Here stands a testament to faith. Chungdong First Methodist Church claims a number of historic firsts within Korea. It is the first Methodist church and one of the earliest Protestant churches. Its congregation was founded on October 11, 1885.
In Korea, the church performed the first Methodist baptism on July 24, 1887. It started the first Christian women’s group in 1889. The church also had the first pipe organ. It built the first Western-style chapel. The Chungdong First Methodist Church’s first building was built in 1897. It is the oldest extant church in Korea. This church is the only one originally built during the 19th century.
American missionary Henry Appenzeller founded the Chungdong First Methodist Church. In September 1887, he purchased a small hanok. A hanok is a traditional Korean house. He used it to house the church and called the building “Bethel Chapel”. As the congregation grew, the church leadership decided to construct a larger building. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 9, 1895. Korean leaders Soh Kwang-pom and Yun Chi-ho were present. A dedication service was held for the new building on December 26, 1897. They also dubbed this building “Bethel Chapel”. The church was expanded in 1926. It changed from a cruciform church to a rectangular building.
The Chungdong First Methodist Church served as the headquarters for several early publications in Korea. It hosted the Trilingual Press publisher. Publications included Tongnip sinmun. This was the first private newspaper in Korea. Others were The Korean Christian Advocate and The Christian News. The Korean Repository was the first English-language monthly magazine. The church acquired the first privately-owned printing press in Korea for these publications.
The architecture is a simplified American gothic style. It features arched window frames. Bethel Chapel was made Historic Site of South Korea No. 277 in 1977.
The Chungdong First Methodist Church currently holds worship services in both Korean and English. It also maintains a Mangon Christian History Reference Room for historical materials. The church opened a history museum on November 12, 2023. Step inside and experience the enduring legacy of faith.