Father School

Definition and Meaning

Father School is an educational program that helps fathers relearn their role in the family in light of the Christian faith. Participants usually meet once a week for lectures, small-group sharing, and assignments to be completed at home. A motto widely used by Father School is "When fathers come alive, families come alive." The program was first launched by Duranno Press, and its operation is reported to have later passed to a separate organization, the Duranno Father School Movement Headquarters.

Biblical and Historical Background

Father School cites Malachi 4:6, "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children," as its central scriptural basis. It also frequently cites Ephesians 6:4, which instructs fathers not to provoke their children to wrath, and Ephesians 5:25, which instructs husbands to love their wives.

The movement began in the mid-1990s at Duranno Press, which was founded by Pastor Ha Yong-jo. Participation reportedly grew sharply during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when unemployment and family breakdown had become pressing social problems. The program later spread to Korean communities abroad and to a number of other countries, and similar programs, such as Mother School and Couples School, also emerged.

Practice in the Korean Church

Father School is an interdenominational program that is not affiliated with any particular denomination. Local churches from various denominations, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches, offer the program by providing a venue or serving as the host church. Sessions are often led by volunteers trained by the movement's headquarters, namely fathers who have previously completed the course.

Well-known assignments and activities during the course include the following:

• Writing letters to one's wife and children and giving them the letters
• Embracing and blessing one's children
• A foot-washing ceremony in which the husband washes his wife's feet
• A time of reflecting on and forgiving one's own father

The program has also extended beyond the church and is sometimes held in prisons, military units, and companies; a version with less religious content is reportedly offered for those who do not attend church. Some churches link graduates' gatherings with men's fellowship or small group activities, making them a core part of their family ministry.