The Korean Methodist Church (Korean: 기독교대한감리회; Hanja: 基督敎大韓監理會) is a large Methodist denomination in South Korea and the rest of the world, with approximately 1.5 million members.[1] Methodist missionaries came from the United States in the late 19th century. It became independent in 1930, and celebrated its centennial in 1984. The denomination has ties with its mother church, the United Methodist Church.
Rev. Kim Jung-seok (Kwanglim Church) has been elected as the 30th presiding bishop of the Korean Methodist Church.[2]
Church's political views and actions
In 2023, the church suspended and later excommunicated one of their pastors, Lee Dong-hwan, for his support of LGBT rights. The South Korean courts granted an injunction to suspend the excommunication the following year.[3] The denomination later announced that it would not accept pastors who support or endorse homosexuality.[4]
^Song, Kyung Ho (26 September 2024). "광림교회 김정석 목사, 감리교 감독회장 당선" [Rev. Kim Jung-seok of Kwanglim Church Elected as Presiding Bishop of the Korean Methodist Church]. Christian Today (in Korean). Retrieved 27 September 2024.
^Song, Kyung Ho (8 September 2024). "감리교 호남연회 "동성애 지지 목회자 받지 않을 것"" [Methodist Honam Conference: "We Will Not Accept Pastors Who Support Homosexuality"]. Christian Today. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
Further reading
Lewis, W. Roberta (2014). The Korean Methodist Church: A Selective Annotated Bibliography of Dissertations and Theses. CreateSpace. ISBN978-1-5025-9310-8.[self-published source]
