OhWang Kwon

Our Staff

 Rev. Dr. OhWang Kwon started his ministry with Big Valley, Erskine, and Stettler United Churches in Stettler Pastoral Charge on September 01, 2022.   

He served Knox United Church, Consort Pastoral Charge from December of 2017 to August 2022, and was the first minister to come into the new ministry relationship ~ Mutual Recognition of Ministry ~ between the United Church of Canada and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea.  Knox United was delighted to become the first church to enter the Mutual Recognition of Ministry. 

He served several churches both in the United States and in the Republic of Korea for a long time, in diverse ministries.  Pursuing the solidarity between evangelism and ecumenism and delivering messages with enthusiasm by relating the gospel to current social and cultural issues such as democracy and justice.  Kwon is passionately devoted to pastoral care and counseling, community outreach, pastoral visitation, and worship services. Kwon’s leadership is collaborative and democratic.  

Kwon majored in international relations at Seoul National University. After his spiritual decision, Kwon entered the Graduate School of Theology, Hanshin University and received M.Div. His passion for further study led him to conduct deep research on theology, ethics and culture at Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate University for seven years.  He earned a Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University in 2008.  His doctoral dissertation, titled “Ethics and Politics of Citizenship: A Comparative Study of Reinhold Niebuhr and John Dewey” earned him the Grand Prize for Academic Excellence "in a contest of recent doctoral dissertations", hosted by the Christian Literature Society of Korea in commemoration of "its 120th anniversary" in 2010 (in The Flame: The Magazine of Claremont Graduate University, Volume 11 Number 3 Spring 2011. Claremont: Claremont Graduate University, 2011, 34.).   

As a sessional lecturer and invited professor at Soongsil University and Hanshin University, Kwon opened many classes concerning social justice, peace, and postcolonialism in relation to Christianity. In addition to publishing many academic articles both in Korean and in English, he co-authored “Jesus and the Marginalized: Jesus Christ for Koreans in the United Church of Canada”, together with Dr. Don Schweitzer, Professor at St. Andrews College, Saskatoon Sk.  

Welcoming neighbours warmly and becoming their friend in love and grace, Kwon enjoys watching news, documentaries, sports and movies, taking a walk, and listening to music, singing songs, and travelling. Married to Miran Kyoung, he has two daughters: Hyein Anne and Yein called Amy.