AP

Australian Presbyterianism has been associated with Korea since 1889, when the Presbyterian Church of Victoria sent Rev Joseph Henry Davies and his sister Mary there as missionaries. After only six months in the country, Joseph tragically died of pneumonia, which he contracted during a marathon journey on foot from the capital Seoul to the southern city of Busan. His heroism motivated a wave of Australian missionaries who played key roles in establishing modern Korean education, healthcare, and welfare during the 20th century.

Indigenous Korean Christian growth was initially slow. In 1945, when the Allies liberated the then unified Korean peninsula from Japanese occupation, only about 2% of the population was Christian. Rapid growth occurred in South Korea after the Korean war, parallel with the rapid industrialisation of the nation in response to the looming threat of invasion from the communist North. In 2024, 31% of the South Korean population identified as Christian.

More recently, South Korea’s rapid industrialisation seems to have permitted Western-style hedonism and secularism to develop. Christianity has recently plateaued and declined in ways similar to Australia. But the strength of Korean Christianity means the Australian and Korean Church can engage this kind of secularity together – not in an asymmetrical relationship of missionary dependence, but as sister churches standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

The PCA is in ecumenical relations with the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Hapdong). The chairman of their ecumenical committee visited Sydney for our General Assembly of Australia (GAA) in Sept 2026. This is what he said to our assembly:

First and foremost, glory be to God.

My name is the Rev. Jong-Cheol Shin, and I have the privilege of serving as Chairman of the Committee for World Reformed Church Relations and External Cooperation of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Hapdong). We give thanks to God for His gracious providence in sustaining and growing your denomination, and I bring warm greetings from the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Hapdong) to the Presbyterian Church of Australia and to this 52nd General Assembly. We are especially grateful to the PCA for inviting our denomination to this gathering.

We regard you as a sister denomination, sharing with us a common Reformed heritage and our commitment to the authority of God’s Word. Therefore, the growth and flourishing of the PCA is also a great joy to us. We pray that the fellowship and cooperation between our two denominations will continue to deepen in the years ahead.

By God’s grace, the Presbyterian Church of Korea (Hapdong) has grown to become the largest Presbyterian denomination in Korea as well as in the world. We currently have 165 presbyteries, 11,788 churches, approximately 36,827 ministers, and 2.3 million members. Through our General Assembly World Mission Society, or GMS, we are also sending 2,528 missionaries from 1,445 families to 96 countries around the world.

We recognise that all of this is by the grace of God alone. On behalf of our denomination, I pray that the PCA will continue to grow in both strength and spiritual maturity, and that the Lord will use you as a significant instrument in the proclamation of the gospel.

Looking ahead, we sincerely hope that the PCA and the PCK (Hapdong) will strengthen our partnership as Reformed churches, encouraging one another and working together for the cause of Christ throughout the world. We look forward to more opportunities for our two denominations to strengthen our fellowship and cooperation, and to stand together as Reformed churches in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

May the Lord bless your Assembly, guide you by His Word and Spirit, and continue to use the PCA for the glory of His name and the advancement of His kingdom.

Rev Dr Jong-Cheol Shin, Chairman of the Committee for World Reformed Church Relations and External Cooperation, PCK (Hapdong)