As we're about to start our "New Life" introductory Bible class, let me say something about the class meal preparation. As you know, members take turns cooking and serving food while they're taking the class. Each person gets exactly one turn. The purpose of this is to give people an opportunity to serve, which is the ultimate goal in studying the Bible. However, some shepherds' wives have been doing the food preparation for their house church members who are taking the class. They started doing this because some people were unable to come early to prepare food or did not know how to cook. In time, it has become a tradition for house church shepher...

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There are many problems in our church that can only be solved by prayer. We will be holding a special 10-day prayer meeting from August 24 to September 3. We have had 10-day prayer meetings several times before but this time will be different. We're calling this a "Three Strand Prayer" meeting. The term was coined by Rev. J.C. Lee of the Open Door Church in Seoul. It comes from Ecclesiastes 4:12: "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Before the prayer session begins, church members should find two other people to form a prayer team of three. Team members should be of the same ...

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In high school I once read a story by a French writer about a baker's daughter who was attracted to a young man who came to the store every morning to buy bread. Every day he bought a loaf of bread, but he never bought butter. The girl felt sorry for this apparently poor young man. So one day she put a cake of butter inside the bread as a surprise gift. The next morning, the young man stormed into the store hopping mad. It turned out the young man was an architect. He used the bread he bought each day to erase his penciled lines when he made a mistake. The butter the girl had hidden in the bread ruined his entire drawing. Sometimes, we can hurt ...

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There are two things I would like our church members to have: natural spirituality and a serving lifestyle that isn't dependent on programs. For these things to happen the church needs to be accepting. I've heard of churches that fire staff members when they receive poor yearly reviews. I've also heard of house churches being disbanded when they do not multiply within a certain time period. I think this is wrong. The church must be a healing community as well as a mission community. The church should be a place where even the less competent feel at home. Churches should be careful when hiring staff members, but once they are hired and become members ...

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Many Christians lament that it is hard to keep their faith at work. I understand how they feel: I worked a secular job myself for several years before I enrolled in seminary. I know how hard it is to live with Christian ethics in the workplace. But what makes it more difficult is a passive attitude characterized by the word "keep" when talking about keeping faith. It is a passive and defensive word. I was six years old when the Korean War broke out. The night before U.N. forces retook the city of Seoul, I was in a bunker shelter with my great-grandmother. I still remember the fear I felt when the artillery was being fired. I heard a booming sound ...

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This week we had a guest writer for the corner, which may not be relevant for the English Speaking Congregation. So let me post the agreements made between the ESM and KSM leadership last January, which might be more interesting. - Pastor Chai Results of the KSM / ESM leadership meeting Background We are one church divided by language (English & Korean). The two congregations are designated as the Korean Speaking Ministry (KSM) and English Speaking Ministry (ESM). Senior Pastor 1. The pastor of the congregation with a larger number of members and the larger budget becomes the senior pastor of entire church. 2. When switching senior pastorship, ...

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We will soon be implementing evaluations for church leaders. Our church is doing well. People are being saved; we are averaging between two and three baptisms every week. There have been many stories of lives being changed. The worship services have been meaningful to people. Even some who have never before visited a Christian church say this. The children's department is doing well also. Many nonbelievers come to our church because their children like Sunday School so much. Our church is doing well, but I fear that this may make us complacent. So I have decided to receive evaluations from people who work closely with me. This will give them a ...

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