Southern California's Korean Christians put a premium on evangelism
BELIEFS
Missionary work is being underscored as well in South Korea, which surveys say is second only to the U.S. in the number of evangelists it sends abroad.
Visit a large Korean church in Southern California and you are likely to see a distinctive part of the decor -- a world map peppered with markers locating missionaries supported by the church.
At Grace Korean Church in Fullerton, two walls inside the elegant atrium serve as a photo gallery highlighting the work of 208 missionaries serving in 47 countries, including Sweden, Italy, Argentina, Bangladesh, Russia and Vietnam.
"Mission is prayer. Mission is warfare. Mission is martyrdom," reads a bilingual sign on a giant board that stands prominently on the 25-acre campus where a new Vision Center with a 3,000-seat auditorium is nearing completion.
The church, begun with three families 25 years ago in Los Angeles, today has 4,500 members and a $15-million annual budget. Half of the budget is set aside to support missions.
Along with rapid growth, 5 a.m. prayer worship and tithing, Korean churches on both sides of the Pacific are distinguished by their emphasis on evangelism. Surveys have shown that South Korea dispatches more Christian missionaries abroad than any other country except for the United States.
"Some passionate evangelicals even predict that it will not be long before South Korea is No. 1," said Sun Gun Kim, a professor of sociology at Seowon University and an expert on Korean churches.
Christianity, in the form of Roman Catholicism, came to the Korean Peninsula centuries ago. But Christianity really took hold and spread after Protestant missionaries arrived in the late 19th century. The growth continued through Japan's colonial rule (1910-1945), the Korean War and up to now.
South Korea is home to 23 of the 50 largest churches in the world, Kim said. Christians make up nearly 30% of the South Korean population -- 12 million Protestants and 5 million Roman Catholics.
The growth of Korean churches in the United States has also been rapid. An association of Korean Protestant churches in Southern California has 1,359 congregations representing 39 denominations. Many, following the style of most churches in Korea, are adorned with red crosses. Often lighted at night, they are a striking element of the Seoul skyline and a familiar sight in Korean neighborhoods in the L.A. area.
The first time the Rev. Douglas McConnell saw red neon crosses in Seoul's nightscape, he was moved to tears.
- Korean churches growing rapidly in Southern California Nov 01, 2008
- UCLA to Offer Korean Christianity Studies Nov 17, 2000
- Korean Immigrants Flock to Growing Congregations Dec 15, 1988
