That is according to Voice of the Martyrs Korea CEO Reverend Eric Foley. Foley has drawn on his experience with churches in Christian-hostile countries to advise Korean churches of these upcoming challenges in his recent book, Planting the Underground Church. The book contains 12 recommendations for new and existing Korean churches on how to operate in a future of heightened government surveillance and control.

Rev. Foley notes that the Korean government is receiving high praise from other governments around the world for its use of so-called “big data” and artificial intelligence to profile and track Shincheonji members in the government’s fight against the Coronavirus.

“Now that the government has found these ‘big data’ tools to be so useful in dealing with a cult, it may be reluctant to put the tools back in the box,” says Foley. “We should prepare for these tools to be re-purposed and their use possibly expanded to churches as well. Churches which undertake ministry activities or espouse beliefs that the government considers objectionable could be classified as possible public safety risks, thus justifying surveillance, public pressure, and intervention.”

Rev. Foley says his own organization regularly experiences such challenges.

“For nearly two decades Voice of the Martyrs Korea has done discipleship and evangelism with North Koreans wherever they are found, including launching Bibles by balloon into North Korea and arranging for Bibles to be carried back into North Korea by hand. When the South Korean government wants to put pressure on North Korea, they have even encouraged us to launch balloons. When they want to appease North Korea, they tell us that our work is a risk to public safety and order us to stop. Determining what is safe and what is not is always partly a political question for governments.”

Rev. Foley says many Christians wrongly assume that only dictators and totalitarian countries act in this way.

“Especially since 9/11, democracies have also increased their use of ‘big data’ and surveillance technologies on their own citizens. Beginning in Europe and then spreading outward from there, churches have increasingly become objects of surveillance in democracies because of traditional Christian positions on issues related to the sexual revolution, evangelism, missions, and public prayer. Churches must take action to prepare now for increased government intervention, since once a public safety risk is declared, it is almost impossible for a church to receive fair public consideration.”

Rev. Foley believes that churches in countries hostile to Christianity provide some of the best practices for Korean churches to study and adapt for use here. He has developed 12 of these practices into chapter-length recommendations, with applications for both existing Korean churches and church planters, in his book, Planting the Underground Church.

“’Underground church’ may be a new term for South Korean Christians,” says Rev. Foley.

“It does not mean a church doing sneaky, hidden things. It means a church that has had to learn how to operate even when the government cuts off its public resources. That could mean frozen bank accounts, seized buildings, protests by neighbors against the church, or loss of legal status. These are things churches need to be preparing for now. And we can best learn from the churches in the places that have had to deal with these issues all the way back to the time of Jesus.”

Planting the Underground Church is available from Voice of the Martyrs Korea for 10,000 KRW at https://vomkorea.com/product/plant-underground/ or by calling 02-2065-0703.

The book is the second part of a three-part trilogy written by Rev. Foley on what the Korean church can learn from underground churches in countries hostile to Christianity. The first book, Preparing for the Underground Church, discusses the social conditions that are causing the Korean church to face increasing opposition. The third book, Living in the Underground Church, shows how the Korean church can restore family worship to the central place in church life. All three books are available at https://vomkorea.com/shop/ or by calling 02-2065-0703.