Korean Association of Christian Pastors

Overview

The Korean Association of Christian Pastors is an interdenominational council formed by pastors' associations committed to church renewal that had previously worked separately within their own denominations. Unlike cooperative church bodies whose members are denominational general assemblies, its members are pastors' associations within denominations. Its stated mission is the unity of a divided church, the renewal of pastoral ministry, and service (diakonia) to society and the nation.

Founding and History

• The founding general assembly was held on November 26, 1998, at Sarang Church in Seoul. The founding was led by pastors' associations from fourteen denominations, including the Pastors' Association for Church Renewal of the Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong), then chaired by John H. Oak. At its founding, the association stated that it would pursue church unity and the restoration of pastoral ethics without addressing theological or political issues.
• The first president was John H. Oak. Among the founding members, Son In-woong was then serving as chair of the unity committee of the Christian Council of Korea, and Jeon Byeong-geum as chair of the unity committee of the National Council of Churches in Korea.
• According to the official website, the current president is the Rev. Kim Chan-gon.

Major Activities

• Church unity efforts: From its founding, the association worked toward a merger of the conservative Christian Council of Korea and the progressive National Council of Churches in Korea. Beginning around 2001, it promoted the formation of a council of heads of Korean denominations. The three bodies later formed a joint working committee that drafted a declaration and a roadmap for a unified organization, but the two councils never merged.
• Surveys of religious attitudes: The association took over the surveys conducted in 1998 and 2004 by the Association for Preparing the Future of the Korean Church (Hanmijun). Since then, it has conducted the "Survey of Koreans' Religious Life and Faith Attitudes" roughly every five years and publishes the Analytical Report on Korean Christianity. The fifth survey, released in 2023, covered 12,984 respondents, including Protestants, non-Protestants, senior pastors, and members of the general public. Addressing such topics as the rising proportion of people with no religion, the growth of "Canaan believers" (unchurched Christians), and changes in forms of worship following COVID-19, the survey has been widely cited in church circles.
• Statements on national affairs: When martial law was declared in December 2024, the association issued a statement calling on President Yoon Suk Yeol to step down.

Membership

Its members are not individual churches but pastors' associations within each denomination. As of 2024, pastors' associations from fifteen denominations belong to it, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Nazarene, Anglican, Baptist, and Assemblies of God bodies. The official website also lists the pastors' association of the Lutheran Church in Korea as a member. Since the 2015 merger of the Daeshin and Baekseok denominations, the denomination of the corresponding member has been listed as the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Daeshin).

Assessment

The association describes itself as "a meeting of open conservatives and open progressives." When the heads of various denominations gathered in late 2016 in pursuit of unity, an editorial in the Christian outlet Coramdeo.com credited the association's behind-the-scenes efforts as part of the background to the gathering. On the other hand, the merger of the Christian Council of Korea and the National Council of Churches in Korea that it pursued in the 2000s was never realized.