Korean: The Presbyterian Church
Koreans and The Presbyterian Church
The Korean’s relationship with the Presbyterian Church dates back to 1884 when Horace N. Allen founded the first mission in Korea. Catholicism had been introduced about 200 years earlier and during that time they were persecuted by the Korean government. However, during the annexation of Korea by Japan and the following suppression of Korean culture the Protestant Church served as an outlet that promoted Korean nationalism1. In South Korea, Christianity accounts for as little a third of the religious affiliation2. However, among Korean immigrants in Queens, 62% were Protestant and 17% were Catholic3. Furthermore, 78% of Protestant Koreans in Queens attend church every Sunday, in comparison with 28% of white, 34% of African American, and 49% of Latino Presbyterians4. This points to the the fact that the Korean Presbyterian Churches serves an important role in the Korean Immigrant community. However, the purpose of these churches to a Korean immigrant varies depending on whether he or she is 1st or 2nd generation. When we visited the Korean American Church of Queens and talked to a Associate Pastor, he mentioned how they have two different sermons. One is the “KM”, Korean ministry, and the other is “EM”, English ministry. The KM sermon is designed for the older, 1st generation Korean population and is often characterized by a quieter and more orderly proceedings. The EM is designed for a younger, 2nd generation Korean population which may not speak Korean as their first language. In contrast with the KM, EM sermons are more vocal and feature instruments. These two very different sermons emphasize how different their audiences are. To the 1st generation immigrants, the church served as a social center that provided many crucial services. It helped with the immigration process and served as a middleman between the Korean immigrant community, where the percentage of english proficiency is about 36%, and the rest of America5. It was a place for immigrants to come together every week, talk, and support each other. However, the pastor described how 2nd generation Koreans were, “just like us,” and had quickly adapted to the new American lifestyle, becoming very proficient in the English language. They no longer need the services that the Church provided to their parents. What draws them now is spirituality and a desire to connect with their ethnicity. The pastor described how these different outlooks lead to conflict between the 1st and the 2nd generations. The 1st complains that 2nd is too “Americanized”, while the 2nd generation thinks that 1st generation is inflexible and unwilling to change. In some ways, this may be true. The pastor also explained how there are very few church members of other ethnicities and that the KM sermons are entirely Korean, which may serve to isolate the first generation from the rest of the Asian community or other ethnic communities. For instance, out of the Asian-American population, Koreans have the highest percentage which believes that they do not get along with other ethnicities6 . Despite churches efforts, many 2nd generation immigrants are still leaving. By the end of college, 95% of 2nd generation Koreans who previously were church-goers will stop because they are tied by the social services offered to their parents. In this way, 2nd generation Koreans may be losing contact with the culture and traditions that their parents maintained within the church, leading to an increasingly American Korean population.
This article reads like a chuch brochure, that is, rather dry. I would liked to have seen some personal examples.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately we were unable to talk to more practitioners of the Church due to language barriers and also because we were not able to visit the church during peak times. I suppose that we could have emphasized the more human aspects of the conversation we had with the Associate Pastor. But thank you for the helpful questions, It would also be great if you could post your name so I can thank you in person.
DeleteWhat, exactly, is a chuch brochure?
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Deletei think it's interesting in the article that the church seems only to provide to koreans who need help assimilating. why does the church not try ot branch out to the assimilated members of the Korean community?
DeleteI am curious about the KM and EM sermons. This seems to be a really effective way in making sure people are getting the religious practice they want and need based on their background. Will they continue the KM sermons even when the majority of the first generation has died off? Not saying they will die soon, but you did mention the people in the KM sermons were older.
ReplyDeleteIt is an interesting question about the role the Church will play in the future. Korean immigration is also slowing down due to vast improvements within South Korea over the past few decades so the 1st generation Korean congregation is not being replenished. Also on top of this most Korean Churches are more conservative and traditional than most of the South Korean public because the congregation has preserved most of the ideas they took with them when they immigrated. However back in South Korea things have advanced both economically and culturally, to the point where one Korean immigration we talked to said she couldn't navigate Seoul without the aid of a relative. This diminished incoming Korean population and their more liberal outlook may very well mean an end to the Korean ethnic church in the future, as the Synagogues have faded away in the LES.
Deletethat's too bad, do you think that if the church was less conservative and less traditional (didn't preserve as many of the ideas they brought with them from Korea) it would survive longer?
DeleteThis difference in church services seems to be a great analogy for the difference between 1st and 2nd generation immigrants (or maybe just Korean immigrants) as a whole.
ReplyDeletei think you are correct! we have a lot of connections in our articles about this conflict, as it is one present through a lot of Korean immigrants (and, i assume, other immigrant groups, as 2nd generationers become more assimilated/"americanized".
DeleteI know you addressed this earlier, but I also felt that this article was rather dry and though the statistics were helpful, It is possible to just get lost in the numbers and percentages. If maybe you could add more personal stories or something of the sort to give life the piece.
ReplyDeleteAre there religious restrictions in Korea like there are in China? If so could that have anything to do with why Korean Americans are such devout church goers?
ReplyDeletesouth korea, where the immigrants to the US come from, is democratic and as freedom of religion in its constitution. It seems like many Korean Americans use this church as a community base for the religious community that was already present in South Korea, rather than a refuge to be Presbyterian.
DeleteSo this offers a contrast in roles of religions: With Chinese, it is a push and pull factor, yet with Koreans it is more of a connection to something larger. I believe this expands to every immigrant group, and in fact just people in general, that religion can play a variety of roles, depending on a need. The idea that the church plays the same role for whole groups of immigrants is a testament to the idea that immigrants from the same country really do feel the same way and have very similar experiences and needs.
Deleteit may not be completely relevant to your article's topic but since you mentioned it, now I want to know why Koreans do not get along with other ethnicities
ReplyDeleteI think that this brings up an interesting idea of how do you maintain your cultural ties while assimilating and embracing change. Does one go with the change and let the change become the new culture or should one maintain the original culture even with the risk of isolation?
ReplyDeleteI think the simple answer would be that one should be able to do both. Keeping the rich history and cultural norms of your own people is just as important as being available to new forms of cultures and ideas.
DeleteI'm confused as to why Koreans don't get along with other ethnicities as immigrants? Can you elaborate on this issue, you only touched on it briefly at the end of this article. But I think the beef between the first and second generations is interesting. D you think the second generation is trying to break away from Korean culture entirely? Are they not proud of where they come from?
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