioch fasting, laying hands on Barnabas and Saul, and sending them off (Acts 13:2–3)

The Latin Mass of the medieval Western church ended with a dismissal formula meaning "Go." The name "Mass" (missa) is generally understood to derive from this formula. After the Reformation, Protestant worship generally concluded with the benediction. During the twentieth-century liturgical renewal movement, the view that worship as a whole follows the pattern "Gathering–Word–Table–Sending" spread widely, and some denominational books of worship adopted this framework.

Practice in Korean Churches

At the end of the order of worship, most Korean churches sing a sending hymn or a doxology, followed by the benediction. Some churches omit the benediction, and the minister in charge instead sends out the congregation with a brief word of sending. Many denominations stipulate that only an ordained pastor may pronounce the benediction, so services led without a pastor often conclude with the Lord's Prayer.

Usage differs among denominations.

• Korean Methodist Church: The term "sending" also refers to the system of pastoral appointments. At the Annual Conference, the bishop appoints (sends) pastors to individual churches and institutions.
• Presbyterian churches: The primary practice is for a congregation to call its pastor. Consequently, the term "sending" is used mainly when sending missionaries or institutional ministers.
• Anglican Church of Korea: The Holy Eucharist ends with a dismissal in which the celebrant speaks words sending the congregation into the world, and the congregation responds.

Across denominations, a "commissioning service" is held when sending long-term missionaries or short-term mission teams. In such a service the church prays for and lays hands on those being sent, and may also pledge its support.