THE NUMBER of home Churches in North Korea is estimated at 10,000. Based on a number of testimonies the average underground home Church size may be 3 or 4.
Such home Churches have evolved from primarily three sources:
1.) Believers that predate the Korean war. Today these are the grandparents or great-grandparents who have held on to the faith under traumatic persecution while worshipping in great secrecy for up to and over 60 years. They are sharing the Word of God and Jesus with their family, and others based on long-term trust.
For example, a Christian woman had a Christian mother who attended church until 1947 and who kept her Bible. She had a friend who listened to Far Eastern Broadcasting.
2.) Others became Christians while hearing the Gospel in China or South Korea and then returned to North Korea. They share with their families. For example, a woman brought back a Bible from China. She and her mother secretly read the Bible at home under a blanket. She also listened to the Christian radio station from South Korea and told her older sister and her husband about the Gospel.
3.) Others became believers due to life-risking evangelism by their sisters and brothers.
For example, a woman in prison never saw organized Christian worship, but in prison there was a crazy woman in her sixties who kept praying to God to save her. God did a miracle and she was released. This got the witness thinking: “This God must be able and real.”
Home dwellings and other secret places are sometimes the only best option for North Korean believers because of the secrecy requirements. They not only risk their own lives but also the lives of three generations of their family.
In many countries Christians have access to large church buildings to meet, yet it is strange how little these buildings are used—primarily only a few hours a week!691 The Church in North Korea, meets in any place possible that is private, mostly in their homes. If their group gets to be over one dozen people they split to form another house Church.
“During the Korean War in the early 1950s, most Christians either fled to the South or were imprisoned or martyred, and church buildings were bulldozed. There are 40,000 Christians in the kwan-li-so, [penal labor colony], among the estimated 200,000 political prisoners who are imprisoned without trial. These prisoners’ lives consist of extremely hard labour and they live under brutal conditions in permanent semi-starvation.”692
Here is another powerful testimony from a believer who left North Korea and now works with the underground Church:
“Christians in North Korea endure the most suffering in the world. Even in the face of such hardship God provides them with the faith, strength and courage to persevere. God is with them and gives them the hope of heaven. That’s why whenever there is contact with North Korean Christians they ask for prayer and understand the value of standing together before God in prayer.”
Like the North Korean believers, may we begin to learn to meet together in small groups of believers sharing the Word with each other and praying often and from house to house.693 In the end we can say: What do buildings matter? for the Lord’s people are the true temple where God dwells by His Spirit.694 A dependence on church buildings to meet can be unhealthy and could prove problematic when persecution comes.
Here is an example of how this can be accomplished. Recently, we heard of a pastor of a church in America who felt led of the Lord to appoint 12 pastors in his Church who would oversee 12 separate home Churches on Wednesday nights. They all still meet together on Sunday mornings to hear the main pastor teach, but these small groups also act as functioning Churches. These pastors of the small groups are perhaps not as well-trained or capable from a human perspective but this dear servant leader saw the heart of God to raise up brothers and sisters, to encourage and lead the body of Christ.
We believe following the example of this pastor would not only help prepare a larger church gathering for persecution—when we cannot meet freely in a larger venue—but it also encourages more discipleship, evangelism and growth in the body of Christ. This does not require over-organization and planning but simply a step of faith to trust the leading of the Lord to supply the Word of God through more than one leader. All small group pastors and people would still submit to the spiritual leadership and oversight of the main pastor.
May God start to lead and guide the leadership in many larger churches to take the same steps of preparation for coming persecution.695