Korean Immigrant Church

Definition and Meaning

A Korean immigrant church is a church founded chiefly by Koreans living outside Korea and their descendants. It is commonly called an immigrant church and is also known as a diaspora church, from the word diaspora, meaning "a people living scattered abroad." The term does not refer to a single denomination. Rather, it is a collective name for churches that belong to various denominations or to none at all.

Biblical and Historical Background

"Diaspora" originally referred to Jews who had left their homeland and lived scattered among other nations. The New Testament also uses the word for scattered believers (James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1). Acts 8 records that believers scattered by persecution preached the gospel wherever they went. Some in Korean immigrant churches cite this passage to interpret migration as an opportunity for mission.

The first Korean church abroad arose with Korean immigration to Hawaii. The first group of Korean immigrants left Incheon in December 1902 and arrived in Honolulu in January 1903. By July 1905, more than 7,000 people had emigrated to work as laborers on sugarcane plantations. In November 1903, the Korean Methodist Mission held its first worship service on the island of Oahu; this is regarded as the beginning of today's Christ United Methodist Church, although sources differ somewhat on the founding date. By 1904, the number of Korean churches in Hawaii had grown to fourteen. At the time, these churches served as communities for plantation workers and also raised and sent funds to support the Korean independence movement.

Role and Practice

In addition to holding worship services, Korean immigrant churches have served as centers of Korean communities abroad, running Korean-language schools, sharing practical information about daily life, and assisting families with weddings, funerals, and other occasions. According to a count by one Christian newspaper, there were 4,251 Korean churches in the Americas as of the end of 2015.

Denominational affiliation varies from church to church.

• Some churches join a local denomination, such as the United Methodist Church in the United States, and follow its church polity.
• Some belong to overseas presbyteries or districts connected with denominations in Korea.
• Some are independent churches that belong to no denomination.

Immigrants of the second and later generations are often more comfortable in the local language than in Korean. Consequently, many Korean immigrant churches hold separate worship services in Korean and in the local language, and they regard communication between generations as a major challenge.