Bridging the Cultural Divide:

How the Administrative Committee Empowers Korean American

Clerks in the PCA

Rev. Eddie Lim sees himself as a bridge of sorts.

Eddie is a Korean American pastor at Grace Community Presbyterian Church in Suwanee, Georgia, and the assistant stated clerk of the Korean Southeastern Presbytery. In a denomination where more than 10% of its churches, presbyteries, and teaching elders are Korean American, he represents a vital link between Korean American congregations and the broader PCA community.

Eddie’s journey into ministry and clerkship reflects a unique intersection of cultures and responsibilities. A decade ago, he co-planted Grace Community with the vision to provide a gospel-centered church for Korean Americans like himself. Eventually, he also became the assistant stated clerk of the Korean Southeastern Presbytery.

In his role as assistant clerk, Eddie faces several challenges, from linguistic barriers to cultural nuances. Serving a presbytery that covers the entire southeast, Eddie’s role involves bridging cultural divides within the PCA while ensuring accurate communication and representation for Korean speaking and English speaking Korean American congregations.

A significant part of Eddie’s responsibilities is translation, ensuring that presbytery documents and proceedings are accurately represented in both English and Korean. Though Korean is not his first language (making translation difficult at times), he recognizes the importance of his role in maintaining transparency and accessibility within the presbytery.

“When I think about the AC, I think of it as the glue that really holds everything together.”

According to Eddie, an even greater challenge is navigating the cultural differences between Korean leaders and churches and the predominantly English speaking (or predominantly Anglo American) PCA. “There are certain things we need to follow as willing participants in the PCA, but at the same time, trying to respect that there is a very deeply rooted historical and cultural identity in our presbytery,” he said.

The Administrative Committee plays a crucial role in empowering assistant clerks like Eddie to navigate their unique challenges. From his perspective, one of the AC’s most helpful resources is the Korean translation of the Book of Church Order (BCO). By keeping it up to date, the BCO facilitates accurate interpretation and understanding of PCA governance.

Moreover, Eddie says, the AC has always been quick to offer guidance and assistance when complex issues arise. “When I think about the AC, I think of it as the glue that really holds everything together,” he said. “If the administrative aspect of a church, not to mention a denomination, is not doing well, it would be chaotic.”

The Administrative Committee plays a crucial role in empowering assistant clerks like Eddie to navigate their unique challenges.

“It’s such a crucial aspect to really being effective in ministry—allowing presbytery clerks to be more effective in their roles, which then trickles down to helping local churches be more effective in ministering as well…I think it’s a vital aspect of the PCA.”

Every church and minister in the PCA depends on their presbytery clerk to help coordinate and communicate the work of the presbytery. And every presbytery clerk depends on the Administrative Committee. We coordinate resources and relationships for clerks so every presbytery can effectively reach people with the message of Christ’s grace.

We are proud to support the vital work of clerks like Eddie, so that the church may flourish and bear witness to the gospel.