The Communion of Churches in Korea (CCIK) has joined a growing chorus of voices among Korean churches calling for the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) to halt plans to hold its next General Assembly (GA) in Seoul. In a statement published on Monday (Dec. 2), CCIK – WEA’s national member body in Korea – issued a statement criticizing WEA’s behind-the-scenes negotiations with churches that do not belong to the global body, warning it could lead to “division and conflict”. (See the English translation of the full statement at the bottom.)
The controversy first arose following the announcement of an Organizing Committee for the 2025 WEA Seoul General Assembly, which was inaugurated in Seoul on November 15.
Three statements issued over a period of as many weeks by the Christian Council of Korea (CCK), the former National Alliance member of the WEA, also raised concerns about the secretive negotiations with proposed co-hosts SaRang Church and Yoido Full Gospel Church and a number of other issues related to the WEA. Furthermore, a group of 1,000 professors, pastors and elders from Korea’s largest denomination Hapdong, which SaRang belongs to, raised concerns about tendencies toward syncretism and pluralism in the WEA.
In this week’s statement titled “Immediately Stop the Illegal Attempt to Host the WEA Seoul General Assembly” and signed by CCIK President Rev. Taeseop Song, the body representing some 40 evangelical denominations calls behind-the-scenes negotiations between the WEA, SaRang and Yoido “illegal,” highlighting that neither church is a member of the WEA.
“It is categorically stated that the WEA Seoul General Assembly must not proceed next year, as a certain mega-church in Seoul, unqualified to host the WEA assembly, announced the event in collusion with WEA officials accused of undermining the evangelical spirit of WEA,” the statement says.
Furthermore, it notes that the WEA originally did not “align with the progressive World Council of Churches (WCC)” but that the WEA has since deviated from its “evangelical essence” and “is now at the center of various controversies, including religious pluralism and syncretism, as viewed by major denominations of the Korean Church.”
The CCIK says that the conservative circles of the Korean church see the WEA on par, or even inferior to the WCC, “which is often deemed an apostate group.” This perception, the CCIK emphasizes, relates to suspicions about the “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) linked to the current WEA Executive Chair Goodwill Shana, and “overtly pluralistic actions” regarding the former Secretary General Dr. Thomas Schirrmacher.
“Moreover, WEA’s past and present leadership has engaged in unthinkable acts for evangelical leaders, such as kneeling before the Pope at the Vatican,” adds the CCIK statement.
“It is regrettable that such individuals have frequently visited Korea since last year, primarily meeting with large churches to discuss hosting the WEA Seoul General Assembly. This is undeniably private and unlawful behavior, unbefitting the name ‘World Evangelical Alliance.’”
The CCIK points out that if the GA was welcomed by all Korean churches, there would be “no need or justification” for WEA representatives to “secretly approach pastors unrelated to WEA.”
Without specifically naming the WEA individuals concerned, the CCIK calls upon them to voluntarily resign from the WEA.
“Restoring the tarnished honor of WEA is more urgent than hosting the assembly, requiring a fresh start with new leadership,” says the CCIK statement. “Only then will the entire Korean Church warmly welcome the hosting of the WEA General Assembly in Korea.”
The CCIK statement also directs its ire to the Korean church pastors, named in other reports as Rev. Junghyun John Oh from SaRang and Rev. Younghoon Lee from Yoido, for presuming to organize the GA.
The statement challenges the pastors asking, “Are you official members of WEA? Have you contributed anything to WEA? What qualifications and grounds do you have to host the WEA General Assembly and launch an organizing committee? These must be fully disclosed to the Korean Church.”
“If any Korean church pastor knowingly collaborated with those responsible for discrediting WEA with religious pluralism and syncretism, they bear no small responsibility,” the CCIK statement adds. “Even now, they should confess the truth and return everything to square one.”
The CCIK also questions the motivation for the GA: “If, by any chance, this endeavor is pursued out of a desire for achievement or personal ambition, the Korean Church will once again fall into division and conflict, leading to fragmentation.”
Lastly, the CCIK acknowledges the difficulties the Korean church has experienced after the Covid-19 pandemic, stating that if evangelical unity is fractured, the church faces “a significant crisis” and “all hope will be lost.”
“Those who secretly advanced this matter will bear full responsibility,” the CCIK statement concludes. “If they persist in their actions, the Korean Church will make a decisive resolution in its name, and this warning is hereby issued.”
Christian Daily International has repeatedly approached the WEA inviting comments about the ongoing Korean church debacle but no response has been received to date.
Below is the full statement translated into English:
Immediately Stop the Illegal Attempt to Host the WEA Seoul General Assembly
Recently, there was an inaugural ceremony for the organizing committee to prepare for next year’s WEA Seoul General Assembly. It is categorically stated that the WEA Seoul General Assembly must not proceed next year, as a certain mega-church in Seoul, unqualified to host the WEA assembly, announced the event in collusion with WEA officials accused of undermining the evangelical spirit of WEA.
The WEA is a global evangelical movement organization established by individuals who did not align with the progressive WCC. To this day, pure evangelical movements, upholding the Bible as God’s Word, are actively taking place across continents.
However, the WEA, which should unify and elevate these continental evangelical movements, has deviated from its evangelical essence and is now at the center of various controversies, including religious pluralism and syncretism, as viewed by major denominations of the Korean Church.
In conservative circles of the Korean Church, the WEA is criticized as being on par with or even inferior to the WCC, which is often deemed an apostate group. This perception is closely tied to suspicions of "New Apostolic Reformation" surrounding the current WEA chairperson and overtly pluralistic actions of the former secretary-general. Moreover, WEA’s past and present leadership has engaged in unthinkable acts for evangelical leaders, such as kneeling before the Pope at the Vatican.
It is regrettable that such individuals have frequently visited Korea since last year, primarily meeting with large churches to discuss hosting the WEA Seoul General Assembly. This is undeniably private and unlawful behavior, unbefitting the name “World Evangelical Alliance.” If hosting the WEA General Assembly in Korea were welcomed by all Korean churches, there would be no need or justification for these individuals to secretly approach pastors unrelated to WEA.
We call upon these individuals to cease tarnishing the WEA’s name and to voluntarily leave WEA. Restoring the tarnished honor of WEA is more urgent than hosting the assembly, requiring a fresh start with new leadership. Only then will the entire Korean Church warmly welcome the hosting of the WEA General Assembly in Korea.
We also pose questions to the Korean church pastors who secretly allied with these individuals to conspire for the WEA Seoul General Assembly. Are you official members of WEA? Have you contributed anything to WEA? What qualifications and grounds do you have to host the WEA General Assembly and launch an organizing committee? These must be fully disclosed to the Korean Church.
If any Korean church pastor knowingly collaborated with those responsible for discrediting WEA with religious pluralism and syncretism, they bear no small responsibility. Even now, they should confess the truth and return everything to square one.
If, by any chance, this endeavor is pursued out of a desire for achievement or personal ambition, the Korean Church will once again fall into division and conflict, leading to fragmentation. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Korean Church faces a significant crisis. If evangelical unity is fractured, it is evident that all hope will be lost. Those who secretly advanced this matter will bear full responsibility. If they persist in their actions, the Korean Church will make a decisive resolution in its name, and this warning is hereby issued.
December 2, 2024
Rev. Taeseop Song, President of the Communion of Churches in Korea
