Suneung Prayer Meeting

Definition and Meaning

A Suneung prayer meeting is a prayer gathering that a church holds specifically for students ahead of the College Scholastic Ability Test, which is usually administered in November. Because its main participants are third-year high school students, it is also called a senior-year prayer meeting (go-sam gidohoe). Prayer is not limited to admission; participants also pray for the students' health, peace of mind, and future paths. Parents often attend in greater numbers than the students themselves.

Biblical and Historical Background

No passage of Scripture deals directly with prayer for examinations. Churches most often cite the following passages:

• Philippians 4:6–7 and 1 Peter 5:7: exhortations to cast one's cares upon God
• Proverbs 16:3: "Commit thy works unto the LORD"

Prayer gatherings ahead of university entrance examinations are known to have existed during the era of the earlier Academic Achievement Test (hangnyeok gosa) as well. After the Suneung was first administered in 1993, the name "Suneung prayer meeting" came into wide use. The practice is a religious custom through which the concerns of Korean society, where university admission is a major family preoccupation, have taken root within the church.

Practice in Korean Churches

No denomination prescribes a formal rite; each church holds these meetings at its own discretion. Common forms include the following:

• 100-day prayer: Beginning roughly 100 days before the examination, churches hold committed prayer or special early-morning prayer meetings.
• Blessing service for examinees: On the Sunday just before the examination or a similar occasion, the examinees are called to the front, and the pastor prays over them with the laying on of hands. Churches sometimes also give gifts of encouragement or snacks.
• Examination-day prayer meeting: The sanctuary is kept open, and intercessory prayer continues period by period in step with the test schedule. Some churches also send members to cheer on examinees outside the test sites.

The manner of prayer varies with each church's tradition. In churches with a Pentecostal background or a strong revival-meeting tradition, tongsung prayer (praying aloud together) plays a large role. Churches that place emphasis on the order of worship and written prayers may use prayers prepared in advance.

Assessment and Debate

Critics argue that Suneung prayer meetings foster a blessing-seeking faith (a faith skewed toward asking for blessings) that prays only for admission. Others criticize the church for simply conforming to the competitive culture of entrance examinations. Some also point out that students retaking the examination, as well as young people who are not taking it at all, may feel excluded.

Supporters hold that the meetings are meaningful as a way for the community to care together for examinees and their families during an anxious season. In response to these discussions, some churches focus on encouraging participants to trust God regardless of the outcome.