Interview with Pastor Ken Korver
Emmanuel Reformed Church, Paramount
Leading such a diverse congregation, how is this affecting the people of Emmanuel?
There are people in our church who aren’t citizens - they don’t have papers. They’re deeply concerned, either for themselves or for their families. They’re hearing stories and trying to make sense of it all - “Is it just criminals being deported, or should we all be ducking?” Then there are others who feel nothing but empathy for those in this position. Still others immigrated years ago, following a legal process, and believe that’s how it should be done. So the perspectives are wide-ranging. And each person comes in with their own news feed, their own social media, and their own interpretation of what's happening. Then we all gather for one hour on a Sunday, and the challenge is to help people center themselves in Scripture, stay unified, and be the Body of Christ. By God’s grace, we are unified right now.
What would you say to a young leader unsure of how to move forward in this challenging time?
We’ve got to stay grounded. Every day I go to the coffee shop and I read 10 chapters of the Bible: New Testament, Old Testament, Psalms, Proverbs, and I'm praying. I do this to get myself recalibrated and kind of healed again to walk into my day. When I was younger, I'd wake up to go save the world because I was very foolish. And I'm now older and I don't wake up to save the world. I go to the coffee shop and read my Bible and pray so I might live on the inside, in salvation and healing, because I need to get restored each day.
“I had two young Latino ladies. One’s a deputy, and one’s going to be a deputy, and their parents are not documented, and so they came up, and they put their heads in my chest...such strong emotion.”
What are you drawing from Jesus and the early church to help guide you in this season?
In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers,” and I know I’m called to that. Also, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” So we’ve got that role too. The biggest thing is I'm called to be in Christ and, by God's grace and power, embody the way of Christ, and be a person of peace, seeking peace.
And the church - the one Jesus established, the one against whom the gates of hell won’t prevail (Mt. 16) - is to be a very different thing. Look at the early Church. In Acts 6, when there was conflict between Greek and Hebrew widows, they addressed it. In Acts 11, the Antioch church modeled radical unity. The Church Jesus founded was meant to be different - unexplainable even - not simply a reflection of any political party.
How can we best pray for your congregation and others in a similar position?
Pray that people can become aware that they might be holding a perspective that doesn't fully reflect the teachings of Jesus and the Scriptures. In my opinion, if we're being the church, there's not going to be just one opinion on this. And so somehow, can we teach our people to love each other and actually learn from one another within the church? Pray that we can love across our differences and to consider what we can do together.