Rev. Kim Seok-nyeon (63, photo) of Seocho Church in Seoul recently published the third book of his trilogy “Questioning Happiness” (Publisher Springing Joy). His “Questioning” series is a narrative about his seeking and finding solutions to questions about faith, church, and happiness, as a pastor living in this age.
The first book in the series is “Questioning Faith,” sharing his reflections on the Christian faith. In the second book, “Questioning Church,” Rev. Kim deals with how a church is fulfilled by Jesus alone. The third book is a “happiness class” towards true peace, which transcends worldly possessions and success. He highlights, on the basis of Psalm 23 of the Old Testament, that the path to true happiness is to recover the grace of the Cross, for which Jesus alone is enough.
Each book in the series has its own theme, but their contents are related to each other. At the publication press talk held July 13 at vivi2 Gallery in Jung-gu, Seoul, Rev. Kim said, “The three themes are about the questions that every Christian asks: whether my belief is correct, what is a church-like church, and what is the happiness a Christian should pursue. As a pastor, I felt responsible to talk about these questions.”
Rev. Kim is known for his pursuit of modest, inspirational ministry, a ministry that does not compare itself with others. But it is not that he realized from the beginning of his ministry the secret of happiness that faith provides. Kim began his ministry in 1994 in a 214 ㎡ underground space. He worked hard, built an attractive church, and gained recognition from others. But he always felt as if there was a hole in one corner of his heart.
Unremitting troubles led him to leave on a sabbatical. As he traveled, he explored the essence of faith and his reasons for living as a believer. He dealt with the questions in his heart.
“Once I entered a sanctuary at a martyr’s site in Boryeong, South Chungcheong-do, where I found this phrase written in red on a white wall: ‘One who has Jesus is the one who has it all.’ It was electrifying: I stood there for a long while. I came to think that I should die on the cross, and that Christ is the one who should live… True belief is the search for existence itself, without concern for who possesses what, and to pursue relationships, not the work itself.”
Rev. Kim’s questions were extended to “church” and “happiness,” and his ministry has been a journey in search of the answers. One of his ministries for the past 17 years came out of this experience: The Pathbreaking Workshop, to which he has invited colleague pastor couples of not-yet-independent churches, encouraging them to work together towards “Jesus alone is enough” ministry and “walking my unique path” ministry.
In “Questioning Happiness,” Rev. Kim confesses that he has found three reasons why he has been able to reach happiness: “discovery of my own calling, discovery of the cross through emptying myself, and re-discovery of Psalm 23 through meditation.”
He said, “There are two sorts of Christians: Christians whose eyes are not open and Christians whose eyes are open. Which are you? I pray that you all will be blessed with opened eyes and live in accompaniment with the Lord, who is with us.”
Reporter Sangmok Shin (smshin@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)
Photo by intern reporter Shin Hyeon Ga
Original Article in Korean:
[저자와의 만남-김석년 서초교회 목사] “믿음 안에서 누리는 행복의 비밀 터득하셨나요”: ‘질문하는…’ 시리즈 3부작 완간
