Catechumenate (Hakseup)

Definition and Meaning

Hakseup (學習, literally "learning") is the stage in which a person who has begun attending church learns the foundations of the faith before receiving baptism, professes that faith before the church, and is recognized as a candidate for baptism. A person at this stage is called a catechumen (hakseup gyoin). One becomes a catechumen by passing through the "catechumen examination," in which questions about the faith are asked and answered during a worship service, and the "catechumen admission service." After a set period, the catechumen is examined for baptism.

Biblical and Historical Background

The New Testament does not describe a separate formal stage preceding baptism. There are also accounts, such as that of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8, of people being baptized immediately upon professing faith. Nevertheless, Matthew 28:19–20 mentions baptizing together with teaching people to observe Christ's commands. The Greek verb (katēcheō) used in Galatians 6:6 ("him that is taught") and Luke 1:4 ("wherein thou hast been instructed") later became the root of the term for the instruction of baptismal candidates.

The early church maintained a catechumenate, a system for preparing baptismal candidates in which applicants were taught doctrine and Christian living over a set period. The Apostolic Tradition, a document generally dated to the third century, records that this period of instruction could last as long as three years. In Korea, missionaries in the early mission period did not hasten to baptize; instead, they observed converts' faith and conduct for a time before administering baptism. It is generally understood that the stages of the inquirer (wonip gyoin, one who desires to join the church) and the catechumen became established through this process.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Presbyterian: Many Presbyterian denominations designate catechumens as a category of church membership in their church constitutions. Generally, a person who has attended church for a certain period becomes a catechumen after examination by the session. After a further period (commonly reported as six months or more), the catechumen is examined for baptism. Specific periods and procedures vary according to denominational constitutions and the circumstances of individual congregations. Unlike baptized members, catechumens generally do not participate in the Lord's Supper and are not voting members of the congregational meeting. Those who received infant baptism as children bypass the catechumen stage and instead undergo examination for confirmation.
• Methodist, Holiness, and others: Some denominations have a preparatory stage before baptism, but its name and procedures differ according to each denomination's church law.
• Baptist: Baptist churches generally do not have a separate membership category corresponding to the catechumen. They commonly administer baptism by immersion after a profession of faith and a course of baptismal preparation.

In practice, many churches link completion of a new members' class with the catechumen examination. Catechumen admission and baptismal services are often held together on feast days such as Easter or Christmas.