The Organizing Committee for the 2025 World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Seoul General Assembly, which will be co-chaired by Rev. Junghyun John Oh and Rev. Younghoon Lee was launched on Friday (Nov. 15th). The thanksgiving service, held at the CCMM Building in Yeouido, Seoul, was led by Pastor Seok-soon Im, President of the Korea Evangelical Fellowship.
Rev. Sang-sik Kim, President of Sungkyul University, offered the representative prayer, followed by a special hymn from the Sarang Solist Choir. Co-Chair Rev. Younghoon Lee, Senior Pastor of Yoido Full Gospel Church, delivered a sermon titled “The Absolute Authority of the Bible” based on 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
“Forces aiming to undermine the absolute authority of God’s word are advancing through waves of liberalism, evolution, and Marxism. Some Christian textual critics claim that there are words of God in the Bible, implying that some parts are not God’s word. However, the Bible is the word of God, and it is final. No additional story can be added,” Rev. Lee said.
“As a result, doors to homosexuality and abortion have opened, leading to societal breakdown and widespread chaos in the Western world. The World Evangelical Alliance was conceived in 1846 to counteract the waves of religious pluralism and biblical textual criticism. Approximately 600 million believers worldwide hold membership in WEA. We must work together to restore the absolute authority of the Bible,” he added.
Throughout the service, progress reports, and Q&A, speakers emphasized the authority of the Bible, the values of conservative and reformed evangelicalism, possibly in response to recent controversies around WEA, including religious pluralism.
Afterward, WEA Chair Goodwill Shana delivered congratulatory remarks via video. He expressed his gratitude to the Korean Church saying, “I am deeply thankful to the evangelical believers in Korea who have committed to serve the 2025 Seoul Assembly. I sincerely hope that the WEA Seoul Assembly will serve as a catalyst for spreading the pure gospel.”
Rev. Sangbok David Kim, Emeritus Pastor of Hallelujah Church, concluded the service with a benediction.
Following the service, Rev. Yeonjong Ju who serves on the Planning Committee introduced the main events, and Co-Chair Rev. Junghyun John Oh, Senior Pastor of Sarang Church, delivered a welcome message.
“The Korean church, with its 140-year mission history, has been indebted to Western churches for over 100 years. Now, it's time for the Korean church to repay this debt to the global church over the next century,” Rev. Oh said.
He acknowledged the concerns surrounding the WEA, saying, “Due to various shortcomings, there may have been individuals within WEA over the past 20-30 years with differing thoughts. I hope that through better understanding and communication, the Korean church can participate together. If we become fixated on minor differences, things will become harder, and we may even experience a kind of hell. I hope we receive grace with a focus on God’s Great Commission.”
WEA Vice-Chairman Dr. Frank Hinkelmann, President of the European Evangelical Alliance, who led the WEA delegation shared, “At a time when the Korean church has grown to become the world’s largest missionary-sending country, it is a great privilege to hold the assembly in Korea with evangelical leaders from over 100 countries worldwide. We stand with Korea and will pray for peace and unification. This week marks the 35th anniversary of witnessing the fall of the Berlin Wall in Germany, and we will pray for all these events.”
Professor Myungsoo Park, Emeritus Professor at Seoul Theological University, then read a document titled “The Significance of the WEA Seoul General Assembly,” which was distributed on-site. The Organizing Committee and WEA also signed an MOU during the event.
Afterward, a press conference was held, moderated by Rev. Sungsam Sam Ko and Rev. Yeonjong Ju from the Planning Committee.
Asked how they would respond to opposition to the WEA GA, Rev. Oh said, “We will continue to persuade them and have already been doing so. I hope those with opposing views can come into the WEA and engage in theological discussions to help guide the evangelical church on the right path.”
Rev. Ju said, “We have studied the WEA for almost a year. We are grateful to those who have raised concerns in newspapers and statements, as their arguments – against things like homosexuality and religious integration – show that we are essentially on the same side. I believe communication will go smoothly.”
A question was raised about whether this WEA General Assembly could avoid the divisive impact that followed the 2013 World Council of Churches General Assembly in Busan, which deepened divisions in the Korean church.
Rev. Sang-bok David Kim responded, “The Korean Church does not have an official member in the WEA. The Korean Church did not make the decision to hold the General Assembly; it was requested by the WEA, and we are simply hosting it. There will always be pros and cons, but opposition alone cannot prevent the assembly.”
Dr. Jae-sung Kim, a member of the Organizing Committee's Theological Committee, addressed concerns regarding WEA leadership, specifically noting the “New Apostolic Reformation” (NAR) suspicions about WEA Chair Goodwill Shana.
Dr. Kim stated, “Chair Goodwill Shana uses the title ‘Apostle,’ which is a term associated with the NAR. We will investigate this issue and ask questions accordingly. The Theological Committee will work to clarify this issue for the Korean Church, and if possible, I will even travel to Zimbabwe, where Shana resides, to investigate.”
He added, “We will investigate whether Chair Shana is truly someone whom the Korean Church can support for hosting a global event. If it turns out he is not, I will step down myself. The Korean theological committee members will work closely together to ensure a clean and clear arrangement over the next year in preparation for the WEA General Assembly.”
The event concluded with a prayer from President Deok-gyo Oh from Torch Trinity Graduate University.
Based on reporting by Christian Daily Korea and Christian Today Korea.
