Proven Church Growth Strategy: Korean Classis Model

Proven Church Growth Strategy for Ethnic Communities in the CRC

Natural Communities Form Around Language

Birds of a feather flock together. I thought it would be easy to add ducklings to my chicken flock. But ducklings not only drink a lot, they also sprinkle water everywhere. Chickens flock together in dry areas while ducks hang out by themselves on the other side. Similarly, in our church communities, we've observed that language groups naturally gather together where they feel most comfortable and understood.

The Growing Diversity Within CRC

Do you know that approximately 250 churches in the Christian Reformed Church in North America (CRC) are non-English speaking congregations? That's about 25% of all 1,100 CRCs. We saw profound growth in the early 2000s in ethnic ministry. While English speaking churches were reaching a plateau, surprisingly many Korean churches joined the CRC.

The Korean Success Story

The main reason for this success among Korean immigrants began when the CRC allowed the Korean-speaking classis for the first time in CRC history. In the mid-1990s, a Korean-speaking classis, Classis Hanmi, was formed. When 40 Korean churches gathered to share with each other and dream together in their own language, they finally felt at home.

It is beautiful when we see many ethnic groups worship our God together. We love to hear songs sung in different languages. But if we want to see growth, we must remember the farmer's wisdom.

When Koreans had their own classis, not only did they enjoy time together and learn about our Reformed heritage more deeply in their mother tongue, but they also began to bring their friends to the CRC. By 2010, the number of Korean CRCs doubled to more than 100 churches. Now we have two Korean classis (Hanmi and Ko-Am). This means Koreans can automatically send 8 delegates to synod and 2 board members to the Council of Delegates. Koreans now have a platform to speak within the CRC.

The Proven Path Forward

This has been successful church growth method that the CRC has seen for the past 25 years. Ethnic churches need a classis where they can bring their agenda in their mother language. The classis will be a place to learn and serve as an incubator for future ethnic church leaders.

Applying This Model Today

Why don't we apply this strategy to other groups? Forming a classis in different languages is not an easy process, but it's not an impossible task. The two Korean classis are good examples. It becomes possible when we have someone who can handle the policy and church order on the denominational side and another who takes initiative on the local/ethnic church side.

The CRC has about 50 Spanish-speaking churches and dozens of Chinese churches. It might be a good time to raise a banner to form a Spanish-speaking classis, or consider launching a Mandarin-speaking classis.

A Vision for Multiplication

Last spring, I put 20 eggs into an incubator for 20 days. It was my first time, but it was successful, and I got 20 chicks that chirped happily. This spring, those chicks grew into hens, and they started to lay eggs. Why don't we pray to see the same thing happen in our church? Let's follow the farmer's wisdom.

Taking the Next Step

Are you a leader in a Spanish-speaking, Chinese, or other ethnic congregation within the CRC? The time to act is now. Contact the CRC's Office of Diversity to discuss the process of forming a language-specific classis. You can also reach out to Korean churches Team who can provide guidance based on the successful Korean classis model.

Remember, what began as 40 Korean churches meeting in their own language grew to over 100 congregations. Your community could be next to experience this transformative growth. Don't wait - the future of your congregation and many others may depend on this proven strategy.