Pray for: South Korea

Society and culture in South Korea changed rapidly in the last generation. Economic growth was remarkable, but global success also exposed corruption in politics and industry. A wide gap now separates the rich and poor. Korean society was traditionally conservative, but positive modern developments also brought new problems. The global popularity of K-pop and Korean films and TV masks an obsession with appearance, social media addiction, high suicide rates, widespread loneliness and cynicism, a broken education system, the exploitation of migrant workers, and more. Pray for wisdom for leaders, and justice for the most vulnerable. Digital ministry is widespread for both evangelism and discipleship. Pray for the gospel to impact the many spiritual needs of this society.

Praise God for the unique Korean Church! From the 1st Protestant congregation in 1884, South Korea now has as many as 50,000. God blessed the Church with a series of revivals, and refined it through times of persecution. Now its leadership is well-trained, and its strong missions vision is an example to the world. Korea has some of the largest congregations in the world, and Christians impact all levels of society. The South Korean Church commits itself to sacrificial and passionate prayer, with early morning and evening prayer meetings, every day and all night! At the same time, corruption and scandals in church leadership and an inability to connect well with the younger generation means that South Korean Christianity faces rapid decline and decreasing cultural relevance. Pray for fresh expressions of following Jesus that will bring new life – and a new generation – into the churches.