**1. Introduction**

In the Book of Revelation, there is a very emotional scene: "After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: 'Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb'" (Rev. 7: 9–10).

The vision which John the apostle saw—God's people from all of the world worshipping and praising God in one voice—leaves a deep impression and a challenge. Let us think about this scene: multitudes praising God before His throne, transcending nationality, race, gender, and social status. Is not it impressive? In Korea, a gospel song, inspired by this text, has been loved by many church people for a long time.1

However, when I see the reality of worship in Korea, there are invisible walls between people. There are not only racial conflicts, but also intergenerational conflicts, sharp oppositions in political positions, and conflicts among regions. Even though they are Christians who believe in one God, they do not enjoy unity. I studied in the United States for about 8 years and visited many American churches. It was not easy to find churches which embody true multicultural worship there. The same is true for Korea. Korea is a country that prides itself on being composed of a single ethnic group.<sup>2</sup> Although people

**Citation:** Moon, Hwarang. 2022. Toward the Vision of Revelation: Multicultural Worship in a Korean Context. *Religions* 13: 171. https:// doi.org/10.3390/rel13020171

Academic Editor: Eunjoo Mary Kim

Received: 31 December 2021 Accepted: 10 February 2022 Published: 16 February 2022

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**Copyright:** © 2022 by the author. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

from many ethnic groups and many countries have come to Korea, it is not easy to find a multicultural church. My denomination (Kosin) has about 2100 churches with a long history and tradition, but only one multicultural church.3 The situation of other denominations in Korea is not much different. Some mega churches offer special worship services conducted in another language, but in a strict sense, they are not multicultural churches.4

Is the vision in the Book of Revelation just an eschatological picture? The reality and the ideal are different; therefore, should we just wait for the day of the Lord's second coming in the tension between the already and the not-yet? Perhaps one of the chief characteristics of the image of worship in the Bible is inclusiveness (Vanderwell 2008, pp. 22–23). All generations, all abilities, and anyone can come to God. As an example, Acts 2 shows how the dispersion and scattering of language caused by the Tower of Babel incident in Genesis 11 is restored by God's grace.

While some ask if multicultural worship is necessary, I believe unity must be emphasized in our worship. Even if we have different national and cultural backgrounds, we should seek unity where we can worship God together with one faith, believing in one Bible.

In this respect, multicultural worship is a monumental task for the 21st century. In particular, Korea, which is rapidly transforming into a multicultural society due to migration and an increase in Korean marriages to foreigners, must be able to present a healthy theology and vision for a multicultural Korean church.

In this paper, the situation of multicultural churches in Korea will briefly be reviewed through case studies. Even though there are several multicultural worship services offered, they are operated by non-native Koreans. Therefore, in this paper, I will focus on mapping a proposal for a church in which both Koreans and non-Koreans participate in worship together and share leadership of multi-cultural congregations. Reflecting on various theological and practical issues related to multicultural worship, I will discuss how members from various backgrounds can be united in worship and in the life of the church, actively and positively participating in worship. Furthermore, through sample liturgy, I will present worship ideas that can be practiced in the multicultural context.

#### **2. Case Study: City Center Church in Ulsan**

Ulsan City Center Church5 was established on 6 January 2019 in Ulsan. Koreans who split from the Ulsan Church, including English-speaking believers and various workers from Asia, gathered together to worship and start the new church. In the early days, senior Pastor Shin Chi-heon led the worship service twice, once for the Korean-speaking congregation and once for the English-speaking congregation. However, because the congregations were separated according to language, it did not represent true multi-cultural worship.

Fully bilingual pastor Kim Jeong-won took office in July 2019 and began to consolidate all worship services. All people, regardless of their nationality or language, gathered in one place to worship. As Pastor Shin gave the sermon in Korean, Pastor Kim translated it into English simultaneously. Although it was an advantage that all the congregation could attend one worship service, there was also the disadvantage because the preaching time was doubled. Additionally, the translating interrupted the flow of the sermon and made it difficult for people to concentrate.

Thus, in May 2020, worship was again divided into an English-speaking service and a worship service for Korean-speaking members of the congregation. However, they still wanted to promote the idea that all belonged to one church and were one body. To that end, a united worship and sacrament service were held on the first week of every month. Once a month, they could see each other face to face and worship together, and through the sacrament of sharing the body and blood of the Lord, they were able to confirm that they were one and reaffirm that everyone was a member of Center City Church.

In general, churches in Korea practice the Zwingli style of passing the elements, but this church seeks a more visible oneness as everyone comes forward and breaks bread. After the service, a everyone shares a potluck meal. By eating, drinking, and socializing together, their mutual understanding grows despite differences in culture and language. Above all, the Lord's Supper and the fellowship meal presents a picture of how a relationship with God leads to unity among His people.

In this overall worship structure, they seek to harmoniously blend various cultures into one service via the order and elements of worship. One area where this can be seen is in the praise music. In the case of united worship, the leader of the praise team selects a Korean praise song as well as an English praise song. Many Korean hymns are foreign adaptations. Songs composed in Korea can also easily be translated into English. Modern technology has made it easy to see the lyrics in English or Korean on a large screen. Ideally, under the guidance of the praise team, the members participate in the singing of hymns and praise songs in their language without any trouble.

For the sermons in a united worship service, the pastor delivers the sermons in Korean and an English translation is displayed on the screen. For the remaining three weeks, the pastor preaches the same text in Korean in the morning and in English in the afternoon. In other words, they are doing their best to become a multicultural church in the truest sense possible.

#### **3. Theology of Multicultural Worship**

It is not easy for congregations containing diverse languages and diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds to truly unify in one church service and to feel a sense of belonging as one family. Many large churches in Korea have separate worship services and meetings with members who speak English, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Mongolian, but there is little fellowship among the groups—only event meetings (Cho et al. 2012, p. 144). A multicultural church in the true sense includes meeting together for worship and fellowship. Then, what theological considerations are needed for multicultural worship to be successfully established in the church? Before discussing the contents and forms of worship, we should carefully consider the following questions.

## *3.1. How Can We View the Relationship between Worship and Culture in the Context of the Korean Church?*

Examining the relationship between worship and culture is an essential task for understanding the past path of church worship and forecasting future needs. Above all else, the "Nairobi Statement", presented at the Lutheran World Federation, offers a deep insight into the relationship between worship and culture, setting out four categories for this relationship: "transcultural worship", "multicultural worship", "contextual worship", and "intercultural worship" (Lutheran World Federation 2014, pp. 137–42). When worship is transcultural, we find common orders and texts throughout the whole church. When worship is contextual, cultural or indigenous symbols are incorporated in worship. When worship is countercultural, it contrasts biblical and worldly perspectives. When worship is cross-cultural, it uses various culture's hymn and expression. The Korean Church's worship has developed and expressed all four of these characteristics. Even though people tend to adhere to traditional texts or orders, worship will evolve while considering the epoch's culture and people's thought.

There are four factors to consider. First, it is necessary to examine the context of the Korean Church. Multicultural churches exist everywhere in the world, but they are greatly influenced by location and culture. Korean society is generally kind to guests from overseas, but because of the strong pride of being a single ethnicity, they are not used to fully accepting foreigners as members of the community. Statistics showing that there are few multicultural churches in each denomination prove this clearly (Kim 2021, pp. 112–28).

Korean conservative churches, which constitute the majority of all churches in Korea, have a very narrow theological views about contact with other denominations' cultures, except those of Reformed and Presbyterian churches of the Western tradition. In particular, there is an implicit fear that the influx of various cultures may result in syncretism.6

Therefore, in order for a multicultural church to take root in the Korean church, it is necessary to first analyze the boundary between worship and culture through biblical and theological studies.

Next, it should made clear that various forms of worship have existed throughout the history of Christianity, and worship can still evolve. In general, for Korean church members, the standard for proper worship tends to be limited to the worship they have experienced in the past and the form taught by the theologian or pastor whom they respect (Moon 2020b, p. 38). However, new forms of worship can emerge, and some practices can be excluded if they do not fit the cultural code of the day. Therefore, we must guard against the fallacy of hasty generalizations that limit the ideal model to the thoughts of the Reformers from the 16th century or for only certain types of churches.

Third, the theology of multicultural worship should incorporate praise and worship practices of other countries and churches with an open mind and be able to utilize the things that are necessary and useful for their context and circumstances. For example, various praise songs from overseas churches have a great influence on the worship music of Korean churches. In particular, various modern praises, starting with the "praise and worship movement", have been loved by Korean churches across denominations. Additionally, the Korean church needs to take a broader interest in the music of Third World churches and the singing of the Psalms. In addition, it is necessary to learn and study various forms of prayer of the liturgical church, ways to commemorate rites of passage, and traditions related to seasonal worship in order to create indigenous types of ceremonies (Moon 2020a, pp. 116–46).

Finally, tolerating and pursuing diversity does not mean to simply create another form of worship. Above all, we need to realize that true worship has a transcultural character and pursue the development of worship from a universal church perspective (Witvliet 2003, pp. 119–22). There are common elements in various worship services, such as the Word and the Lord's Supper as the center of worship; one profession of faith, one Bible, and one faith; and the confession of a Triune God. Being concerned about the transcultural character of worship while respecting cultural diversity will reflect the fact that all Christians are brothers and sisters in God.

#### *3.2. Theological Reflections for Multicultural Worship*

To build a theological foundation for multicultural worship, the following questions should be considered.

3.2.1. How Can the Cultural Conflict Problem That Occurs in the Context of Inculturation Be Solved?

For example, when a Korean congregation, an English-speaking congregation, and an Asian congregation gather, at least three cultures collide. In other congregations, the traditional church culture of Korea and the culture of young people collide. How can we wisely harmonize the various aspects of the relationship between worship and culture?

In multicultural worship, the cultures of the participants merge. Through this meeting, cultures are fused, although sometimes there is friction. Multicultural worship is not only a meeting of culture and culture, but more complex communication takes place (Kim 2017, pp. 111–12), i.e., differences in language, race, gender, generational gaps occur simultaneously in one place and time.

The success or failure of multicultural worship depends on how this conflict is handled. The clash of ideas about worship according to cultural differences is inevitable in some way. Even in the worship of a single ethnic church rather than a multi-ethnic church, there is a serious generational gap (Allen and Ross 2012, pp. 248–49). Worship with people from different countries, however, is more complex. How can we lead these types of conflict into creative fusion?

The leadership must manage conflicts within the congregation. The leadership can help solve theological issues and support the laity who share their thoughts with the leader. Therefore, for the successful inculturation of worship, the worship team, including a lead pastor as well as an associate pastor or lay leader representing each language congregation, must develop multicultural worship through constant dialogue and experimentation (Duck 2013, pp. 51–55).

3.2.2. As at the Heart of the Sacrosanctum Concilium, How Will the Worship Be Properly Structured for "Active" and "Positive" Participation of the Congregation?

*Sacrosanctum Concilium*, the main document of the Second Vatican Council, emphasized the "active, active and full participation" of the congregation (Flannery 1975, pp. 16–17). This spirit has led the worship renewal movement since the 1960s and has had a profound impact on the worship in churches around the world. This spirit should be equally embodied in multicultural worship.

Multicultural worship does not happen automatically by simply placing different congregations in the same space. If two people are in the same room and do not have real relationship, there is no communion. However, if two people are in a different space, they can have a sense of unity regard of their physical location (Baillie 1957, p. 99). Above all, the worship service must be carefully planned so that the hearts and minds of the participants will be awakened to actively participate in worship. Consider these attributes of the congregation: What is the composition of the church?; What percentage of people speak each language?; What worship traditions are represented?; What are their thoughts on traditional and modern culture? Factors such as these should be sufficiently taken into account.

Furthermore, among the elements of worship, there should be various elements in which the members can directly move their bodies and open their mouths to participate. Instead of lip syncing, people need to offer praise with their voice. People should be able to hear their own voice and the voices of others when they sing together, and the appropriate ratio of familiar praise to unfamiliar praise should be considered.7

In addition, all the members of the church should be able to actually participate in the various elements of worship such as confessions of faith, prayers of penance, declarations of forgiveness, united prayer, reading, and offering. This requires the flexibility to break the mold of traditional thinking. In general, in Korea, those who majored in systematic and historical theology judge worship based on which practices are right (while focused on biblical and historical warranties based on their theological tendency) and which are wrong. However, a liturgical theological approach is different. Liturgical theologians tend to be interested in how to enrich worship by recognizing that various liturgies have existed through diachronic and synchronic studies (Senn 2012, pp. 17–41).

For active and positive participation in worship, it is necessary to look at the problem of worship from a liturgical theological point of view. Additionally, instead of simply following tradition, we must grasp the thoughts and characteristics of people living together in the same era and in the same region.

3.2.3. Because Worship Forms the Faith of the People, by What Criteria Will Worship Be Structured in a Congregation with Diverse Theological and Practical Backgrounds?

The last thing to consider is the principles that will guide worship in multicultural churches. It is by no means easy to plan a worship service for a congregation with diverse language, culture, and faith backgrounds. The various religious traditions and experiences of each individual can be thought of as like a beautiful pearl. The question is how to sew it into a beautiful necklace.

The problem is that there is no guarantee that multicultural worship will be successful by just accepting all the worship practices into one worship service. Of course, an open attitude toward everything is essential. However, it is necessary to seriously consider how to connect the elements rather than just having them parallel.

Standards will depend on the theology of the denomination, the traditions of the church, and the characteristics of the congregations of the newly formed multicultural church. However, the Word and the sacraments are the core components of worship. Worship is a two-way movement in which God comes to us, and we meet and fellowship with God; this will be the unchanging criteria for the structure and content of worship.8

The theology of multicultural worship will be derived from the field of multicultural worship. At the same time, the theology of multicultural worship will influence the practice of multicultural worship because practice and theology are closely interrelated (Anderson 2003, pp. 24–28). The theology of worship and the practice of worship shape the believer's faith. By participating in worship, the believer receives the message and meaning contained in the worship service. Additionally, that meaning accumulates in the mind of the believer and forms the character of the believer's faith (Anderson 2003, p. 58).

Therefore, multicultural churches must constantly engage in theological thinking and theological work. This is not just the work of academic scholars. The reflection on multicultural worship can be considered by everyone who attends the worship.<sup>9</sup> What they experience and feel should be shared and communicated with those who are constantly planning worship, and should become an important principle for guiding the worship of the church.

#### **4. Practice of Multicultural Worship**

Practice and theory are closely related, like a Möbius strip. A theory emerges from the practice, but the theory also changes the practice while correcting the process and making it anew. Practice itself has a formative power (Moon 2015b, pp. 19–21). We need to look at and envision the core practices of multicultural worship that play an essential role in forming a multicultural church.
