Korean Translation of Church Order Available

The newly revised Korean translation of the CRCNA Church Order and Its
Supplements (2025) has been released digitally. It can be found in the Synod Resources section of the denomination's Korean-language website. A print edition, incorporating the changes adopted at Synod 2026, is planned for release later this year.

This translation update is the result of a full revision project that began in early 2025 and took a year and a half to complete. The project drew on the development of a full translation review by Professor Jaeseung Shim, emeritus, and an additional review by Catheryn Jo, communications specialist. A translation review committee commissioned by the Korean Ministers' Association—Rev. Insoo Oh, Rev. Wonhwan Yoon, Rev. Ezra Chang, and Catheryn Jo—then met in Phoenix, Ariz., in March 2026 to review and refine the text further.

For the past decade or so since an earlier Korean edition was published, only the Church Order portions that were amended each year at synod were translated—and by various translators. As a result, the document included some inconsistent terminology and phrasing, which church leaders said made officebearer training more challenging than it needed to be.

The revision therefore standardized frequently used denominational terms and expressions while taking care to convey values that distinguish the CRCNA from other denominations. Particular attention went to removing authoritarian language and reflecting horizontal relationships that the Church Order itself describes.

Article 2, for example, states that the church recognizes the offices of minister of the Word, elder, deacon, and commissioned pastor, and that these offices differ not in dignity or honor but in the mandate and task assigned to each. Article 85 states that no church shall lord it over another, and no officebearer over another.

Unique denominational terms that were difficult to translate were also replaced with intuitive Korean phrasing. The final pages of the 2025 edition include an appendix listing these changes. Among the most significant are the following:

The translation will continue to be refined. Anyone with questions about the new edition, or noticing a need for correction, is welcome to contact [email protected]. Feedback received may be incorporated into the print edition planned for later this year.