'Pastor Blog' Tagged Posts

The 113th House Church conference for pastors ended last Thursday and it was a great success. 127 pastors and missionaries who attended the conference looked more happy and energetic as they were leaving. Many of them praised how our church members were so hospitable and kind. Also, many were surprised by how they were serving so silently but thoroughly. I really felt like their words of “thank you” and “great job” from them were words from Jesus for serving him…

The last time I updated on my mom’s condition was about 4 months ago. As many people are praying for her, it would be good to give another update here. My mom is now moved to a new hospital called Baycrest, which turned out to be far better than the previous one. She is now in a bigger room with a big window (She had no access to a window before), and a great long-term care facility if my mom…

The 113th House Church (HC) conference for pastors is just around the corner. It is happening on 9/11-14. A total of 127 pastors and missionaries are coming from all over the world to deepen their understanding of house church ministry, learn from each other and renew their passion for restoring New Testament church. It happens twice a year and I try to attend as faithfully as possible. Our church hosted 10 years ago and many pastors praised how well it…

One leadership tool that has helped me tremendously is this one simple question: “Is this a problem to solve or tension to manage?” Confusing tension with problem can not only result in waste of energy but creating unnecessary problems. For example, a consistent drop in church attendance is a problem to solve. But drop in church attendance during summer (particularly July and August) is not a problem to solve but a tension to manage, as families take annual vacation during…

My wife ordered Tesla Model 3 (Base model) a few weeks ago. (Don’t confuse it with Tesla Model S, which is a much more expensive model!) It is scheduled to be delivered anytime in the next 2 weeks. When Jennifer became a partner in her firm, she started receiving a “car allowance”, which we have been using as an extra income for big purchases or investments. But as Jennifer’s business tax began to increase (as a partner in her firm,…

Recently, I read this one author comparing the difference between “Freedom to” and “Freedom from”. According to him, when we are younger, we tend to gravitate toward “Freedom to”, which is doing whatever we want to do. It is certainly exciting but can be exhausting, as many of such choices require money, time, and energy without leaving us with anything that is worthwhile or lasting. But he also argued that as we get older, we tend to gravitate toward “Freedom…

During my university years, I used to think Christians were supposed to be poor. It was because the people I looked up to were missionaries and staff who were living off people’s donations and support. They had spectacular testimonies of miraculous provisions from God, and I was inspired. But later I realized that for the majority of people, including pastors, are not called to live that way. It is easy to feel guilty about enjoying good things as Christians. Especially…

Pastor Anthony has been serving as a half-time pastor, but will become part-time as of this week. He has secured a full-time job in a marketplace and started his work at the end of last month. It may seem like a sudden change, but Pastor Anthony shared that he has always imagined himself serving as a bi-vocational pastor when he felt called, to minister flexibly based on the church’s needs. That is why he always had a part-time job. In…

Nicaragua Mission Team will be leaving next Tuesday (7/11), returning on Monday (7/17). A total of 8 members are going, 4 from ESC (including myself) and 4 from KSC. Due to the pandemic, the church couldn’t go on mission trips, but I am glad we can go this year. I am especially thankful that we finally have a mission team leader. I have been on multiple mission trips, 3 times during my university years and another 3 times in the…

This is the translation (using ChatGPT) of the original blog post made by Pastor Lee Soogwan from Houston Seoul Church on 7/2/2023. — In his notable work “Mere Christianity,” C.S. Lewis defines the greatest sin among all sins as “pride.” Perhaps it is more accurate to say that it is the most fundamental sin. Since all sins stem from pride, he expresses in his writing that pride is the ultimate evil within human beings. So, what truly is the greatest…

A few weeks ago, there was a multiplication ceremony. One thing I emphasize is that the ultimate reason for multiplication is regaining the sense of “urgency” for the mission of God. The default mode of any organization is “complacency”. Though multiplication is primarily driven by large number, it creates a sense of urgency. When the number gets smaller, people feel the need to invite new people. Urgency is restored as we remember why we need to invite unchurched people to…

Many of our adult members felt moved by the prophetic words from Pastor Doug. But the dictionary definition of prophecy has such a strong connotation of “prediction of the future”, so I will explain the gift of prophecy a bit here. Firstly, prophecy is simply the communication of God’s word. Pastors “prophesy” every week in a sense as they seek to bring God’s message and clarify it for the congregation. All Christians are supposed to “encourage” one another with words…