View source for Youngnak Presbyterian Church

{{Short description|Church in Seoul, South Korea}}
{{Infobox church
| name                   = Youngnak Presbyterian Church
| fullname               = Youngnak Presbyterian Church, Seoul
| other name             =
| image                  = Young Nak Church 2007.jpg
| imagesize              = 
| imagelink              =
| imagealt               =
| landscape              =
| caption                = Youngnak Presbyterian Church; Main Sanctuary and Mission Chapel (right).
| coordinates            = {{coord|37.563954|126.988946|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:Korea|display=inline,title}}
| location               = [[Seoul]]
| country                = [[Republic of Korea]]

| denomination           = [[Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap)]]
| previous denomination  = [[Presbyterian Church of Korea]]
| membership             = +10,000<ref name="About Youngnak">{{cite news |last1=Dae - Won |title=Young-Rak Church, elected elder for three years |url=http://www.christiantoday.co.kr/news/163599 |access-date=21 November 2018 |publisher=christiantoday |date=20 October 2005}}</ref>
| attendance             =
| website                = {{URL|youngnak.net}}

| founded date           = {{start date|1945|12|2|df=yes}}
| presbytery             = Seoul
| seniorpastor           = Kim Woon-sung

| logo                   = Young_Nak_Presbyterian_Church,_Seoul_logo.png
| logosize               = 200px
| logolink               =
| logoalt                =

}}
{{Infobox Korean name
|img=
|imgwidth=160px
|caption=Young Nak Presbyterian Church
|hangul=영락교회
|hanja= 永樂敎會
|rr=Yeongnak Gyohoe
|mr=Yŏngnak Kyohoe
|}}

'''Youngnak Presbyterian Church''' ({{Korean|hangul=영락교회}}) is a church in [[Seoul]], South Korea. It was founded on 2 December 1945 by [[Kyung-Chik Han]], who later won the 1992 [[Templeton Prize]]. Inaugurated by twenty-seven refugees from [[Soviet Civil Administration|Soviet-occupied Korea]], Youngnak steadily increased in membership as more refugees sought religious freedom below the 38th parallel.<ref>Just Three More Years to Live! The Story of Rev. Kyung-Chik Han. 2005 p. 126 {{ISBN|89-5721-439-9}}</ref>

On 24 March 1949, ground was broken for a new facility to replace the building and tent that had become too small for the growing congregation.<ref>Just Three More Years to Live! The Story of Rev. Kyung-Chik Han. 2005 p. 132 {{ISBN|89-5721-439-9}}</ref> By the time the new church building was completed in May 1950, membership had increased to over 4,000.<ref>Just Three More Years to Live! The Story of Rev. Kyung-Chik Han. 2005 pgs. 132-133 {{ISBN|89-5721-439-9}}</ref> By 1992, when Rev. Han was awarded the [[Templeton Prize]] for Progress in Religion, membership had grown to 60,000 (making it, at that time, the largest Presbyterian congregation in the world), excluding 500 sister churches planted by members of the original congregation.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/03/12/style/chronicle-516492.html | title=Chronicle | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | first=Nadine | last=Brozan | page=B9 | date=12 March 1992 | accessdate=22 May 2021 }}</ref>

In 1998, under the auspices of Rev. Han, who at the time was a Pastor [[Emeritus]], Youngnak gained an English language ministry, [[International Worship in English]], which was founded by an American missionary to Korea, Bill Majors. For his efforts, Majors was made an [[Honorary citizenship|Honorary Citizen of Seoul]] in 2005.<ref>[http://english.seoul.go.kr/gover/cooper/coo_03hon.html Seoul Metropolitan Government - "A Clean, Attractive & Global City, Seoul!"<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

== Senior pastors ==
*1949–1973: Han Kyung-chik<ref name="Minsters" />
*1973–1985: Park Cho-joon<ref name="Minsters" />
*1985–1997c{{Clarification needed|reason=Why c?|date=October 2023}}: Kim Yoon-guk<ref name="Minsters" />
*1988–1997c: Lim Young-soo<ref name="Minsters" />
*1997–2018: Lee Chul-shin<ref name="Minsters" />
*2018 to present: Kim Woon-sung<ref name="Minsters">{{cite web |title=Youngnak history |url=http://en.youngnak.net/history/history.aspx |website=Youngnak Presbyterian Church |publisher=Youngnak Presbyterian Church |access-date=22 July 2018}}</ref>

== Gallery ==
{{Gallery
|1953년 서울 영락교회 주변.jpg
|The church can be seen in the background, center of this picture (1953)
|Stained Glass at Young Nak Presbyterian Church, Seoul.jpg
|Stained glass window at the church (2007)
|Steeple of Young Nak Church, Seoul.jpg
|Steeple (2007)
}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.youngnak.net}} {{in lang|ko}}
* [http://www.yniwe.org/ International Worship in English of Youngnak Church]
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080516195717/http://www.rjkoehler.com/2007/07/30/young-nak-presbyterian-church/ Photos of Youngnak Presbyterian Church]}}

{{Korean Churches}}

[[Category:20th-century Presbyterian churches]]
[[Category:Presbyterian churches in Seoul]]


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