Just some weeks after the Fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization concluded in Incheon, South Korea, the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is about to announce plans to carry its subsequent normal meeting in Seoul from October 27-31, 2025.
Nonetheless, even earlier than the official ceremonial announcement scheduled for this Friday, the information was met with criticism from a number of Christian teams within the nation, who referred to as for the plans to be suspended.
In response to Korean Christian media reviews, the teams objected to what they described as secret planning that excluded consultant Christian membership our bodies in South Korea that WEA labored with. Additionally they level to long-standing unresolved theological issues amongst Korean church buildings about some WEA leaders, which they are saying have to be resolved earlier than Normal Meeting planning can start.
Considerations from months of behind-the-scenes discussions
In response to Christian Immediately Korea (CT-Okay), Reverend Junghyun “John” Oh, senior pastor of SaRang Church in Seoul, is predicted to guide preparations for the subsequent WEA GA with the help of Yoido Full Gospel Church, the most important Pentecostal church. on this planet.
In a word to Christian media on Sunday, SaRang introduced a thanksgiving service to mark the launch of the “2025 WEA Seoul Normal Meeting Organizing Committee” to be held this Friday, with a sermon by Yoido's Senior Pastor Younghoon Lee.
The official announcement and ceremony follows what CT-Okay describes as months of “behind-the-scenes negotiations” between WEA and SaRang.
Initially, Bp Efraim Tendero, former Normal Secretary and present WEA International Ambassador, together with then Normal Secretary Thomas Schirrmacher, met with Lee to see if Yoido would set up a WEA GA in South Korea. When these discussions didn’t result in an settlement, the 2 WEA leaders reportedly approached Reverend Oh of SaRang for “location and monetary help”, which was met with a good response.
Nonetheless, ČT-Okay factors out that the choice to work with a neighborhood church with out the participation of its nationwide member physique was not in step with regular WEA process and will expose them to criticism.
As a worldwide affiliation, WEA consists of 9 regional and 143 nationwide evangelical alliances with worldwide denominations and ministries as affiliate members. Nationwide WEA membership is normally reserved for a single consultant evangelical affiliation composed of denominations, church buildings or ministries. Particular person church buildings and nationwide denominations can’t be straight a part of the WEA, based on its structure.
Within the case of South Korea, the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) grew to become a member of the WEA Alliance in 2009. Just a few years later, inner divisions led to the formation of the Neighborhood of Church buildings in Korea (CCIK), which was formally acknowledged because the WEA. membership group in 2022. (It was a cut up inside the nationwide membership physique that led WEA to cancel its Normal Meeting that had been deliberate for Korea in 2014.) As well as, the Korea Evangelical Fellowship (KEF) is a long-time affiliate member of WEA.
Nonetheless, ČT-Okay reviews that “sources point out that neither CCK, CCIK, nor KEF have had official discussions with WEA about holding the rally and that the talks have been completely between sure WEA leaders and the SaRang Church.” He warns that the exclusion of those organizations from such essential the choice might result in “vital backlash”.
Some had been additionally reportedly vital of the “untimely resolution” of Rev. Oha's reluctance to push for a WEA GA because of the prolonged interim management within the WEA and questions in regards to the monetary help anticipated from the Korean church.
After Schirrmacher stepped down from his function as Normal Secretary on 31 March resulting from well being causes, the WEA introduced that its Worldwide Board Chair Goodwill Shana would take over the management of the WEA as Government Chair for an interim interval “to not exceed six months”. .”
Nonetheless, on 18 September, WEA introduced that Shana would proceed in her twin function as Chairman and Appearing Normal Secretary/CEO for a couple of 12 months longer, till the AGM in October 2025. Within the meantime, WEA should announce a seek for a brand new Normal Secretary.
“Uncertainty surrounding WEA's management and monetary tensions increase additional questions in regards to the feasibility of holding the occasion,” reviews ČT-Okay, including that Rev. Oh's tenure as SaRang's senior pastor will finish inside a 12 months of the proposed GA. .
Fixing the theological issues earlier than holding the Normal Meeting
At the very least since some WEA leaders, together with Schirrmacher, attended the 2013 World Council of Church buildings Normal Meeting in Busan, there was concern among the many largely conservative Korean evangelical church buildings about what they understand as WEA's tendencies towards liberal theology.
SaRang HapDong's personal denomination, the most important denomination in South Korea and rooted within the Presbyterian custom, has beforehand criticized Schirrmacher and different WEA leaders for alleged non secular pluralism. Whereas there have been strikes inside HapDong to formally reject WEA's perceived liberal tendencies, ČT-Okay reported that the denomination's 2021 normal meeting had adopted a proposal to “withhold a choice on WEA till its stance is clearer and keep away from pointless controversy.”
However he warned that “internet hosting a WEA gathering might reignite dormant controversies inside the denomination relating to WEA.”
ČT-Okay additionally famous that the subsequent HapDong AGM is scheduled to happen simply earlier than the scheduled WEA GA. So if the denomination bans any participation in WEA, the affect may very well be sophisticated for each WEA and the Korean church.
Simply hours after the CT-Okay article, a bunch of 1,000 pastors, elders and professors printed a full-page advert in Kukmin Day by day, a Korean church newspaper, on Monday morning with a press release titled “Causes Why HapDong Presbyterian Church of Korea Can't Merge with WEA.”
The assertion, written by leaders from HapDong-affiliated Kwangshin Theological Seminary, outlined points they contemplate incompatible with the reformed religion. Particularly, they pointed to the WEA's shut proximity to the Pope and the World Council of Church buildings, in addition to its involvement with Muslim leaders, which they see as a possible signal of spiritual pluralism.
Hours later, nonetheless on Monday, CCK president Reverend Search engine optimization-young Jeong additionally went public along with his opposition to WEA GA, saying the deliberate occasion risked growing divisions amongst Korean church buildings.
The strongly worded assertion referred to as for all preparations to be suspended till issues about WEA's theology and accusations of spiritual pluralism are resolved.
“When the CCK tried to host the WEA AGM earlier than [in 2014]The WEA sought a unified Korean church for the congregation, not a church marked by division. With WEA's pluralist tendencies now much more outstanding, internet hosting WEA gatherings in a manner that dangers additional church discord is uncalled for, and we can’t stand by and watch divisions deepen,” Jeong stated.
Christian Day by day Worldwide has reached out to WEA and Schirrmacher for remark, however has not but obtained a response.
Initially printed in Christian Day by day Worldwide
