Board of Church Officers (Jejikhoe): Edit history

Definition and Meaning

The term jejikhoe (諸職會) means "assembly of the various officers." In a jejikhoe, a church's officers meet to discuss and manage the church's affairs and service ministries. In Presbyterian church polity, the session is responsible for spiritual oversight (caring for and governing the members). The jejikhoe, by contrast, is understood as the body responsible for practical matters such as administering finances and carrying out relief and service. It is also distinct from the congregational meeting, in which the entire membership assembles.

Biblical and Historical Background

Acts 6:1–6 is commonly cited as the basis for the jejikhoe. The passage records how the early church in Jerusalem appointed seven men to oversee the work of relief. First Timothy 3, which addresses the qualifications of church officers, is also frequently cited.

Historically, the jejikhoe is associated with the Reformed tradition, in which John Calvin distinguished the offices of pastor, teacher, elder, and deacon in the church at Geneva. The duties of relief and finance that belonged to the deacons are understood to have taken shape in Korean Presbyterianism as the deliberative body known as the jejikhoe.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Presbyterian churches: The jejikhoe is provided for in each denomination's church constitution. It generally consists of the members of the session (pastors and elders) together with deacons and kwonsas. Depending on the denomination and the congregation, acting deacons may also be members. The senior pastor usually serves as moderator, and a clerk and a treasurer are appointed. In churches without an organized session, the rules may provide for the pastor, evangelists, acting deacons, and others to fulfill the role of the jejikhoe.
• Methodist, Holiness, and other churches: The composition and names of local church meetings differ from those of Presbyterian churches, according to each denomination's constitution. In practice, however, a meeting of officers is sometimes informally called a "jejikhoe."
• Baptist and other churches following congregational polity: Decisions made at the business meeting, in which the entire membership participates, are central. Meetings of officers serve in a supporting role.

Many churches hold a regular jejikhoe monthly or quarterly. At these meetings, reports are given on the ministries of each department and on the expenditure of church finances. At the year-end jejikhoe, the proposed budget for the following year is commonly reviewed and then submitted to the congregational meeting for final approval. After appointing new officers at the start of the year, many churches also hold an "officers' seminar" or "officers' retreat" as an occasion for training and renewed commitment.