Comity agreements between missions in Korea from 1884 to 1910 : the ambiguities of ecumenicity and denominationalism

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

The practice of comity agreement in Protestant missionary circles was understood from the late 1880s in terms of territorial division and noninterference among the different denominational missions. Comity agreements have greatly shaped Christian missions beginning with the expansion of missions in the mid-nineteenth century through the early twentieth century. They were formulated to facilitate the speedy and efficient evangelization of the world. Their primary purpose was to prevent unseemly rivalry between missions, and to avoid unnecessary duplication of time, energy, and money in the cause of a common goal.
Several missionary conferences at home and on the field took up the matter of comity agreements and territorial division. These conferences particularly the 1890 Shanghai Conference provided practical and specific guidelines on missionary cooperation and directly influenced the development of comity agreements and territorial division in Korea.
This dissertation shows how the comity agreements paved the way for the cooperation and unity movement in the formative years of Korean Protestant missions by recognizing the need for a more united Protestant missionary approach to the evangelization of Korea. It was achieved first within denominational lines (between the Presbyterian missions) and then across denominational lines (between Presbyterians and Methodists).
From the perspective of the Western missionaries, comity agreements and territorial delimitation promoted rapid growth and were precursors of inter-denominational ecumenical venture. From the native Korean point of view, however, they also implanted denominationalism in Korea, thus hampering a wider ecumenical spirit, the reason being that each mission firmly established its own denominational churches in the assigned mission territory for more than two decades.
Comity agreements, initially conceived to promote cooperation and unity for a more speedy and efficient evangelization, later hampered ecumenical efforts on the part of Korean Christians. However, considering the divided state of their home Churches, comity agreements well served their time and deserve commendation as good examples of cooperation and unity.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• TABLE OF CONTENTS =ⅲ
• ILLUSTRATIONS = vi
• ABBREVIATIONS = vii
• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS = ix
• MAPS = 1
• INTRODUCTION = 3
• Thesis = 5
• Sources = 11
• Methodology = 12
• Scope and Limitations = 14
• Definition of Terms = 15
• Concluding Remarks = 16
• CHAPTER ONE: KOREA AND THE BACKGROUND OF COMITY AGREEMENTS AT MISSION CONFERENCES = 18
• Union Missionary Convention in New York, 1854 = 19
• South India Missionary Conference at Ootacamund, 1858 = 20
• General Conference of the Protestant Missionaries of China (Shanghai, 1877) = 23
• Centenary Conference on the Protestant Missions of the World (London, 1888) = 27
• General Conference of the Protestant Missionaries of China (Shanghai, May7-20, 1890) = 35
• Ecumenical Missionary Conference in New York, 1900 = 42
• Evaluation: Comity and Cooperation Deliberations at Missionary Conferences and Their Influence on the Development of Comity Agreements in Korea = 44
• CHAPTER TWO: LAYING FOUNDATIONS OF MISSIONARY COMITY FOR PROTESTANT MISSIONS IN KOREA = 52
• 1.The Opening of Korea to Protestant Missions = 52
• Some Distinctive Features of Early Protestant Missions in Korea = 60
• “Providential Opening” to Medical Work = 78
• CHAPTER THREE: TWO CONFLICTING MODES OF MISSION: COOPERATION AND COMPETITION BETWEEN THE PRESBYTERIAN AND METHODIST MISSIONS = 92
• Cooperation and Unity = 93
• The Spirit of Competition and Rivalry = 117
• The Formation of Council and Union Movements with Other Missions = 135
• CHAPTER FOUR: COMITY AGREEMENTS ON TERRITORIAL DIVISION = 168
• Inter-Missionary Conference on Territorial Division = 170
• Comity Agreement on Territorial Division = 179
• The First Presbyterian-Methodist Comity Agreement on Territorial Division (November 1893-June 1905) = 200
• CHAPTER FIVE: ACTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF COMITY AGREEMENT ON TERRITORIAL DIVISION = 214
• The Union Movement of the General Council of Protestant Evangelical Missions and Comity Agreement on Territorial Division(June 1905-1910) = 214
• Comity Agreements on Territorial Division between Missions(1905-1910) = 244
• Division of Territory between the North American Presbyterian and Australian Presbyterian Missions = 255
• Relations between the Participating Mainline Missions and Non-Participating Missions in Territorial Division = 260
• CHAPTER SIX: FINAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSION = 285
• APPENDIX 1: PROPOSAL FOR FOUNDING A GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL IN SEOUL = 298
• APPENDIX 2: ALLEN'S PETITION FOR THE FOUNDING OF A GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL = 299
• APPENDIX 3: TOTAL NUMBER OF PROTESTANT MISSIONARIES IN KOREA BY MISSIONS, 1884-1910 = 300
• APPENDIX 4: THE DIVISION OF TERRITORY BETWEEN THE AMERICAN NORTHERN PRESBYTERIAN AND AMERICAN SOUTHERN METHODIST MISSIONS = 301
• APPENDIX 5: AGREEMENT ON DIVISION OF TERRITORY BETWEEN THE NORTHERN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA = 303
• APPENDIX 6: NUMBER OF FULL KOREAN CHURCH MEMBERS BY MISSIONS, 1910-1940 = 306
• WORKS CITED = 307