THE KUKMIN DAILY

Voices within the Korean Methodist Church are calling for reform of the process to elect bishops, and for fundamental reflection on the bishop system itself, in order to restore social trust and promote church development.

Rev. Kim Jeong-yeol, writer-member of the Committee for Long- and Short-term Development of the Korean Methodist Church (KMC), speaking at the “Forum on Methodist Reform,” held at the KMC headquarters on Sejongdae-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul on December 9, emphasized the necessity of reforming elections of bishops. “If the bishop-electing process is freed from regional, school and kinship ties and money influences, then bishops’ authority and status also will be improved,” he said. “By holding a vote to condense the number of candidates to two finalists, and by conducting a runoff election in the form of drawing lots, we can minimize the abuses caused by personal ties and money.” Going on, Rev. Kim asserted that “The chair of the bishops’ conference should retain no official duties except for the symbolic chairmanship…The enormous power of the bishops’ chair over personnel management should be reduced.”

Forum participants also expressed the opinion that the bishops system needs fundamental change. “Many persons concur on the need to improve the bishops system,” commented Rev. Nam Jae-yeong. “Discussions should focus on various ways of doing this - for example, abolishing the system, or reducing the number of bishops.” Rev. Nam continued, “In reality, the bishops system is being recognized as the main source of the Methodist Church’s ailments, due to the many negative effects of bishops’ elections.” He criticized, “Under the present system, no one can become a bishop without money. In such a situation, a bishop cannot furnish any kind of spiritual leadership.”

This KMC Forum on Methodist Reform was the second in a series of events aimed at developing a reform process for the Methodist Church. The series is organized by the KMC Special Committee for Reform (chair: Bishops’ Conference Chair Jeon Yong-jae), inaugurated last July. The first forum took place on December 2; the third, to be held on December 23, will deal with the question, “How should the KMC headquarters structure be reformed?”

Reporter Park Ji Hun (lucidfall@kmib.co.kr), with Marion Kim (marionkkim@icloud.com)

Photo by senior reporter Kang Min Seok


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