Korean pastors pray for James DeJong
Photo by David Koll
Sitting in a chair with his leg in a cast, Rev. James DeJong delivered his final lecture on CRC church history to participants in the Korean Institute in Ministry (KIM) program earlier this year.
DeJong had been hit by car two weeks earlier as he was riding his bike in suburban Grand Rapids, Mich. His leg was broken, but that didn’t stop him from teaching the class. When the lecture was over, participants gathered around and prayed for him.
“Praying for me like they did was typical of their spirituality,” said the former president of Calvin Theological Seminary, who had served as an instructor for KIM for 10 years. “Koreans are not hesitant to wear their hearts on their sleeve. It was a nice capstone (to his time as a KIM instructor).”
Twelve Korean-speaking pastors from various churches took part in KIM, a nine-day orientation to the CRC. They spent time learning about the CRC’s confessions, its history, its polity, the process leading to ordination, and how to read and interpret Scripture from a Reformed perspective.
These South Korean pastors are already members of the CRC or are planning to join the denomination — and will bring their congregations with them.
DeJong, who retired from the seminary in 2003, began teaching CRC history to the first group of KIM participants.
“Jim has been a valuable tool for the KIM program,” said David Koll, director of Candidacy and coordinator of KIM, “He brings a wealth of knowledge of CRC history and culture, and he also brings a wonderfully appreciative perspective toward the Korean pastors.”
Each year, DeJong combined his lectures with field trips to sites such as the Heritage Center at Graafschaap CRC in Holland (one of the original CRC congregations) and the church building at Pillar CRC also in Holland, which is one of the oldest congregations in the area.
As part of the course in history, DeJong discussed the immigrant experience of the CRC and drew connections to that of the Korean pastors, many of whom were born in Korea. This year, someone else had to lead the field trip, but he still had the chance to talk about the challenges of being an immigrant church, said DeJong.
Currently, there are 114 Korean churches in the CRC, which makes this one of the fastest growing groups in the denomination.
DeJong says the CRC connection to the Korean church dates back to the 1930s when Louis Berkhof’s classic work Systematic Theology was translated into Korean.
“That book was greatly appreciated by Korean Presbyterian church leaders,” he said. “Koreans are drawn to the academic side of Reformed theology.”
Because of Berkhof’s book, a few Korean students began to attend Calvin Seminary after World War II. That number “turned into a flood of students in the 1980s,” said DeJong, who has traveled and lectured in Korea many times.
“The Korean students have been a very wholesome influence on the mood and culture of the seminary,” said DeJong. “It was the the Korean students who pushed for the Ph.D. program the seminary now offers.”
Teaching for KIM came out of DeJong’s long history with and appreciation for the Korean church. Discussing the connections between the two church traditions and watching the Korean church flourish have been especially satisfying.
“It has been exciting to see this population take root in such a marvelous way in the CRC,” he said. “I’m thankful to have been part of KIM. It has been an intellectually and spiritually engaging experience.”