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Lutheran Church in Korea

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

ILC Asia Regional Conference meets in South Korea

by | Jul 22, 2024

Participants in the International Lutheran Council’s 2024 Asia Regional Conference.

SOUTH KOREA – The International Lutheran Council’s (ILC) Asia Regional Conference took place June 24-28 at Luther University in Seoul, South Korea. The theme for the conference was “Leading Amid Changing Social, Cultural, and Theological Landscapes,” and focused on Hebrews 13:8—”Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

The conference brought together church leaders and representatives from three member churches of the ILC’s Asia World Region: the Lutheran Church in Korea (LCK), the Lutheran Church in the Philippines (LCP), and the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand (LCA/NZ). Representatives of the Thailand Concordia Lutheran Church (TCLC) were also present as guests, as were 32 pastors of the LCK. Several other ILC member churches in the Asia region were unable to attend this year’s conference due to travel difficulties and other reasons.

LCK President Eunseob Kim and Luther University President Jun Hyn Kim.

“We express our heartfelt gratitude to the Lutheran Church of Korea—especially to LCK President Eunseob Kim and Luther University President Jun Hyun Kim—for their gracious hospitality and efficient management of the program,” said LCP President Antonio Reyes, who also serves as the Asia World Region representative on the ILC’s Board of Directors. “As hosts they ensured that all aspects of the conference were of the highest quality. We are overwhelmed by their enthusiasm in support of the goals of the ILC.”

Bishop Juhana Pohjola addresses the ILC’s 2024 Asia Regional Conference.
Rev. Dr. Andrew Pfeiffer speaks.

Speakers for the conference were Bishop Juhana Pohjola of the Evangelical Lutheran Mission Diocese of Finland (ELMDF), who also serves as ILC Chairman; Rev. Dr. Andrew Pfeiffer of the LCA’s Australian Lutheran College; and Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz, General Secretary of the ILC. Bishop Pohjola gave a lecture on the challenges posed by women’s ordination, reflecting on the experience of Finland’s national Lutheran church. Dr. Pfeiffer gave two addresses: one on the office of the holy ministry and one on pastoral care. Dr. Schulz, meanwhile, presented on church relations and altar-and-pulpit fellowship.

An additional session led by Dr. Schulz and President Reyes discussed the ways in which the ILC might assist member church bodies in recognizing fellowship with each other.

LCP President Antonio Reyes.
ILC General Secretary Klaus Detlev Schulz.

“It was a blessing to gather together with our friends in the Asia World Region, and to discuss the challenges and opportunities surrounding the proclamation of the Gospel in that part of the globe,” said ILC General Secretary Schulz after the conference. “The International Lutheran Council plays an important role in fostering greater communication and cooperation between member churches, and in encouraging Lutherans around the world to remain faithful to Christ and His Word. We are grateful for the strong and faithful witnesses to Christ present in ILC member churches throughout the Asia World Region.”

Additional presentations focused on the history and present situation in each of the church bodies represented at the conference. Rev. Johng Ho Won presented on behalf of the Lutheran Church in Korea; Rev. Matthew Anker on behalf of the Lutheran Church of Australia and New Zealand; President Reyes on behalf of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines; and President Pornprom (Ted) NaThalang and Rev. Neran Temsakun on behalf of the Thailand Concordia Lutheran Church (TCLC).

TCLC President Pornprom (Ted) NaThalang speaks during the conference.

President NaThalang also gave a presentation on the work of the Lutheran Heritage Foundation in Asia.

In addition to the presentations and discussions, participants held daily matins and vespers. Preaching for these services were LCK President Eunseob Kim; Rev. Anker of the LCA/NZ; Rev. Carl Hanson of International Lutheran Church in Seoul; LCP President Reyes; and Dr. Jun Hyun Kim of Luther University.

Closing worship at Yeolrinmoon Lutheran Church.

Bishop Pohjola served as preacher for the conference’s closing worship service, which was held at the newly-built Yeolrinmoon Lutheran Church. “Our noble calling as church leaders is to receive the life-giving and faith-sustaining Word and Sacraments and ministry,” he said. “During those few years in the life of the Church when we hold Christ’s office it, is our holy and noble task to hand over and pass on Christ and His gifts in the same way we received them—and not to take away anything or adopt strange new teachings.”

“You have received the faith from faithful pastors and laity in the past generation, you preach and teach it now, and then you pass it on to the next generation,” he continued. “This is the reality of how Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever among us in Korea, Thailand, Australia, the Philippines, Finland, and the world.”

The International Lutheran Council is a global association of confessional Lutheran churches which proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ on the basis of an unconditional commitment to Scripture and the Lutheran Confessions.

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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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Korean Lutherans celebrate 60 years

by | Dec 31, 2018

Participants in the Lutheran Church in Korea’s 2018 convention.

SOUTH KOREA – The Lutheran Church in Korea (LCK) held its 48th regular convention October 10-12 at Luther University in Yongin, South Korea, during which time the church celebrated 60 years of Lutheran witness in Korea. The gathering took place under the theme “Arise, Shine.”

LCK President Young-Seok Jin and LCMS President Matthew Harrison sign a protocol agreement between their two churches.

The first Lutheran outreach in Korea took place in 1832, but sustained Lutheran ministry in the country did not take place until 1958, when The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) established mission work in the region. That work was undertaken by three American missionaries (Paul Bartling, Maynard Dorow, and Kurt Voss) and their families, along with one Korean clergyman, Dr. Won-Yong Ji, who had received his doctorate from the LCMS’ Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri.

The church achieved independence in 1971. Today, the LCK counts more than 5,000 members in more than 50 churches across the country, though it has touched the lives of hundreds of thousands more through various mass-media mission programs, like the Lutheran Hour and the Bethel Bible study program.

LCMS President Matthew Harrison was present for the event, bringing greetings to the church as it celebrates 60 years of Lutheranism in Korea. On October 10, the two churches took the opportunity to reaffirm their ties to one another, with LCK President Young-Seok Jin and LCMS President Harrison signing an updated protocol document between the two churches. The document will guide continued cooperation between the two churches going forward.

ILC General Secretary Albert Collver, LCK President Young-Seok Jin, and LCMS President Matthew Harrison.

The Lutheran Church in Korea is a member church of the International Lutheran Council (ILC). Rev. Dr. Albert Collver, General Secretary of the ILC, was also present for anniversary celebrations in Korea.

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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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