Let me share with you two stories of woori in the Korean-Canadian immigrant church.
In the 1970s and ‘80s, congregational members from the Korean-Canadian immigrant church (KCIC) in Toronto would check Korean Air’s schedule and wait for passengers at Pearson Airport to deplane. They offered strangers a place to stay that night, help with their documents, and connection to a community, which very much included the church. Christians saw it as their ministry to share Christ’s love by practically helping fellow immigrants in a new land. And they knew best what was needed because it was only years before that they had experienced the same excitement and fear upon arriving in Canada. The Korean immigrant church wasn’t just a place to worship—many had never known about Christianity back at home. The church became the social hub of the community, offering social services and belonging among many other things.
"The Korean immigrant church wasn’t just a place to worship—many had never known about Christianity back at home. The church became the social hub of the community, offering social services and belonging among many other things."
Fifty years later, many children of these new immigrants continue to find a home in the immigrant church, despite their proficiency in language and culture. And for the Korean-Canadian second generation (KCSG) who moved away from the immigrant church due to geography, differing beliefs, or past hurts, some eventually find their way back to the community. Something continues to draw them to this familial community and so the church continues to ask: What is unique to the faith formation of second- and subsequent generations of Korean immigrants in Canada? To answer this question, we will look at the formational influence of the KCIC’s secular context, reconsider the impact of community and the cultural concept of "woori," as well as engage with interview observations of KCSG across Canada, conducted in January 2024.
As secularity continues to significantly influence Canadian society, the shape of the church’s ministry is shifting. In A Secular Age, the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor argues that humanity is in search of fullness, but in the secular age, we no longer seek it in the transcendent. He defines secularity as “a move from a society where belief in God is unchallenged and indeed, unproblematic, to one in which it is understood to be one option among many.” 1 Since the Reformation, the enchanted realm, and therefore religion, has progressively been viewed as an oppressive force that restricts humanity from its truest self. Reason and science are seen to free people from religion’s domination in society and the self, leading to liberation to be truly human. Now, secularism has become central to the European Enlightenment narrative.
Even as Christians, we experience the formational influence of secularism in our lack of imagination for God in our daily lives. We rationalize our thoughts and actions with the belief that God either doesn’t exist or care much about the world’s affairs. We buffer ourselves from our neighbours to safeguard ourselves from threats because we don’t believe in a God who would protect us or call us to the other. We work hard to the point of illness and violence because there is nothing, or no one, who gives us value and purpose beyond our own usefulness and hard work. Whether we adhere to a faith tradition or not, those of us living in a secular society find that these formational influences are leading us towards isolation, fragmentation, and burnout.
In response to the formational influence and consequence of secularity in Canada, the church is constantly and contextually discerning how to worship God and follow Christ today. For the KCSG, embracing the cultural experience of "woori" can encourage an authentic and faithful response to discipleship.
Directly translated from Korean to English, woori (우리) is "we" or "our." But as language is shaped by cultural concepts and vice versa, woori means something deeper than just the plural form of "I" and "you." Hee An Choi, Korean-American professor and practical theologian, defines woori as “a word that indicates the individual person or several people who are on the same side.” 2 It represents a term of belonging to a person or community and passing that threshold in a private or public relationship is meaningful in the Korean psyche. In the Korean language, “I” and “we” are used interchangeably. Choi states that:
". . . the concept of the Korean ethnic self starts with unification between the “I” and others. One of the most powerful and influential parts of the Korean self has been formed in the sense of a communal self and is called Woori (we). . . . In these ethnic contexts, the concept of the “we” precedes the concept of the “I” in different sociocultural and political circumstances . . . it is fair to state that an important part of the Korean ethnic self is formed based on the collaborative and collective consciousness of the Woori (we)." 3
The concept of woori undergirded the mindset of the Korean early immigrants to Canada as it was observed in the interviews I conducted with KCSG participants. One interviewee expressed her preference for the Korean church because “a similar background, issues, and wounds from the past tie us together.” Many people go to a KCIC because they don’t quite fully belong anywhere else and they want to feel at home; they can be their whole selves where they worship. In this way, the immigrant church often functions as an extension of the nuclear family. Hartmut Rosa argues that “there simply seems to be no functional equivalent of the familial sphere of resonance for managing emotional life in a hyper-individualized, competition-based culture.” 4 Though there is an oft-heard criticism that the Korean church is a social club with attendees seeking friends and position more than adhering to a religion, at the heart of it, they are seeking to belong. Belonging is an important part of our lives and addressing this core human need can strengthen our approach to faith formation in the KCIC.
The goal of woori is to realize a flourishing of life for all by overcoming challenging human conditions through interdependent relations with each other. 5 We see this in Galatians 3:28 where Paul speaks about being one in Christ Jesus, no longer claiming our identity as Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. Ephesians 2:15-16 tells us that we are made into one human, reconciling and making peace through the cross, putting hostility to death. This formational movement from a self-centred worldview to that of belonging in the body of Christ is the process of maturing as we turn towards each other and beyond.
This journey is initiated and made possible by Christ. In Minjung theology, a post-colonial theology that emerged in the 1970s from the South Korean Christian experience and need for social justice, the figure of Jesus is a symbol of the hope of the minjung, or the common, marginalized people. Christ suffered in the darkest hours with woori to save them from their suffering.
"As Jesus suffers, woori suffer. As woori suffer, Jesus is there with the woori. The minjung are waiting for Jesus to come and save. Woori (we) are desperately seeking to be together with Jesus. The consciousness of the “we” is now bound with the minjung and asks Jesus to come and join also." 6
Belonging and deep relationships are key to the experience of woori and are a necessary part of faith formation for the KCSG within the church community. The interview research shows that individuals appreciated and grew the most in their faith when working with mentors and models. A participant in her 60s regretted that there were no adults or mentors for the second generation during her youth because her peers were the first Koreans to grow up in Canada. Younger participants were thankful for the mentors they had in the church and parachurch organizations they took part in. Apprenticeship and mentorship are ancient ways of discipleship, but they have become countercultural in an age of easily-accessible information through the internet that is gained without cost. In one participant’s experience, a mentor in the church made up for the lack of peers his age. Another interviewee remembered a small discipleship group with the pastor’s leadership, and wished he could have a spiritual mentor again to ask more questions. KCSG are searching for models and mentors to grow in their faith that resonates with the concept of woori.
Post-pandemic, many KCSG congregations also observed a natural growth of non-Korean attendees. An interviewed church in Toronto saw an influx of refugee families from their neighbourhood and through invitations by their friends from the same ethnic community. Somehow, they found a home in the KCSG congregation, many stating that their warm welcome and worship style made them come back. They felt the warmth of woori that foreigners in a new land often long for. Other congregations have noted how up to a third of those attending Sunday worship are non-Koreans, mainly of other Asian ethnicities. Though it was not intentional for the KCSG congregations, there is a desire to welcome and create space for all visitors and members alike. This potential arising trend provides interesting opportunities for ministry within and beyond the church.
But in order to expand the definition of woori, healing of familial and ecclesial wounds must be addressed in the immigrant family and church. When one is wounded, it is difficult to see others or invite them in. And as family wounds are often the deepest, parallel relationships in the church need to work toward resolution, healing, and reconciliation. Understanding cultural and generational differences, overcoming shame, and teaching emotional competency through a theological lens will be key in this work. In its healing, the church can grow a greater compassion and empathy to minister and create community with others.
Wounds from social exclusion are not purely negative in nature and can energize individuals and communities towards acts of service and advocacy. And though the cultural definition of woori is fixed, it can theologically remain open and extend beyond ethnicity in the church context. This creates immense opportunities of belonging and safety for KCSG to engage in faith formational practices as an extended community, engaging others with radical hospitality. This seems particularly pertinent as subsequent generations integrate further into Canadian society and have less social need for the immigrant church.
"But perhaps the resistance to the mis-forming powers of the secular age of isolation, racism, and consumerism comes through the form of radical hospitality."
One of the gifts of the KCSG’s bi-cultural life experience is their ability to hold the tension of diversity in community. Serving newcomers to Canada is a missional direction that would call the KCSG to apply and redeem their experiences of marginality and gifts of bi-cultural competence. Widening the definition of woori can become an act of resistance to the dehumanizing reality of marginalization in the KCIC. The average KCSG who lives in the suburbs and works in a high-intensity career with children and responsibility for their aging parents is not inclined to participate in traditional acts of protest against marginalization. But perhaps the resistance to the mis-forming powers of the secular age of isolation, racism, and consumerism comes through the form of radical hospitality. The goal of breaking through these social injustices is to be in right relationship with God, other, and self. Practices that lead toward encounter with the other could be deeply formational in healing, acceptance, and connection. To come face to face with the other, especially for those who are marginalized, not only to serve them but to listen and share stories, to eat with them at the table, would seek to form all involved.
I experienced this while engaging with the church in mission work with the unhoused community, with refugees, and international partners in developing communities. The KCSG congregation entered into the partnership with the mindset of serving, but came away with experiences of healing through belonging, gratitude, and the connections they made. The challenge was to get past the ethnic church huddle and overcome barriers such as busyness and insecurities.
Perhaps this hospitality can extend beyond the church to a secularized society when the church’s mission comes from deep compassion, as Jesus was moved for the people he loved and served. And though people in a secular age may not necessarily be searching for God, many are on an ethical search to contribute to human flourishing and a better world in their quest for belonging. Partnering with our neighbours for the common good and offering opportunities to share stories and life together is participating in God’s reconciling work together.
The prismatic possibilities that can come from the Korean-Canadian second-generation congregation’s engagement with woori are as unique as they are plenty. My guess is that woori is already integrated in the current ministries of the KCSG and could be sharpened in its depth and value as it is named and encouraged. In this, the church cannot help but to be a lamp on a stand.
