[INTERVIEW] 'There is opportunity in every crisis,' says Yoido Full Gospel Church pastor

Yoido Full Gospel Church senior pastor Lee Young-hoon poses during an interview with The Korea Times at the church's office in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Dec. 27. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul

Senior pastor Lee Young-hoon emphasizes church's role of serving communities

By Park Han-sol

Despite a grim economic and political outlook ahead, the year 2023 marks a new and important beginning for Yoido Full Gospel Church ― or what its senior pastor Lee Young-hoon calls "the dawn of the new spiritual revival."

"In the past, the houses of worship strengthened the most in times of crisis," Lee told The Korea Times in a recent interview in Seoul's Yeongdeungpo District. "Our church similarly thrived in the dark days of the 1960s and '70s as more and more people began to turn to faith. We hope to recreate that very scene starting from this year."

Yoido Full Gospel Church, which started out in 1958 by holding services under a makeshift tent in northwestern Seoul, celebrates its 65th anniversary this year as the largest Protestant institution in South Korea.

But at a time when general interest in organized religion is dwindling, all Christian churches must recall their fundamental role in serving the needy and vulnerable to seek true spiritual revival, Lee noted.

"The evangelical mission of early churches was always two-pronged ― first, to preach the Gospel, and second, to aid the poor and downtrodden. But in recent decades, the house of God in Korea has been so focused on preaching and growing its congregation that it has come to neglect its other role," said the pastor, who was also elected the new president of the United Christian Churches of Korea (UCCK) last year.

"In the early years following Christianity's arrival in Korea, there were a series of church- and missionary-backed efforts to establish hospitals and schools, as well as to support the country's independence movements during the 1910-45 Japanese colonial rule," he said.

Therefore, to regain public trust, he continued, the houses of worship must return to their roots, committing themselves to serving and engaging their communities instead of retreating into their own growth-obsessed bubble.

Pastor Lee Young-hoon, left, fills boxes with basic living necessities for people in need at Dongdaemun Design Plaza in Seoul, Nov. 25. The church delivered boxes to 23,000 underprivileged families in Seoul ahead of Christmas. Courtesy of Yoido Full Gospel Church

During the pandemic, Yoido Full Gospel Church has made it its mission to lend a helping hand to those who have been hit hardest by the outbreak of the coronavirus ― small business owners, child-headed households, families with multiple children, people with disabilities and recipients of basic livelihood security subsidies.

The megachurch distributed cash handouts worth a total of 10.6 billion won ($8.38 million) at the beginning of last year, and an additional 5 billion won to low-income households and victims of severe summertime flood damage in time for the Chuseok holiday.

Ahead of the Christmas season, it expanded the scope of aid, donating 5.6 billion won to families raising preschoolers and young adults in their 20s and 30s.

"Such charitable aid won't be a temporary thing for us but will continue all year round in the future," Lee said.

Furthermore, in the wake of the Oct. 29 Itaewon tragedy that left 158 dead in a fatal crowd crush on Halloween weekend, the church made a 1 billion won contribution to establish a psychological trauma center for the recovery of survivors of traumatic events and their families.

The center will be launched within the first half of 2023 in a joint initiative with the UCCK and the Korean Counseling Service Network.

"We are working closely with experts who participated in running a similar organization in the past for individuals who lost their loved ones to the 2014 Sewol ferry disaster," he said. "The new center will be dedicated to counseling and treating those affected by the Itaewon tragedy and many others."

The church's provision of childbirth subsidies to its congregants, which began in 2012, is also set to continue in 2023, according to Lee.

But the pastor added that in order to tackle the issue of the country's chronic decline in birth rate ― with the number of babies born reaching yet another record low last October, according to Statistics Korea's latest figure ― a more expanded form of parenting and child support needs to come from the government.

"In addition to childbirth subsidies, the families need to be given monthly cash payments of 500,000 to 1 million won that can be solely used to care for the children at least until they graduate elementary school," he said.

As the new head of UCCK, the pastor recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy. His association is also looking to launch a series of related campaigns, joined by congregants of other Christian churches nationwide.

Representatives and congregants of Pentecostal denominations from over 150 countries around the globe pray during the "DMZ Crusade" at the Pyeonghwa Nuri Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Oct. 14. The crusade marked the highlight of the 26th Pentecostal World Conference (PWC) held in Seoul. Courtesy of Yoido Full Gospel Church

When asked about the 26th Pentecostal World Conference (PWC) that wrapped up in October, Lee noted that the event marked a new turning point for Protestant churches in Korea in more ways than one.

Its theme, "Pentecostal Revival in the Next Generation," reflected the way the churches ― and society as a whole ― should envision their future, he highlighted.

"Until now, the whole clerical system has been dictated by the older generations, making churches prone to power struggles and turf wars without feeling the need for reform," the pastor added. "It's time to invest in nurturing the generations to come."

Moreover, through the large-scale prayer rally called "DMZ Crusade" held on the last day of the PWC, the religious event also became a chance for Korea to inform the Pentecostal representatives and congregants from over 150 countries of the nation's current state of division.

Over 20,000 convened at the Pyeonghwa Nuri Park in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, to pray for the restoration of peace on the Korean Peninsula. The event was further livestreamed to reach 2.36 million individuals worldwide.

While the latest news of North Korean surveillance drones' border breach continues to affect the already strained relations between the two countries, Lee emphasized that the humanitarian aid should not waver at all costs.

"Yoido Full Gospel Church is still making efforts through various channels to resume the construction of an eight-story cardiovascular treatment hospital in Pyongyang. After all, this is, first and foremost, about saving lives," the pastor noted.

The project, which was launched in 2007, has met a series of hurdles over the last decade ― most recently due to the North's closure of its borders to contain the COVID-19 virus.

"On that note, as we all greet the New Year, I would like to remind everyone that there is opportunity in every crisis ― whether it be economic, political or spiritual," he said.

"Instead of looking back on our past failures, it's time to look ahead with hope and search for ways to utilize this chance for the betterment of ourselves and society as a whole. After all, a positive social change can only come to those who are ready for it."