Saints (Seongdo)

Definition and Meaning

Seongdo (聖徒) combines the characters for "holy" (聖, seong) and "company" or "group" (徒, do). It refers to people who belong to God and have been set apart, that is, Christians who believe in Jesus Christ. Here "holy" does not mean morally perfect; it is closer to the sense of being set apart as God's own.

The term gyoin (敎人, "church member") is also used in the same sense. Gyoin, however, more often carries an administrative or legal meaning, denoting a registered member of a particular church.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Old Testament, Israel was called a people set apart to God, "an holy nation" (Exodus 19:6). In the New Testament, the apostle Paul addressed the recipients of his letters as "saints" (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Philippians 1:1). In the Pauline epistles, this usage refers not to a special few but to all believers in the church community.

The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church later developed a tradition of calling those venerated as models of faith "saints" (in Korean, seongin, 聖人). After the Reformation, Protestants, following biblical usage, emphasized that all believers are saints. This understanding is closely connected to the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers.

Korean translations of the same phrase in the Apostles' Creed (Latin communio sanctorum, "the communion of saints") also differ. Protestants render it as "the saints' communion with one another," or, in the revised translation, as "the fellowship of the saints." Catholics render it as "the communion of all saints," using the word seongin.

Practice in Korean Churches

• Form of address: In Korean churches it is customary to address members who hold no office such as elder, gwonsa (exhorter), or deacon as "Saint [Name]" (○○○ seongdo-nim). For this reason, seongdo is sometimes regarded as a kind of church office. In most denominations, however, seongdo is not a separate office but a term encompassing all church members. Likewise, when a sermon or announcement addresses the congregation as "saints" (seongdo yeoreobun), it refers to the entire congregation regardless of office.
• Classification of members: The church constitutions of many denominations classify members according to their stage of faith. Presbyterian bodies generally distinguish among inquirers (those newly attending), catechumens, and baptized members. Baptists regard those who have received baptism by immersion as full members. The names of these categories and the rights attached to them, such as the scope of voting rights in the congregational meeting, vary by denomination.
• Other forms of address: Some churches prefer the terms "brother" and "sister," particularly in the Brethren tradition and in young adult ministries.