[CBS 뉴스] 남포교회 박영선 원로목사 '아들과 분립 개척' 거액 지원 요구 논란

[CBS News] Controversy Over Nampo Church Senior Pastor Park Young-sun's Request for Large Funds for 'Separate Church with Son' [Anchor] Nampo Church Senior Pastor Park Young-sun, revered as a master of expository preaching, has demanded a large amount of funding for church development, deepening conflict within the church. This highlights chronic problems in the Korean church, including the excessive influence of retired pastors, the privatization of church assets, and irregular inheritance practices. Reporter Jang Se-in reports. [Reporter] Nampo Church in Songpa-gu, Seoul, founded by Pastor Park Young-sun in 1985, is in turmoil. The controversy began when Pastor Park Young-sun, who had continued to preach at the church after retirement, decided to leave due to disagreements with the senior pastor's pastoral direction. [Phone Interview] Senior Pastor Park Young-sun / Nampo Church "I want to make this a fun, family church... I understand that I have a mission to preach the text before the Korean church, and I hope our church will embrace this mission as its core identity..." Pastor Park demanded that the church council either remove the current senior pastor and appoint a new one or leave the church himself, following the church council's decision. However, the church council refused to hold a vote. Finally, Pastor Park announced his intention to leave the church, and during this process, he expressed his need for at least 4 billion won in new pastoral support, sparking conflict within the church. Nampo Church typically provides around 400 million won in new pastoral support, leading to criticism among church members over Pastor Park's generous remarks. Furthermore, Pastor Park Young-sun's announcement that he would leave with his son, Pastor Park Byeong-seok, currently serving as an associate pastor at Nampo Church, has sparked suspicions that he is attempting to establish a new church through an unconventional succession. Some in the church community are criticizing Pastor Park, who has exerted considerable influence in the church through his powerful sermons, for his actions deviating from the teachings of Jesus Christ. They point out that the retired pastor's questioning of the senior pastor's pastoral direction and demanding a large amount of church development support that the church cannot afford are an example of the retired pastor's overreach of authority and the privatization of the church. Church members also opine that, "As a general rule, senior pastors are not directly involved in church discipline or administration under church law," and that "the removal of a senior pastor should only be considered after a presbytery investigation and due process in cases of serious misconduct as stipulated in church law." They also expressed concern that, "Since the drastic measure of removing the senior pastor has become difficult, the pastor is instead attempting to gift the church to his son under the pretext of a separate church development." [Phone Interview] Nampo Church Official "In the past, he spoke quite pessimistically about the hereditary succession of pastoral power, and assured me it wouldn't happen... I guess his mind changed after his son became a pastor." Regarding the allegations of irregular succession, Pastor Park Young-sun denied the claim, stating that it was simply a practice of establishing new churches by separating associate pastors, and that it wasn't hereditary. [Phone Interview] Senior Pastor Park Young-sun / Nampo Church "How can there be hereditary succession in a church where there aren't even any positions?" Pastor Park Young-sun stated that he planned to formally express his opinion at a joint meeting of retired and active elders this month, and that he could leave the church even without the church development grant. [Phone Interview] Senior Pastor Park Young-sun / Nampo Church "Become a pastor. Don't be afraid. If you want to go out on the street, go out on the street and do it." The controversy surrounding a respected pastor has raised the fundamental question, "Who is the owner of the church?" The religious community is watching to see what answers Nampo Church and Pastor Park Young-sun will offer. This is Jang Se-in from CBS News. #NampoChurch#ParkYoung-sun#SeniorPastor#HereditarySuccession#AssetPrivatization