MINISTRY DEVELOPED FOR THE FAMILY OF THE INTERMARRIAGE IN THE KOREAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY

“Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry

NEW YORK THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

5 West 29th Street New York, New York

March 4, 1995

DEDICATION

I dedicate this to my friends who have experienced, are experiencing, or will experience the pain of alienation through intercultural marriage in a foreign land, and to those who serve others with a willing heart.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

    First and foremost, I give thanks to God, who has called me to engage with the issues of intermarriage—an enduring concern throughout biblical history and in our present age. I believe that my studies and writings in the Doctor of Ministry program have been part of a healing journey for those who bear the wounds of such experiences.

Secondly, I offer my deepest gratitude to my beloved wife, Wan-Hee. Her unwavering support—through thoughtful comments, diligent proofreading, and her generous assistance in ministry—has been indispensable. While I was immersed in this demanding work, she shouldered much of the household responsibilities. Without her devotion, I could not have completed this project. Above all, I am thankful for her enduring love and patience throughout this long and challenging process.

To my children, Sena, Seryhm, and Sejun: thank you for your patience and understanding. I look forward to spending more time with you now that this writing is complete—you have truly earned it.

Thirdly, I am deeply thankful to my faithful mentor, Dr. Won-Tae Cha, whose patient guidance helped me navigate and complete this important and difficult work.

Fourth, I express my sincere appreciation to my church community—both the Korean-speaking and English-speaking congregations of Embury United Methodist Church—as well as to The Korean American Women United Mission and The Lawrence Korean United Methodist Church. Your prayers, time, and financial support have sustained me. Without your understanding and care, this work may never have come to light.

Lastly, I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to all the members of my site team.

• In the first round: Wan-Hee Yoon, Jean Liling, Edna Mai Quibell, Clifford Quibell, and Lester Forrester.
• In the second round: Wan-Hee Yoon, Wan-Ja Choi, Sang-Rak Che, Young-Ja Joseph, Young Kim, Joyi Santiago, and Jung-Ae Kim.
• In the third round: Yong Ok Park, Choong Hee Kim, Young Burm Park, Howard Y. Jang, Yong Dae Lee, and Sang Hwi Kim.

You have walked with me through every step of this journey. Your dedication and contributions have been essential to the completion of this project.  

ABSTRACT

The title “The Transforming Praxis Toward Ecclesiogenesis” emerged from my extensive reading of key theological and sociological works, including Leonardo Boff’s Ecclesiogenesis, T. Richard Snyder’s Once You Were No People, Byung-Moo Ahn’s Christ in the Minjung Event, John Bradshaw’s The Family and Homecoming, Paul F. Knitter’s No Other Name, Orlando E. Costas’ Christ Outside the Gate, Joe Holland and Peter Henriot’s Social Analysis, Fred and Anita Prinzing’s Mixed Messages: Responding to Interracial Marriage, James H. Cone’s God of the Oppressed, Quentin Lauer’s Hegel’s Concept of God, Richard M. Zaner’s The Context of Self, Donal Dorr’s Integral Spirituality, Sallie McFague’s Metaphorical Theology and Models of God, Andrew Sung Park’s The Wounded Heart of God, H. Richard Niebuhr’s The Responsible Self, Marjorie Hewitt Suchocki’s God-Christ-Church, Archie Smith Jr.’s The Relational Self, Walter Brueggemann’s Finally Comes the Poet, and Roger G. Betsworth’s Social Ethics.

My concept of “Transforming Praxis” began during my studies on Dietrich Bonhoeffer at the Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul, Korea, 23 years ago. I first applied this praxis as a community organizer in the slum areas of Seoul. Later, in my ministry within various local churches in the United States, I continually held the vision of birthing a new church within existing structures. Since 1984, I have been closely connected with Korean American intermarriage families, a journey that I now recognize as a divine calling.

Following World War II, churches saw a rise in attendance as people sought comfort and stability. However, as society shifted towards security and material prosperity, many turned away from God—mirroring the Israelites’ turn to other gods after settling in the Promised Land. This turning away gave rise to two forms of spiritual muteness: the alienation of “Only Me” (a reductionist subjectivism), and the rage of “Only God” (a reductionist objectivism). Both extremes disrupted genuine communion and distorted the image of God, neglecting the dynamic foundation of communal reality. The church is called not merely to exist but to be present in and through the life of the community.

Since the 1970s, the Korean immigrant population in the U.S. has grown significantly. Among this growth, one notable trend is the steady increase in interracial marriages between Koreans and individuals of other racial and cultural backgrounds. While these unions represent cultural bridges, they have also introduced new stresses into an already burdened immigrant life. Many of these families experience emotional and spiritual harm, especially Korean women in such marriages, who often suffer isolation, identity loss, and systemic discrimination. The longing for a “home” where equality, dignity, and love are honored is an urgent call to the church.

This project was carried out within the Embury United Methodist Church and the broader Korean immigrant community in the New York City area. The site team began with seven members from Embury and expanded as the project progressed. While drawing from existing ministry models, the project was ultimately shaped to respond specifically to the needs of Korean American families in interracial marriages. This model of Transforming Praxis may serve as a template not only for similar families beyond New York but also for any marginalized community seeking the life of Shalom.

Alienation from Shalom
At the initial stage, many Korean women in interracial marriages arrive in the U.S. filled with dreams. Often coming from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, they married American soldiers in hopes of a better future. However, these hopes frequently dissolve upon arrival. Some are abandoned shortly after arriving, left without financial resources, employment, housing, or community, while facing language barriers and cultural shocks. These women fall into extreme isolation, some eventually turning to substance use or working in massage parlors to survive. At the final stage, some lose their jobs, become homeless, or are institutionalized with mental illness. Their alienation from Shalom—from peace, dignity, and community—has become both deeply personal and tragically widespread.

This project identifies three key forms of alienation and the corresponding missions required to restore wholeness:

1. Alienation from Personal Integrity (Mission: Self-Identity)
   Site team members reported deep internal struggles, including jealousy and emotional conflict, even among those with close relationships. Many women suffered from low self-esteem, unaware of the root causes of their pain. This lack of personal peace and fragmented identity contributed to dysfunction within families and the broader community. There can be no Shalom without knowing “who I am.”
2. Alienation from Interpersonal Respect (Mission: Relational Identity)
   Differences in culture, language, and values often create emotional distance between spouses. Many do not engage openly in relationships or community life. Furthermore, Korean American society—consciously or unconsciously—often marginalizes interracial families, deepening their sense of exclusion. The Korean immigrant church, rather than being a Gemeinschaft (community of belonging), has sometimes resembled a Gesellschaft (impersonal society). There can be no Shalom without knowing others and “what I am in relation to them.”
3. Alienation from Structural Justice (Mission: Responsible Identity)
   These families often lack access to systemic support. Abandoned women have no institutional recourse. Discrimination persists within the Korean American community—between generations, and between immigrants and those in Korea. The church must rise as a space of justice and compassion for the marginalized. There can be no Shalom without the church’s willingness to suffer with and for the oppressed—without knowing “where I am in the world.”

Ecclesiogenesis—birthing the church—requires a continual spiritual practice that transforms forces of alienation into healing community. This project embodies that commitment, aiming to turn fractured lives into reconciled ones through the practice of integral spirituality.

The project proposes a threefold transformative model:

1. Praxis on Exodusgenesis: Recovering Individual Identity for personal transformation—a journey of self-discovery.
2. Praxis on Crossgenesis: Recovering Relational Identity for ecclesiological transformation—a journey of discovering the Reign of God.
3. Praxis on Lifegenesis: Recovering Responsible Identity for communal transformation—a journey of discovering eternal life.

The birthing church is never static—it is always moving, always transforming within its existing context.

God’s redeeming action is fundamentally relational, aiming to liberate broken humanity from alienation and bring all into the fullness of Shalom.

Table of Contents

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Introduction: The Church Context and Issues

1. Regional Context
2. Ecclesial Context
3. Overview of the Problem
4. Problem Analysis

Chapter 1: What Is Transforming Praxis Toward the Biblical Church?

1. What Is Alienation?
2. What Is Transforming Praxis?
3. What Is Ecclesiogenesis?

Chapter 2: Biblical Perspectives on Transforming Praxis Toward Ecclesiogenesis

1. Exodus Praxis
2. Cross Praxis
3. Transforming Praxis

Chapter 3: Theological Perspectives on Transforming Praxis Toward Ecclesiogenesis

1. Theology of the Correlative Self
2. What Kind of Body of Christ Shall We Become?
3. How Shall We Live in the Body of Christ?
4. Praxis as Creative Activity

Chapter 4: Attitudes Toward Intercultural (Interracial) Marriage

Chapter 5: Dysfunction in Korean-American Families

Chapter 6: Historical Patterns of Discrimination Against Women

Chapter 7: Gender Discrimination Within the Church and the Restoration of Community

Chapter 8: Historical Examples of Transforming Praxis

Chapter 9: The Pastoral Journey for Transforming Praxis

1. Transforming Praxis for Self-Identity
2. Praxis for Creating Relational Identity
3. Praxis for Creating Responsible Identity

Chapter 10: Developing Transformative Pastoral Capacity

1. Setting Goals for Transformation
2. Implementation Strategies for Goal Achievement
   • Planning the Implementation Strategy
   • Execution of the Strategy
3. Evaluation of the Implementation
   • Strategy Planning for Goal Achievement
   • Evaluation of Strategy Execution
4. Comprehensive Evaluation of Experimental Ministry

Chapter 11: Capacity Building and Evaluation for Transformative Ministry

1. Assessment of Pastoral Capacity
2. Identifying Areas for Capacity Development
3. Strategy for Developing Pastoral Capacity
4. Evaluation of Each Development Area
5. Overall Evaluation of Capacity Development

Conclusion: The Community of Becoming

References

Appendix: Materials Related to Experimental Pastoral Praxis

1. Materials Related to the Study Group Meetings
2. Materials for Self-Identity Creation Praxis
3. Materials for Relational Identity Creation Praxis
4. Materials for Responsible Identity Creation Praxis
5. Materials for Pastoral Capacity Development Praxis