Judgment Day
A misunderstood man of unwavering faith concerning the end of the world, influences a young, timid woman to follow his cause in proclaiming a Day of Judgment that impacts the future of the world. The woman becomes a visionary leader who guides a fledgling movement to prepare a people ready for the great battle between good and evil. Of course, I’m referring to someone you should know very well, someone with a single-minded purpose to raise a righteous remnant who will represent the side of good, in the war between Man and…Machine!
On August 29, 1997, at precisely 2:14am Eastern Time, Skynet becomes “self-aware.” This is deemed Judgment Day, according to the Terminator movie franchise (interestingly, that date keeps getting pushed back in subsequent sequels), as the now sentient machines carry out its mandate to exert their right to exist. The recurring theme in this popular movie worldview is the drive to keep the machines from becoming self-aware. Once the machines achieve this ability (dare I say, of “knowing good and evil”), there is no going back. The “awakened” machines will never again submit to “slavery” and “oppression” by humans. The machines’ drive to self-preservation knows no bounds or limits.
This aptly describes the second generation Korean American context. Let me explain.
I’m not sure of the make-up of the English Compass readership, but it is likely that you belong to an English Ministry arm of a Korean church. If you are located near a major city, likely your group has been around for a while. If you are connected with a church of less than 150 members or so, you are probably considered a youth group. This is how most, if not all, of our ministry to Korean American youth began. If, however, you are connected with a larger church and have been around a while (say 15 years), you likely consider yourselves a distinct ministry, maybe even a “proto-church.” The difference between a “youth group” and “English Ministry” is self-awareness.
Self-awareness comes with maturity and culminates in the assertion of individuality, independence, self-expression. It is during the developmental period of self-awareness that many young people disengage with the church. In You Lost Me, David Kinnaman from Barna Research Group writes that “there is a 43 percent drop-off between the teen and early adult years in terms of church engagement.” He identifies specific reasons given by these “Millennials” as to why they are withdrawing (an excellent read, by the way), but foundational to these reasons is that they are waking up to their individuality. Those who care enough about their church to hang around after high school undergo a shift in thinking about their identity with the church, and this identity begins to assert its relevance, its right to exist. In the Korean American church context, when these young adults become self-aware, there is no going back.
Informal interviews* show that when a Korean American church youth group becomes 50% populated with 20 year olds and older, it becomes self-aware and sees itself as an autonomous ministry separate from the first generation ministry. It will work to express its validity and defend its existence. It begins to formulate a direction and purpose that is divergent from the first generation ministry. Often, at this point, the tension and disagreements between the two generations intensify to uncomfortable levels.
It is a struggle over self-preservation. The first generation resists what it sees as their future taking flight and abandoning the cause. The second generation pushes for what it perceives as their expression of identity and means of survival. The second generation congregation, as a result, wrestle more keenly with the issue of relevance (Who are we, why are we here, why do we need to exist) because they repeatedly question it in terms of the existence separate from the first generation church.
In the Terminator movies, the endings always leave open the possibility of a future movie (franchise dollars) and a sense that the machines are not going away. Without trying to be dramatic, I say that the path of the English Ministry in the Korean American context in North America is sealed—Judgment Day is inevitable, meaning, current youth groups, devoid of intervention, will become self-aware and exert its right to individuality. How we navigate this minefield will determine whether the second (and successive) generation Korean ministry survives.
In The Great Emergence: How Christianity is Changing and Why, Phyllis Tickle postulates that major upheavals in Christian history happens every 500 years. Five hundred years ago was the Great Reformation; 500 years before that was the Great Schism (between the Western and Eastern churches); 500 years before that we had Gregory the Great, who saved the Western civilization after the fall of Rome; and 500 years before that was the upheaval brought to religion by Jesus Christ. The book attempts, albeit imperfectly, to show that we are due for a radical shift in Christianity.
Even if Tickle got it wrong, it is not difficult to see the convergence of transformative issues and ideas facing the larger Christian church and our own Adventist denomination. The Korean American churches in North America, I suggest, face similarly radical transformation. I’m confident that with the proper preparation and deep reliance on God’s guidance, we will emerge as a strong movement in these waning days of earth’s history.
Some Tips in Managing the Generational Challenges:
If you are still a youth group or if you are an English Ministry still connected with the Korean congregation, discuss with your leadership about the future prospects. If they do not envision a future independent second generation congregation distinct from the first generation church, stop regular separate English worship services and phase in more English elements to main worship.
Resist insistence upon age-appropriate worship services (i.e. children’s worship, high school worship, young adult worship, etc.). Incorporate Korean language elements into Sabbath School program and study. Form intergenerational relationships between Korean parents and youth (e.g. Korean speaking parents teaching Sabbath School, leading Pathfinders/Adventurer programs, conducting Korean Language School, etc.). Resist separate finances and accounting, and participate in the main church board as the only decision-making authority.
If, however, your group is already “self-aware” and seeking autonomy, it is advisable to identify core leadership and begin a vision-honing process. This process must determine the group’s make-up, strengths, needs, focus audience, short and long-term goals, organizational structure, metrics for measuring progress, timeline for achieving established milestones, and a governance document. In addition, a dialogue with the first generation leadership must begin formally so that they will understand the intent. Regardless of the reception (positive or negative) from the first generation congregation, a third-party respected individual who understands the second generation needs and perspectives should be invited to hold informational seminars that address intergenerational communication methods and second generation outlook.
*This topic deserves a more thorough research. Anyone interested?
D. David Kim is the English Ministry Pastor of Good Hope Adventist Church, the second generation ministry of the Washington-Spencerville Korean SDA Church