After hearing testimony about the mistreatment and exclusion of women in leadership, the General Assembly Entity Coordination Committee (GAEC) voted 35-8 Wednesday to recommend that GA disapprove GAEC-24, “On Recognizing the National Caucus of Korean Presbyterian Churches as a caucus of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).”
The committee included the following comment to its recommendation: “The GAEC requests that the National Caucus of [Korean Presbyterian Churches] do immediate work to research the mistreatment of femmes/women-identified individuals and report back to the PC(USA) at the next General Assembly with data and testimonies from the women who provided feedback during the GAEC meeting.”
Deborah Boucher-Payne, synod executive for the Synod of Mid-America, presented the overture, saying, “The Korean churches in the PC(USA) comprise about 330 churches and 40,000 members, making NCKPC the second largest group after the African American or Black Caucus.
The Korean churches in the PC(USA) comprise about 330 churches and 40,000 members, making NCKPC the second largest group after the African American or Black Caucus. — Deborah Boucher-Payne
“By not approving this overture, Boucher-Payne said, “the denomination might be sending the wrong message to Korean churches, making it seem as though Korean churches are among us but not part of the rich diversity that is the PC(USA).”
Daniel Changhyun Ko, one of three male overture advocates from NCKPC, addressed women’s leadership issues in Korean churches at the beginning of his presentation, saying in a prepared statement, “As a 1.5 generation pastor in the Korean American church, I see no cultural problem with female leadership, given my education in the U.S. Therefore, the ordination of female elders and pastors is a given with no issues at all. However, I also understand the perspective of first-generation pastors who immigrated in the ’70s and ’80s.
“Despite pastoring in the U.S. for a long time, their pastoral style and mindset remain like those of the Korean churches in the ’70s and ’80s.
“During the NCKPC’s annual meeting this year, we repented for our disregard of women’s leadership and celebrated communion led by female clergies [sic],” Ko said. “The NCKPC even amended its bylaws to mandate a representative from the Korean women clergy group in the executive committee.”
David Won, pastor of a new Korean-speaking worshiping community in Los Angeles, also spoke as an overture advocate, saying, “Women’s ordination is not a threatening issue in NCKPC anymore, but women leadership has still more to go.”
“During the NCKPC’s annual meeting this year, we repented for our disregard of women’s leadership.” — Daniel Changhyun Ko
“I have been attacked,” said Sarang Kang as she began to speak in opposition to the overture. But Kang, who is a member of the Racial Equity Advocacy Committee (REAC) of the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA) and moderator of Korean American Presbyterian Clergywomen (KAPCW), broke down in tears, and she asked to come back to speak.
The moderator of GAEC invited her back after several minutes, and she said, “Recognition is not necessary for good and effective ministry. It would be more exemplary to show a positive track record, a direction of approving and supporting women ministers and women in ministry, and multicultural ministry in general. … I fully acknowledge that [the NCKPC] do a lot of good work, but it is within a vacuum. … The Korean seat on REAC has been vacant since two GAs ago. I think that shows there has been very little interest in collaborating with the denomination at large.”
“Recognition is not necessary for good and effective ministry. It would be more exemplary to show a positive track record, a direction of approving and supporting women ministers and women in ministry, and multicultural ministry in general.” — Sarang Kang
Adebisi Shofu, resource person from REAC, spoke of her own experience with the Korean church going back to 1994. “I saw the treatment of the women,” she said. “It was 1996 when they decided for the first time that women could be elders. I remember the celebration — it was such a big event.”
In reference to overture advocates sharing Korean women administering communion and offering a benediction, Shofu said, “Even until today, I know they showed all these women doing these things, but Sarang and many others that I know had to leave the Korean church to go to regular [Presbyterian] churches to get positions because [the Korean church] wouldn’t ordain them, and they couldn’t speak out.”
Michelle Hwang, co-chair of the PMA Board, told the committee, “I have grown up in the Korean American church. I know the wonderful things it can do. But I also know the harm that continues to be inflicted on Korean American women.”
“I have grown up in the Korean American church. I know the wonderful things it can do. But I also know the harm that continues to be inflicted on Korean American women.” — Michelle Hwang
Hwang reiterated what other speakers mentioned: that NCKPC has a voice in the Asian American Council, a liaison seat on the PMA Board, and a seat on REAC. But, Hwang said, “when they meet with other agencies, they ask for a male representative to teach them or speak on their behalf.
“If we are a denomination that works for justice and equity for all people,” Hwang said, “then that needs to be one of the hallmarks of a caucus or any group that wants to be recognized in a formal manner. … At this time and at this juncture, because we are unifying [the Office of the General Assembly (OGA) and PMA], this may be a good time to evaluate how we designate caucuses, because that tells not only our church at-large but the church in the nation and globally what we value.”
Following the advocate presentations and resource people’s comments, commissioner Lea Ntuala commented on the overture advocates’ repeated stance that if the overture is not approved, there may be negative repercussions.
“I have not enjoyed the embedded threat in the presentation about if we don’t affirm this overture there might be discord,” Ntuala said. She then asked, “What is the caucus doing … about the full representation and voices of particularly female clergy?”
Overture advocate David Won responded, “We are planning to have an annual conference regarding Korean American clergywomen and restructuring our [leadership] committee.”
“[KAPCW is] planning to have an annual conference regarding Korean American clergywomen and restructuring our [leadership] committee.” — David Won
Following the committee’s discussion and actions, RJ Kang, pastor at Presbyterian Church of Palatine in Illinois and KAPCW Board member, told the Outlook, “First, I am grateful to those who showed the courage to speak against the overture. Secondly, I am saddened that women, especially women of color, are still fighting for equity and justice to follow God’s call within our denomination. Lastly, the fact that all male NCKPC representatives speak on behalf of women shows that they simply do not understand the issue.”
“The fact that all male NCKPC representatives speak on behalf of women shows that they simply do not understand the issue.” — RJ Kang
Yena Hwang, a minister member of the National Capital Presbytery and a member of KAPCW, said she has been on the receiving end of discrimination from members of the NCKPC, and she agrees with the committee’s decision.
“I am deeply saddened that this is the state I have to report about my beloved church, my beloved ethnic group,” she said after watching online the discussion around GAEC-24. She agrees with the committee’s decision and added, “I think they [NCKPC] can become a good caucus, but they have work to do.”
GAEC’s recommendation will go before the entire assembly next week in Salt Lake City.
Editor’s note: The assembly affirmed the committee’s decision, voting 379-27 to disprove.
