THE KUKMIN DAILY

Seoul’s Shinchon Methodist Church (Rev. Im Jae-ung, seventh from left in front row) began an unusual experiment last January. It gave its youth department financial independence, allowing it to freely use its own offerings for various kinds of ministries. The name of this youth department is “Young People’s Church.” It has already found its place as a “church within a church” at Shinchon Methodist Church, though it is not yet one year old. It even has an office with its nameplate on the door.

What is the rationale behind this experiment? When Kukmin Daily met with Rev. Im Jae-ung recently, he explained, “It is to encourage young people to carry out their own ‘experiment in faith.’”

“The Young People’s Church is an experiment I tried out when I was an assistant minister at Seonhan Mokja (Good Shepherd) Church in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do. Because the young people control their finances directly, they also become more active. I had wanted to introduce this system to Shinchon Methodist Church sometime. Young People’s Church is a system that makes youth think hard about what they can do to show the Lord’s will and their own faith to the world.”

Presently 90 members attend Young People’s Church. 60% of them are employed at jobs, and the rest are university students. Out of their annual offerings of about 70 million won, more than 30% goes to mission and relief ministries, as a basic principle.

Accordingly, Young People’s Church entrusts a part of each month’s offerings to campus mission ministries at Yonsei, Ewha, Sogang and other universities. It has also provided partial support for overseas missionaries and for Shinchon Methodist Church’s house repair service for needy neighbors (Click here for the story).

Decisions on where and how much of the budget is to be spent are made by the Young People’s Church planning committee, which is its “executive department.” The nine-member planning committee is composed of the leaders of seven teams: finance, worship, service, new family and three other teams, plus the youth representative and the assistant minister in charge. Planning committee decisions require the unanimous approval of all members.

In the words of Kim Jong-seong, the assistant minister in charge of Young People’s Church, “Starting from its atmosphere, Young People’s Church is different from other youth departments. Because the youth consider this ‘my church,’ they love it deeply. We plan to carry on steadily with this experiment in faith. We want to make a church that challenges without rest.”

Reporter Park Ji Hun (lucidfall@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)
Photo courtesy of Shinchon Methodist Church

Click here for the original article in Korean