Teaching East Asia: Korea Teaching East Asia: Korea | Page 233

contribute money to their churches whenever good fortune occurs, such as the birth of a son or
when sons or daughters pass the university examination. According to the 1997 Gallup Korea
survey, nearly 40% of the Protestant community indicated the belief that those who contribute
money to the church will be blessed by more prosperity in return for their giving.
Christianity in the United States
The growth of Korean churches in the United States has been spectacular. While 29% of
Koreans in Korea are Christian, 71% of the Koreans in the U.S. are Christian, 6% are Buddhist,
and 23% are unaffiliated. According to Pew Research statistics, 61% are Protestants and 10%
are Catholic. An association of Korean Protestant churches in Southern California has 1,359
congregations representing 39 denominations. In 2008, a study determined that of the 7,000
Protestant Asian congregations in the United States, 4,000 were Korean. Nearly 80% of Korean
immigrants attend church. By comparison, a Pew Research study found that 54% of Americans
went to church weekly, more than once a week or a few times a month. The rest attended church
once in a while or not at all.
Korean churches in the United States have worked to provide a familiar, safe, and
supportive place for an immigrant population. This most likely explains why a higher percentage
of Korean Americans attend churches on a regular basis than do their counterparts who live in
Korea. Apart from their religious and evangelical programs, they try to address numerous
challenges facing their membership, such as health, legal, and psychosocial issues. Anselm K.
Min, Maguire Distinguished Professor of Religion at Claremont Graduate University, said that
“the local church is the center of fellowship, comfort, and consolation.” Min believes that
“Christianity appeals to Koreans because it demands unconditional commitment which blends
well with the Korean work ethic and emphasis on achievement.”
The Reverend Hee-Min Park, a highly regarded pastor who has served in Los Angeles and
Toronto, believes that the growth of the immigrant churches is the result of the huge influx of
Koreans since the 1970s, the growth of Korean seminaries and the tendency for congregations to
split when they run into disagreements. He believes that “the strong points of the Korean church
are passion, prayer, and evangelism.”
Bibliography:
Baker, Don. 2008. Korean Spirituality. Honolulu: University of Hawai’I Press.
Connor, Mary. 2009. Asia in Focus: The Koreas. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO.
Kang, Connie. Korean Churches Growing Rapidly.
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/01/local/me-beliefs1
Kang, Connie. The Word around the World: Korean Churches put a Premium of Missionary
Work. http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/01/local/me-beliefs1
Springer.com. Journal of Community Health. Conducting Health Research in Korean American
Churches: Perspectives from Church Leaders. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmc2835721
April 2010.
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