OMF Blog

30. The Church in North Korea

NK Blog - Wednesday 09 December 2009

... So that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life... Philippians 2:15-16a

Despite the current circumstances, the church is still alive in North Korea. In the early 1900s the church was actually stronger in the North than in the South. But when the Korean War broke out and the North Korean government radically changed, the church shrunk substantially. It did continue to exist, though. Today the spread of Christianity is mainly within families, with parents passing on faith to their children.

Today the church in North Korea is similar to the church in China. The government recognizes a few official churches and some house churches. Other fellowships also exist. There are two Protestant churches and one Catholic church in the capital, Pyongyang. One of these Protestant churches is Bongsoo Church. Some European church leaders visiting that church reported that Bibles and hymns were being used but that there were no activities for children or young people. (44)

The Korean Christian Federation (KCF) is the body in North Korea overseeing the official churches; the KCF list about 500 house churches connected with them. Other house churches, however, are not connected with this official body. Some people in the area say that there are several quiet house churches along the Chinese-Korean border. (45)

We may not know many details about that church, but it is still alive, and we must pray for it. Since the beginning of the church as recorded in the book of Acts, it has faced opposition, but also grown. We need to pray creatively for the church in North Korea.

  • Praise the Lord that his church is still alive in North Korea.
  • Pray that the disciples there will continue to grow and pass on the faith to children, young people and others around them.
  • Pray that the church will grow in depth, in maturity, in influence and in numbers.