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Lutherans in the Philippines and Korea move towards fellowship

by | Apr 2, 2026

LCP President Antonio del Rio Reyes (front left) and LK Jong Ho Won (front right) pose with the new altar and pulpit fellowship declaration between their two churches.

PHILIPPINES – Representatives of the Lutheran Church in Korea (LCK) and the Lutheran Church in the Philippines (LCP) gathered from February 23-26 at the LCP’s Lutheran Center in Manila for a historic meeting that culminated in the signing of a Declaration of Altar and Pulpit Fellowship between the two churches. The gathering marked a significant step toward strengthening confessional Lutheran unity and deepening cooperation in mission and ministry in Asia.

The delegation from the Lutheran Church in Korea was led by its President, Rev. Jong Ho Won, while the delegation from the Lutheran Church in the Philippines was led by its President, Rev. Antonio del Rio Reyes. Over the course of the four-day meeting, representatives of both churches engaged in theological dialogue, prayer, and fraternal fellowship.

The meeting opened with Matins led by LCP President Antonio del Rio Reyes. Serving as interpreter and translator throughout the gathering was Rev. Dr. Jun Hyun Kim, Professor of Luther University of the Lutheran Church in Korea. The time of worship set a fitting tone for the discussions that followed, grounding the deliberations in prayer and in the Word of God.

Throughout the discussions, participants affirmed that the Holy Bible, the Old and New Testaments, is the inerrant and inspired Word of God and the only rule and norm of faith and life. The two church bodies likewise confessed their unity in the Lutheran Confessions, as contained in the Book of Concord, as a true and faithful exposition of the Word of God. This shared commitment to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions formed the foundation for the declaration signed during the meeting.

The two church presidents celebrate the signing of the declaration.

The signing of the declaration represents a formal commitment by the LCK and the LCP to recognize each other as faithful Lutheran church bodies with whom full altar and pulpit fellowship may be established. The agreement must still be ratified by each church’s governing conventions. Both churches are scheduled to hold their next conventions in October 2026.

Upon ratification, the declaration will formally establish altar and pulpit fellowship between the two church bodies. Such fellowship affirms that pastors of one church may preach in the congregations of the other, and that members may commune together at the Lord’s Table, in keeping with their shared confession and ecclesiastical practice.

Leaders from both churches expressed gratitude for the spirit of unity and mutual trust that characterized the discussions. The meeting provided an opportunity not only to finalize the text of the declaration but also to strengthen relationships between the two church bodies, which share a commitment to faithful Lutheran witness in their respective contexts.

The agreement represents an important milestone in the relationship between the Lutheran Church in Korea and the Lutheran Church in the Philippines and will advance confessional Lutheran cooperation in Asia. Participants in the Manila meeting noted that the declaration reflects a shared desire to strengthen cooperation in theological education, pastoral formation, and missionary outreach throughout the region, and will enable the two churches to present a stronger and more unified witness to the Gospel.

The Lutheran Church in the Philippines and the Lutheran Church in Korea are both member churches of the International Lutheran Council (ILC), a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, grounded in the authority of Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

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President Antonio del Rio Reyes
Lutheran Church in the Philippines

Korean Lutherans reelect president

by | Jun 28, 2022

LCK President Eunseop Kim preaches during the installation service.

SOUTH KOREA – In late 2021, the Lutheran Church in Korea (LCK) reelected Rev. Eunseop Kim to serve as its president for another term.

The decision came during the church’s 51st General Assembly, which was a hybrid online/in-person event held in Seoul from October 7-8, 2021. Rev. Kim is the LCK’s eighth president. He was reelected to a four-year term.

An installation service for President Kim took place on November 1. In his address, he called on the church not to be distracted from its primary mission and wander off on other paths. “The church must travel the right path,” he said, “not the wrong path, under any circumstances.”

“The church must follow God’s Word,” he continued. “The road that Christians are to go is not a wide road that can be travelled comfortably but instead a narrow road.” We must follow Christ where He leads us in His Word—like Abraham who left his homeland to follow God’s call, like Peter who left his boat to follow Christ, like Paul who left his place of comfort in Jewish society to go where Jesus led.

“[Paul] didn’t look to what was behind,” the president explained, “but instead to what was in front, and he ran. He ran solely toward the reward which God had given him.” President Kim explained that he wished to follow the same path. “And this is not only the way a church president should travel,” he said. “It is the way for all Christians, and we will go together.”

LCK President Eunseop Kim with some of those present for his installation service.

He pledged to work alongside the church as together they follow the road. “I hope that you will encourage and support me so that I do not fall as we walk together,” he said. “Let us travel together the road where the light is visible and life comes alive.”

The Lutheran Church in Korea is a member church of the International Lutheran Council, a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies.

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Lutheran Church in Korea elects new President

by | Dec 16, 2013

President Chul-Hwan Kim

President Chul-Hwan Kim

KOREA – The Lutheran Church in Korea (LCK) has elected Rev. Dr. Chul-Hwan Kim to a five-year term as President at its national convention in Busan, October 9-10. He was installed November 4, 2013.

Prior to the election, Rev. Dr. Kim served as a pastor of Bethel Church in Seoul and as a professor at the LCK’s Luther University. In addition to his studies in Korea, Dr. Kim completed his S.T.M and Ph.D. at Concordia Seminary (St. Louis, Missouri) and Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary (Fort Wayne, Indiana), respectively. Dr. Kim was also a contributor to The Lutheran Study Bible, published by Concordia Publishing House in 2009.

“On behalf of the International Lutheran Council (ILC) I wanted to bring you greetings and congratulations on your election as the President of the Lutheran Church in Korea,” wrote Rev. Dr. Albert Collver (ILC Executive Secretary) in a letter to President Kim shortly following his installation. “May Christ richly bless you and your church, providing you with every grace to accomplish the task the Lord has given to you.”

President Kim succeeds Rev. Dr. Hyun-Sub Um, who served as LCK President from 2005-2013. During President Um’s tenure, the LCK hosted the 2009 triennial World Conference of the International Lutheran Council in Seoul.

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