History
What would eventually become Seoul Bible Church began in 1980 as a house church for missionaries in Eunpyeong Gu, Shinsa Dong in northwest Seoul. Gospel Fellowship Association (GFA) Missions missionaries Gerald and Miriam Johnson, Ken and Rhonda Johnson, Doug and Barbara Threlfall, and their families began meeting each Sunday morning. The men, all teachers at Bob Jones Seminary (BJS), preached at the church plants of BJS graduates on the Lord’s Day. Because of the difficulty of travel with a young family, the men were many times unable to take their wives and children with them. To meet their spiritual needs for fellowship and the ministry of the Word, the families began meeting together on Sundays, with at least one of the men available to lead the worship.
Soon another missionary family began to attend, bringing with them a single American woman who taught at the American school on the nearby US Army post. By 1983, they had outgrown their living rooms and began meeting at the facilities of BJS located in Yeoksam Dong on the southeast side of Seoul. They began calling themselves Seoul Bible Church. Word spread of their English worship service, attracting US Army personnel as well as Koreans and other English-speaking foreigners working in Korea. It was not until 1994, that they actually organized as a church, writing up a constitution and short doctrinal statement. In the meantime, the Lord continued to bring in various people who were in need of English worship services. Seoul Christian School (SCS) began in 1997, and Seoul Bible Church became the church home of its American teaching staff. Seoul Bible Church is now located with BJS and SCS in Euncheon Dong, Gwanak Gu, in Seoul. Seoul Bible Church is thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness in directing and providing. They desire to continue to be a lighthouse to the lost and a help to God’s people. |