Korean Protestant Pastors Turned Farmers: Farming as ‘Lived Religion’

This study explains how the farming work done by Korean Protestant pastors has come to be regarded as a religious activity, both within and outside of their faith communities, through a discussion of “lived religion.” The research analyzes the stories of two pastors who have been farming for decades, examining how they began farming, gradually became professional farmers, and even generated new discourses as both pastors and farmers. They did not initially move to rural churches with the intention of farming; instead, they were influenced by livelihood needs, suggestions of local residents, and the conditions of the rural environments. As they gradually adapted to farming, moving away from their previous urban lifestyles, they described a feeling of awe at the physical demands of labor and the regenerative power of nature, fostering a new view of spirituality. Viewing farming as a religious practice, they reconstructed their religious lives, adapting and integrating their pastoral work to the rhythms of the agricultural calendar. While farming itself is not inherently a religious activity, for them, it embodies “lived religion”: a religious practice and imagination that is dynamically interwoven with the realities of daily life. Furthermore, as both religious elites trained in theology and as farmers, these pastors interpreted their experiences through biblical texts, creating new discourses on farming and faith. The stories of farming pastors shed light on aspects often overlooked in research on “lived religion,” which has primarily focused on laypeople’s practices and has emphasized the non-verbal and affective dimensions of religion within the materialist turn.