Denomination

Definition and Meaning

A denomination (Korean gyodan, 敎團) is an organized body formed by churches that share a common confession of faith and system of church government. Together, its churches carry out such tasks as examining candidates for the ministry and administering ordination, operating theological seminaries, adopting a church constitution, and ruling on matters of doctrine.

The term gyodan is often used interchangeably with gyopa (denominational tradition), but the two refer to different things. A gyopa is a classification based on theological tradition and lineage, such as Presbyterian, Methodist, or Baptist. A gyodan is an actual organized body within such a tradition. For example, the single tradition of Presbyterianism includes multiple denominations, among them the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Tonghap), the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea (Hapdong), and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea.

Biblical and Historical Background

The New Testament contains no concept of the denomination as it exists today. However, the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 is often cited as an example of several local churches discussing and deciding a matter together.

The division of Protestant churches into multiple denominations began after the sixteenth-century Reformation. From that time on, churches separated according to differences in theology and church polity. In Korea, the framework of denominations emerged in the late nineteenth century as mission boards from various traditions entered the country. Korean Presbyterians organized an independent presbytery in 1907 and a General Assembly in 1912. From the 1950s onward, a series of Presbyterian schisms greatly increased the number of denominations.

Practice in the Korean Church

Korean Protestant denominations are reported to number in the hundreds, with Presbyterian bodies the most numerous. However, figures vary depending on the compiling organization and its criteria (such as government registration or the number of member churches), so the exact number is difficult to determine.

Denominational governance differs from one tradition to another.

• Presbyterian churches follow a representative polity that extends from the session to the presbytery and the General Assembly. Under representative polity, representatives elected by church members make decisions in council.
• The Korean Methodist Church has annual conferences and an episcopal system, with a presiding bishop representing the denomination.
• The Holiness churches are governed chiefly through district conferences and a General Assembly.
• Baptist churches emphasize the autonomy of the local congregation. Their conventions function largely as bodies for cooperation among churches.

Denominations oversee the credentials of their ministers and may also adopt resolutions designating particular groups or teachings as heretical. There are also independent churches that belong to no denomination.