Reverend James Kwon, the senior pastor of Community Church of Seattle, was inaugurated as the next moderator of presbytery of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A. (PCUSA)'s Northwest Coast Presbytery. This makes Kwon the first Korean American to serve as the moderator of presbytery of this presbytery's history.
Kwon was warmly welcomed and unanimously voted into the role as the moderator-elect by some 140 pastors and ruling elders of Northwest Coast Presbytery in October of 2014, and was inaugurated into the position of moderator at the recent presbytery meeting that took place on Thursday at Cascade View Presbyterian Church in Everett, WA.
"I decided to run for the position because I believed that it is now time for the Korean church to no longer remain within their own congregations, but come forward to positively influence the denomination," Kwon said.
"I hope to cast vision on how the denomination could move forward in accordance with God's word," Kwon continued. "I will continue to do my best and to do my part to help bring spiritual restoration of the country."
As the moderator, Kwon will be moderating the presbytery's meetings, as members share different thoughts and opinions on the issues at hand, and will also be invited to lead significant events within the presbytery such as ordinations.
In addition to his election as the moderator of the presbytery, Kwon was also elected to be one of the presbytery's commissioners to the general assembly of the denomination. Northwest Coast Presbytery sends four commissioners to the general assembly -- a national PCUSA gathering that takes place every two years -- to discern God's will and follow where God leads, according to Corey Schlosser-Hall, the executive presbyter of Northwest Coast Presbytery. Kwon will also be voting on proposals and overtures to the denomination's bylaws at the general assembly, which he will be attending this year and in 2018.
"James is the pastor of an absolutely remarkable congregation," said Schlosser-Hall. "In his role as a pastor, he has led an absolutely stunning transformation of that congregation, from a stable, more traditional first generation Korean congregation, to a much larger, mission-oriented, service-oriented, proactive, visionary congregation."
"James' vision, his leadership of his own congregation, his remarkable personality -- which is also embedded into the congregational identity -- are all qualities that draw people to him," Schlosser-Hall continued.
Schlosser-Hall went on to emphasize the significance of Kwon being Korean American and taking on the two leadership roles of moderator and commisioner.
"We're so grateful that James has enough courage to serve the body in English, even though it's his second language," Schlosser-Hall said. Kwon's taking on of these roles also reflects the "influence, leadership, and appreciation for Korean American Christianity in the life of the presbytery," he added, explaining that 25 to 30 percent of the presbytery's 10,000 some members consist of Korean Americans.
"We think it's absolutely essential to be a body of Christ that reflects and exhibits the kingdom of God to listen to and be led by people who have different cultural backgrounds," he continued. "It's a kingdom of God moment for this to happen. It's beautiful."
Northwest Coast Presbytery presides over congregations from Snohomish (located north of Seattle), the southern side of Alaska, and central and eastern parts of Washington state. The presbytery is known within the denomination to be one that is active in missions. Kwon will be serving as the moderator of the presbytery for one year. The following is an interview with Kwon.
Q: How do you feel having been elected as the moderator of presbytery?
A: I'm thankful that the Korean church can serve fellow American churches, as I've often wondered how the color of the Korean church "” our focus on the truth of the Word, and our spirituality "” could be shared with the greater American church community.
Q: Why do you think the presbytery elected a pastor of a Korean church to become its moderator of presbytery?
A: There is a desire and movement to walk alongside the Korean church. Previously, the influence of the Korean church wasn't significant, but now about 30 percent of our presbytery are Korean congregations. The presbytery can no longer ignore the presence of the Korean churches. And I think it's now time for the Korean church to serve the American churches. And the American congregations also know of the passion for the gospel and the powerful prayer culture of the Korean church.
Q: What do you think is the role of Korean American Christians in the U.S.?
A: Biblical values and standards are falling apart in America, and the nation is becoming more and more liberal. And some denominations in America have the tendency to follow the standards of the greater society. I believe God has a reason that he allowed us Koreans to immigrate to the U.S. As those who are living in the U.S., I believe it is our role to be a positive influence to the nation with our unique strengths, and to raise up healthy leaders of the next generation, that we would be a blessing to the nation.
Though the world may continue to distance itself from God, we don't need to give up or despair. There's a calling that God has given us in the midst of this. And we have to discover what that calling is exactly, and give our best to prayer, to the Word, and to the work of saving souls. And I believe God will bring revival and reformation to this land as we remain faithful to that.
And for us first generation Koreans, we have to nurture our second generation Korean American children and members of the church with God's love so that they could take on the role of leading and awakening America. Second generation Korean American pastors who are much more fluent in English could become an even greater influence in American society. We must be a church that builds influencers who will lead the world, and we must be a church that alters the spiritual current of the world.
This article was edited and translated by Rachael Lee. For the original in Korean, visit kr.christianitydaily.com.
This article was edited on February 17, 2016, at 2:30 PM PST to include comments from Mr. Corey Schlosser-Hall.
