A Survey for Improving Human Resources
of Korean Women Church Workers (Pastors and Evangelists)

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to find ways to improve wasted human resources of Korean women church workers. Korean women church workers ...

A Survey for Improving Human Resources
of Korean Women Church Workers (Pastors and Evangelists)

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to find ways to improve wasted human resources of Korean women church workers. Korean women church workers (evangelists or pastors) have played significant roles for Korean church growth. In Korean Religion DB(1997), among 10 million Christians (35% male and 65% female), of which 3,907 women and 22,321 men pastors were registered. This study is composed of the survey method and an open-ended questionnaire. Four hundred and three women church workers were randomly selected out of 4 major denominations: Presbyterian (Hapdong), Presbyterian(Tonghap), Presbyterian (Kichang), Methodist(Kigam). Six questions provided by each of the five subject areas namely; Training and Placement, Present Appointment, Call to Ministry, Problem Areas, and Suggestions for future women pastors - are analyzed and quantified. Percentile statistics was used for analysis. The result shows the social and cultural barriers that Korean women pastors are facing.

Although Korean women pastors are equally educated as men pastors, they are limited by gender bound, non-professional areas without minimum financial guarantees. They have been diligent toilers, silent workers, and patient servers. Nevertheless they are working as care-givers, educators for the young and counselors mainly for women. However, their contract remains annually with senior pastors. Their salary usually reaches a quarter of a senior pastor's. Although women's resources have been indispensable human capital for the Korean churches, they have been under-utilized and undervalued because of the social and cultural barriers that Koreans are still facing. Although some denominations ordain women pastors, Korean women pastors remain to be fully mobilized for the Korean church community. Female church leaders are still invisible and are not recognized as valuable human resources in Korean churches.

The tradition of professionalism could be traced back to the so-called "Bible-Women" who sold Bibles and learned the Bible at church school. They were active drivers of rapid church growth. Hence, present and future Korean women pastors must practice to be professionals in order to carry out their roles. Many women pastors answered that the most urgent task is to be professionalized in many areas. Three professionalized tasks were suggested: first, possessing human capital; second, forming strongly tied social networks; and third, possessing technological dexterity.