Art must be where it can provide comfort. It should not be on a stage receiving applause under dazzling lights, but rather in the place where it holds the hand of the suffering. In December 2025, the year-end concert 'Adieu 2025, Welcome 2026' by Pathbreaking Singers is a question directed towards this essence. It is the crystallization of a community that has walked for 26 years with authenticity rather than glamour, and service rather than fame.
Post-pandemic, Korean society has fallen into a quagmire of polarization and spiritual exhaustion. The public craves comfort rather than entertainment, and healing rather than stimulation. But what about the Korean church? It still cannot escape the old maladies of materialism and individualism prevalent in large churches. Small and pioneering churches have been left in cultural isolation, and pastors suffer from relative deprivation. This is the reality.
It is at this point that the significance of Pathbreaking Singers becomes evident. They are not just a praise team. They are the avant-garde of cultural mission that has restored the essential confession of faith, "Jesus alone is enough," by visiting small churches for 26 years.
Starting Point of a 26-Year Journey: From Seocho Church to Hanseom Community
In 1999, Pastor Kim Seok-nyeon of Seocho Church initiated the 'Pathbreaking Workshop' as a radical answer to the structural contradictions of the Korean church. "We recognize church planters as the greatest and serve them with love and respect." This one sentence says it all. At that time, the Korean church was immersed in the myth of success centered around large churches. Many pastors felt defeated in the face of the illusion of 'successful ministry.'
Pastor Kim Seok-nyeon confronted this head-on. The workshop was not a place to impart pastoral methodology. For two nights and three days, participants reaffirmed their sense of calling to "not pursue pastoral success but to walk the path of my own calling." This was healing. It returned the essence to pastors afflicted by the disease of success.
In 2020, Pastor Kim Seok-nyeon retired early from Seocho Church and established the 'Hanseom Community (a community serving the Korean church).' The Pathbreaking ministry entered a more organized and extensive phase. The threefold mission was clear: "Revive small churches," "Revive unceasing prayer," "Revive Christian culture."
In November 2021, the concretization of the third mission began. The founding of Pathbreaking Singers. It was a time when the praise sounds of the church had stopped due to COVID-19. In-person worship was suspended, and community was shattered. During this silence, Pathbreaking Singers began 'visiting concerts.' They reopened the doors of closed churches and directly entered places in need of comfort. They proved that music is not merely ornamental art but a tool for healing.
Pathbreaking 5P Principle: A Blueprint for Sustainable Ministry
At the core of the Pathbreaking ministry is the '5P Principle.' Plan, People, Program, Power, Pastor. This is a framework that reinterprets Jesus' ministry of teaching, preaching, and healing for modern ministry.
Plan: It sets the direction of ministry. It establishes a biblical vision and the essence of the church.
People: Ministry is not a solo performance but a concerto. It establishes lay leadership.
Program: It develops a concrete curriculum to nurture congregants as disciples of Christ.
Power: It draws on the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer. It connects to the 'unceasing prayer' movement.
Pastor: The spiritual management and maturity of the pastor themselves. This is the prerequisite for 'sustainable ministry.'
This year-end concert is a living testament to this 5P principle. It is not just an event but an integrated ministry that comforts people through cultural arts, supplies spiritual strength, and inspires pastors and congregants to embrace a new vision.
Yungmunha Worship: An Experimental Ground for Worship Innovation
The identity of Pathbreaking Singers is most clearly revealed in 'Yungmunha Worship (worship where spirituality and culture harmonize).' Every Sunday at 5 PM, they boldly introduce cultural arts into traditional worship forms.
First Sunday: Communion Worship - Confirming community unity by sharing the body and blood of Christ.
Second Sunday: Praise Worship - Spiritual liberation through deep praise.
Third Sunday: Cultural Arts Worship - Reinterpreting the gospel through various genres such as classical, traditional Korean music, and drama.
Fourth Sunday: Mission Worship - Expanding the vision towards the nations.
Fifth Sunday: Issue Worship - Shedding light on contemporary social issues from a faith perspective.
This is an experiment. It provides imagination to pastors of resource-poor pioneering churches that "we can worship differently." This year-end concert is an expanded version of 'Yungmunha Worship.' A holy festival that breaks down the boundaries between worship and performance.
World-Class Talent, Yet Artists Aiming for the Lowly
The artists participating in this performance have been recognized for their top expertise in their respective fields. However, what binds them together is not their glamorous careers but their humble spirituality that seeks to pour their talents into the lowly.
The director of Pathbreaking Singers, Son Jin-ki, expresses his will and mission in the statement, "Emotional comfort through art is the message of Jesus to modern people."
The profiles of the vocalists participating in this year-end concert are so splendid that they are hard to understand without a sense of mission, yet they seem to represent the heart of Jesus who came to the lowly places.
The music director Lee Cheon-cho, soprano Lee Go-eun, Lee Ji-min, Hwang In-ae, mezzo-soprano Nam Su-ji, tenors Kim Jin-young, Kim Seong-gyeol, countertenor Jeon Ji-heon, baritones Yang Woo-cheol, Hwang Ji-woong, and pianist Jo Jae-ryang will perform.
Male Quartet 'Goliaths and Davids': The Harmony of Paradox
The team name 'Goliaths and Davids' itself is a message. The biblical story of David and Goliath is a 'drama of reversal' where the weak overcome the strong. Their confession to sing with faith like a slingshot (David) in front of a huge problem (Goliath) resonates deeply with small church pastors who are easily overwhelmed by large capital and systems today.
They seek to find the lowest places while maintaining the highest quality.
"The best art should be offered to God and shared with the most marginalized neighbors." This is public theological practice. The experience of listening live to songs by top vocalists like Kim Jin-young and Lee Go-eun for congregants of small churches or prison inmates goes beyond mere cultural enjoyment. It becomes an opportunity to restore their self-esteem, feeling respected.
Professional Skill and Amateur Passion
Members of Pathbreaking Singers are professionals who make music for a living. However, when they engage in this ministry, they show the pure passion of an amateur (Amateur, one who loves) who does not seek compensation. This becomes an important role model for the next generation of Christian artists.
They learn to use their talents for the Kingdom of God without being swept away by market logic. A life of 'talent dedication' that goes beyond 'talent donation.' This is the real deal.
Sustainable Ministry Ecosystem: Solidarity and Care
The greatest feature of the Pathbreaking ministry is that it does not end as a one-time event. It aims for continuous 'care' and 'solidarity.' The concert opens a space for meeting, and that meeting leads to workshops and seminars, which in turn connects to the restoration of worship in local churches.
This virtuous cycle provides a strong spiritual network for pioneering church pastors who are prone to isolation. It becomes the power that enables them to continue without giving up on ministry.
In 2026, Singing Hope Again
The year-end concert 'Adieu 2025, Welcome 2026' by Pathbreaking Singers is not a period marking the end of a year. It is a repeat sign opening a new year.
Pastor Kim Seok-nyeon's vision of 'Pathbreaking' and the dedicated performances of participating artists like Pathbreaking Singers and 'Goliaths and Davids' will cover the pains of 2025 and become a holy fertilizer that sprouts hope for 2026.
This concert asks us, "What is true success?" and "What does the church exist for?"
Their song, walking quietly on the narrow path rather than under dazzling lights, is like a compass pointing to the direction the Korean church should go.
In the new year of 2026, I hope the beautiful harmony created by Hanseom Community and Pathbreaking Singers resonates throughout Korean society, continuing the miraculous history of turning despair into hope.