Pastor who founded Sarang Community Church and led the discipleship-training ministry; pen name Eunbo
| Life | 1938 ~ 2010 |
| Era | 현대 |
| Clan | 의령 옥씨 |
Ok Han-heum (1938-2010) was a Korean Protestant pastor of the Uiryeong Ok clan, with pen name Eunbo (恩步). Born on Geoje Island in South Gyeongsang, he died in Seoul in September 2010. Wikipedia gives his age at death as 71 in the infobox and 73 in the text.
He began as a lay preacher at Eunpyeong Church in Seoul in 1968, took charge of the university ministry at Seongdo Church, and was ordained in 1972 by the Seoul Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church (Hapdong). He completed a Th.M. at Calvin Theological Seminary in the United States in 1975-77. He founded Gangnam Eunpyeong Church in 1978, renamed Sarang Community Church in 1981, and served as senior pastor until 2003.
He is known for spreading 'discipleship training' of lay believers across Korean churches. In 1986 he set up the seminar office that became the Disciple-Making Ministries International and held the first CAL seminar; he helped found the Pastors' Council for Church Renewal in 1996 and the Council of Korean Church Pastors in 1998. He became pastor emeritus in 2003 and in 2006 chaired the founding board of Yanbian University of Science and Technology. His best-known book is 'Awakening the Laity'.
Ok Han-heum placed discipleship training of lay believers at the center of his ministry. He published 'Awakening the Laity' in 1984 and in 1986 began a seminar ministry to spread the method.
He founded the Pastors' Council for Church Renewal in 1996 and the Council of Korean Church Pastors in 1998, serving as its chair until 2007. He is also recorded as chairman of the Korea branch of Operation Mobilisation for sixteen years from 1989.
After becoming pastor emeritus in 2003, he was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2006 and had surgery; he died in 2010. For the clan overview see the Uiryeong Ok clan page.