A handbook of councils and churches profiles of ecumenical relationships

Founded in 1948.

Basis: The National Christian Council in Japan is made up of Christian churches and organizations which confess Jesus Christ as God and Saviour as revealed in the Bible.

Member churches:

Japan Baptist Convention

Member organizations: Association of Christian Kindergartens AVACO – Christian Mass Communications Center Japan Bible Society Japan Christian Cultural Association Japan Christian Medical Association

Asia

KYOFUKAI – Japan Christian Women’s Organization

Associate member organizations: Asian Health Institute Christian Political League Fellowship of Reconciliation German Midnight Mission (MBK Mission) International Christian Body Japan Christian Academy Japan Christian Council for Evangelism with the Blind Swiss East Asia Mission Tomisaka Christian Center

The NCCJ is organized in four regional Christian councils: Okinawa, Kyoto, Nagoya, and Sendai Christian Council.

Website: www.jca.apc.org/ncc-j/index.html

(Nippon Sei Ko Kai, NSSK)

Church Family: Anglican
Membership: 57,003
Dioceses: 11
Parishes: 315
Bishops: 11
Clergy: 288
Lay readers: 219
Member of : WCC (1948) – CCA – NCCJ – ACC
Periodical: Shimbun (monthly, in Japanese) NSKK Newsletter

(quarterly, in English)

The church was founded in 1859 when the first missionary from the Protes­tant Episcopal Church in the USA came to the country. It was legally established in 1887, and became an official province of the Anglican Church in 1930. The first Japanese bishops were consecrated in 1923. The church remained under­ground during World War II and assumed all church leadership after the war. Since 1978 it has been financially self-supporting. It continues to exchange mis­sionaries with overseas partner churches. All bishops and other church leaders are Japanese. The church is the third largest Christian community in the country, after the Roman Catholic Church and the United Church of Christ. The concern for a more effective mission remains crucial to the church. In order to render a faithful witness, internal organizational structures are being constantly renewed, and there is a continuous emphasis on better stewardship.

Korean Christian Church in Japan*

Church Family: United and Uniting

Membership: 7160

Parishes: 100

Pastors: 116

Member of: WCC (1963) – CCA – NCCJ – WARC – NEAAC

Periodicals: Gospel News (in Japanese and Korean) Arirang (in English)

The Korean Christian Church in Japan traces its history back to 1908, when Korean students in the Tokyo area began worshipping together. In 1912, Korean Presbyterian and Methodist churches combined their efforts to work together for mission among Koreans in Japan. The ecumenical character of the KCCJ today reflects this early history. From 1927, the Presbyterian Church in Canada started to support this mission work. During World War II, the KCCJ was forced to join the United Church of Christ in Japan. But in 1945 it again became autonomous. Today the KCCJ is a self-governing denomination having special fraternal rela­tions with the Methodist Church, the Holiness Church and Presbyterian churches in Korea, with the Japanese churches and with churches in North America.

Over 90 percent of the present Korean minority in Japan consists of Japan-born Koreans and their children. Their parents were forced to migrate to Japan for eco­nomic or political reasons. While nearly 1.5 million Koreans returned to their country, about half a million chose to remain in Japan after World War II. As a minority church, the KCCJ has been involved in human-rights activities with a primary focus on the situation of Koreans in Japan. Its commitment to human rights and social issues began in 1968, when the church celebrated its 60th anniversary under the theme “Forward, Following Jesus Christ into the World”. The KCCJ has regarded these activities as its God-given mission within the Japan­ese and global society. In recent times, together with other Christian denomina­tions and bodies, the KCCJ has been actively involved in the movement for enact­ing the proposed legislation entitled “Basic Law for Foreign Residents”, which aims at preserving the human rights of foreign residents in Japan.

Since the 1990s the church has been developing its relationship with the Korean Christian Federation (KCF) in North Korea, and has been working towards the reunification of the Korean peninsula. In July of 2002, the KCCJ held its 8th Peace and Reunification Conference, inviting Christian leaders from North and South Korea.

Church Family: Orthodox (Eastern)

Membership: 30,000

Dioceses: 3

Parishes: 150

Bishops: 2

Priests: 30

Member of: WCC (1973)

Periodical: Seikyojiho (monthly, in Japanese)

In 1861, a young Russian missionary priest monk, St Nicholas Kassathin (canonized in 1977), brought the light of Orthodoxy to Hakodate in Japan. After baptizing a Shinto believer who became the first Orthodox Christian in Japan, he converted almost 20,000 people within a few years. Thus Orthodoxy spread from

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Hakodate through Sendai to Tokyo, and from there to the Kansai area to Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe in western Japan, and then to Kyushu. St Nicholas translated the major prayer books of the Orthodox Church into Japanese. He was also active in building churches – the cathedral is now a national landmark in Japan. It was ded­icated to the resurrection of the Lord but is affectionately called Nicholai-do, which means the prayer house of St Nicholas. In the early 20th century the church suffered from political and economic problems, and faced internal and external difficulties due to canonical problems with the Russian Orthodox Church after the revolution in Russia.

The church participates actively in collecting donations for welfare activities. A major concern is to intensify mutual fellowship among the local Orthodox parishes. Programmes for training people in stewardship and in providing assis­tance for the growth of the church receive particular attention.

(Nippon Kirisuto Kyodan)

Church Family: United and Uniting

Membership: 195,851

Congregations: 1,725

Pastors: 2,189

Member of: WCC (1948) – CCA – NCCJ

Periodical: The Kyodan Times (in Japanese) Kyodan News Letter (in English)

Protestant Christianity in Japan began with the work of missionaries from the American Presbyterian and Reformed churches who came to the country in 1858. The first Protestant church, the Nihon Kirisuto Kyokai (Presbyterian-Reformed) was established in Yokohama in 1872. At the 1890 synod meeting the confession of the Church of Christ in Japan was adopted. Later, other missionaries arrived from Europe and North America. With the promulgation of the religious organi­zations law, all Protestant churches had to become united. Unity was achieved at the Fujimicho Church in 1941. At the end of the second world war, the religious laws were abolished, and the Episcopal, Lutheran and parts of the Baptist and Holiness churches, with the Salvation Army, withdrew from the United Church. The majority of the ministers of the Nihon Kirisuto Kyokai wanted the United Church to become a federal union, but this proposal was rejected. In 1951, 39 con­gregations withdrew from the United Church and re-established the Nihon Kirisuto Kyokai. Its confession, published in 1953, is based on the confession of 1890.

The UCCJ reaffirms its determination to move forward towards true unity in Christ, the head of the Church. Standing on its confession of faith and its confes­sion of responsibility in the second world war, the Kyodan endeavours to partic­ipate in its Lord’s mission in history. The recent revision of the statement on its basic understanding concerning world mission seeks to articulate its present approach in its life and witness in the ecumenical context. Concrete examples include its efforts to deal with declining church attendance through a renewed emphasis on evangelism, especially towards youth, and covenants with sister churches in Switzerland, Korea, Taiwan and the Korean Christian Church in Japan.

KOREA (REPUBLIC OF KOREA)

Population: 48,182,450

Surface area: 99,260 sq.km

Capital: Seoul

GNI per capita: 12,030 US$

Classification: Developing economy

Languages: Korean

Religions: Christian 41%; Buddhist 20%; Confucianist 11%; other 28%

Christianity: Protestants 8,841,570; Catholics 4,400,000; Anglicans 80,000;

Orthodox 5,700; Independent 8,149,460

Korea has a history and culture of over 4,000 years. Ruled since the 7th cen­tury by three successive dynasties, it was colonized by Japan from 1910 to 1945. After World War II, Korea was liberated but divided, occupied by the Soviet Union in the north and the US in the south. The 1950-1953 Korean war deepened the division, and a bitter opposition between communist North and capitalist South Korea lasted through the cold war period. South Korea was under military dicta­torship and martial law. In 1987 democratic elections were held and a new con­stitution was ratified. In 1991, North and South Korea joined the United Nations and signed a non-aggression pact. Since 2000, political dialogue and economic cooperation are increasing, and visits have become possible. South Korea has transformed itself into a modern industrialized nation. Christian missions entered Korea at the end of the 19th century. The churches have grown enormously, espe­cially after the Korean war. Korea is home to the largest congregation in the world, the Yoido Full Gospel Church (Pentecostal), with 800,000 members. Korean churches have sent thousands of missionaries to all parts of the world. In the 1960-70s, ecumenically committed churches and Christians were in the forefront of the struggle for democracy and human rights. They developed the minjung theology for the church of the poor. Churches in South Korea began in the 1980s a movement of peace and unification and meeting with the Christian Fellowship of North Korea. The Korean Assemblies of God joined the national council of churches in 1997. The Korean Evangelical Fellowship is affiliated with the WEA.

*National Council of Churches in Korea

Founded in 1924, as the National Christian Council in Korea, which became the National Council of Churches in Korea in 1946.

Basis: The NCCK is an ecumenical council of churches which confess Jesus Christ as their Saviour, respond to God’s call, and work for God’s glory.

Member churches:

Evangelical Church of Korea

Asia

Salvation Army in Korea

Associated organizations: Christian Broadcasting System Christian Institute for the Study of Justice and Development Korea Christian Environment Movement in Solidarity for the Integrity of Creation Korea Christian Home Korea Christian Service Korea Church Human Rights Centre

The NCCK is organized in nine regional councils of churches: Kwong-Ju, Tae-Gu, Tae-Jeon, Puson, Pyeong-Taek, Jeon-Ju, Jeong-Eup, Chung-Ju, Tae-Baek Council of Churches.

Website: www.kncc.or.kr

The National Council of Churches in Korea is affiliated with the Commission on World Mission and Evangelism of the World Council of Churches.

Church Family: Anglican

The Anglican Church of Korea has from its beginnings endeavoured to be an indigenous church rooted in the Korean culture. It took nevertheless until 1993 before the church became an autonomous province within the Anglican Com­munion. Until that time the dioceses were under the direct jurisdiction of the archbishop of Canterbury.

Church Family: Methodist

The Korean Methodist Church grew out of foreign mission work which began in the late 19th century. The church celebrated its centennial in 1984. It became fully autonomous in 1930, retaining affiliation with denominational bodies in America which later merged into what is now the United Methodist Church. From the time it became autonomous, the entire leadership of the church has been national. In spite of difficulties during the Japanese occupation of Korea from 1910-1945 and the devastating Korean War which followed the tragic division of the country in 1945, the church has continued to thrive. In the period 1960 to 1980 Korea was transformed from a predominantly rural society to an over­whelmingly urban and highly industrialized country, which has challenged the Korean Methodist Church in terms of its evangelism and social action. An annual conference in the southern part of the country was formed in 1991 as a result of evangelizing efforts. Another annual conference was set up to undertake the “Evangelistic Unification Movement” which aimed at evangelizing North Korea and re-building churches in the northern part of the peninsula (1993-1995). After going through a phase of rapid growth the membership of the KMC stabilized in the 1990s. In the years 1996-98 the KMC made a major effort for world mission and contributed to global cooperation by hosting the first Asia Methodist Con­vention in 2001.

To light the fire of revival again, an evangelistic campaign “3 Million Believers Evangelism Movement” was launched in 2002 in an effort to increase the mem­bership to three million. The Honam Mission Conference in 2003 brought together 40,000 Methodists from all over the country in Kwang Ju city, 310 kms south of Seoul, to evangelize the people in this area where there are few Methodist churches. It was the climax of the campaign and became a successful example of fulfilling the evangelistic needs for the next decades.

The main campaign of Korean Methodism for the period 2004-2008 is “The Korean Methodist Church Giving Hope to the World”. It includes the continua­tion of the “3 Million Movement” focusing on domestic mission and evangelism, and setting up a new system for social work and social sanctification, and encour­ages Korean missionaries all over the world to preach and witness the word of God among the nations, and to respond to global leadership in mission. A major event for the participation of the KMC in global mission will be the hosting of the 19th World Methodist Conference which will take place in Seoul in 2006, under the theme “God In Christ, Reconciling”.

Church Family: Reformed Membership: 334,520 Congregations: 998 Pastors: 830 Member of : WCC (1960) – CCA – NCCK – WARC – NEAAC Periodicals: PROK News (in English, periodically), Hoebo (in Korean, monthly)

The Presbyterian Church of Korea was established in 1907. In 1912, the first general assembly was held. Presbyterian missionaries from Australia, the United States and Canada came to Korea in increasing numbers in the following years. During the Japanese occupation (1910-1945) the church faced many difficulties. As Japan increased its pressure on Koreans by banning the use of the Korean lan­guage and Korean names, it also attempted to force Christians to worship at the Shinto shrine. In 1953 the Presbyterian Church faced another serious challenge, centred around theology and methods of biblical study taught at the then Chosun

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The PROK is committed to participating in Missio Dei, God’s salvation work in society and history. It upholds the spiritual importance of dialogue, engage­ment, diversity, and reconciliation. It has been serving the poor and the margin­alized, the “Minjung”, such as the disabled, farmers, the elderly, orphans, undoc­umented migrant workers, homeless teenagers, sex workers and, particularly since the implosion of the national economy, the unemployed and their families. The PROK has been a prophetic voice for democratization, human rights and reunification, protesting courageously against military dictatorship government. It took the initiative in sending humanitarian food aid, as well as funds, equip­ment and machinery to North Korea.

The PROK has developed an enduring commitment to ecumenism with strong partnerships with many churches around the world. It was the first Presbyterian denomination to ordain women as elders in 1956 and as ministers in 1974. It elected a woman elder as the lay vice-moderator of the 83rd general assembly in 1998, a first in Korean Presbyterian history. Recognizing that sectarianism is a serious problem facing the whole Presbyterian church, the PROK has led the dia­logue among Presbyterian denominations which has resulted in the formation of the Council of Presbyterian Churches.

In 2003 with a major celebration of the milestone jubilee year, the PROK launched a Jubilee proclamation which declares its mission task to be: 1) To work for justice and peace by restoring earth’s destroyed nature to the order of God’s creation, so that the earth may become a true community of life. 2) To transform a culture of materialism and violence into a culture of life. 3) To work for reconciliation and peaceful reunification of our divided people. 4) To make every effort to unite the churches separated by division into “One Church”. 5) To renew the church, that it may become the whole and perfect body of Christ. 6) To build equality between men and women and harmony between genera­tions. 7) To share and serve in a spirit of love for our neighbours.

Church Family: Reformed

Membership: 2,395,323

Presbyteries: 61

Congregations: 6,978

Pastors: 10,950

Member of: WCC (1948) – CCA – NCCK – WARC – NEAAC – CWM

Periodical: Kidok Kongbo in Korea (weekly, in Korean)

The history of the Protestant church in Korea began in 1884, when the first Korean Christian, who was baptized in China by a Scottish missionary, founded a church in North-Eastern Korea. The New Testament was translated into Korean at that time. When the first Presbyterian missionaries from the US arrived in 1884 the Koreans already had the Bible in their own language. From 1884 onwards many missionaries from churches in the West came to Korea. They founded many schools, orphanages, hospitals, etc. The Presbyterian Theological Seminary was founded in 1901. With the devotion of the missionaries, the early Korean Chris­tians were also overflowing with enthusiasm for evangelization and planting churches throughout the country. During that time, there was a special offering called “one day-offering” which meant that Christians happily devoted one day to evangelize. Because of this zeal for evangelism the churches in Korea grew rapidly in the first half of the 20th century.

Under the rule of the Japanese (1910-1945) the Korean church played a lead­ing role in the 1919 independence movement. Koreans went through very hard times under Japanese colonialism. They were forced to worship at the Japanese shrines. Many Korean Christians who refused to do so, as it went against their faith to worship idols, were imprisoned and persecuted.

Overcoming these difficult times the Korean churches have grown up and are now among the biggest churches in the world. The Presbyterian Church cele­brated the 120th anniversary of Protestant Christian mission in Korea in 2004. Facing the second century of its history, the PCK decided to change the emphasis of mission from growth in quantity to growth in quality, from the church being missioned to the church missioning. The PCK proclaimed the “Life Saving Move­ment for a Decade” and decided that the programme should go forward in all the congregations through the year 2012, aiming at unity, peace, social service, human rights, rural and fisheries ministry, medical mission, etc. In memory of the great revival movement of Korean churches in 1907, the PCK has initiated its centen­nial memorial celebration in 2007. In response to its mission to neighbours in the world, 799 missionaries of the Presbyterian Church of Korea are working in 77 countries.

MALAYSIA

Population: 25,324,813 Surface area: 329,800 sq.km Capital: Kuala Lumpur GNI per capita: 4,650 US$ Classification: Developing economy Languages: Malay, English, other Religions: Muslim 48%; Chinese folk-religion 24%; Christian 9%; Hindu 7%;

Buddhist 7%; other 5% Christianity: Catholics 1,142,208; Protestants 915,590; Independent 217,000

Malay kingdoms existed in the peninsula already in the 10th century. Islam arrived in the 14th century. The area was colonized successively by the Por­tuguese, the Dutch, and the British. The struggle for independence began after the Japanese occupation of World War II. The Federation of Malaya was founded in 1957. It became the Federation of Malaysia in 1963, when Sabah and Sarawak in northern Borneo, and Singapore were added. Singapore left the Federation in 1965. The population is made up of Malay, Chinese, Indian, indigenous groups,

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and migrant workers from several parts of Asia. Islam (Sunni) is the official reli­gion. Malaysia’s policy is to maintain the ethnic and religious diversity in careful balance. The country has succeeded in building a modern economy based on pro­duction and processing of oil and petroleum, a high-tech manufacturing industry, and services. The Catholic Church is the oldest and largest Christian church. Protestant missions arrived in the 19th century. The Anglicans, which are part of the Province of South East Asia, are the largest protestant church, followed by the Methodist Church of Malaysia. There are several active Pentecostal and Evangel­ical churches. The Council of Churches is the ecumenical body. The National Evangelical Christian Fellowship, established in 1983, is affiliated with the WEA. These two bodies, and the Catholic Church, together form the broad-based Chris­tian Federation of Malaysia. The Orthodox Syrian Church in Malaysia is part of the WCC through the Orthodox Syrian Church in India, to which it belongs.