by Richard Shin

Lord willing, you will be the head of LBCSD. Let’s imagine Pastor John won’t read this. What would you like to do differently?

I would like to preach through the Book of John and preach it slowly. Haha… I know John really wants to finish the Book of John. I’m actually surprised that he has kept up the pace and gone through this far. I didn’t think he would be able to do it. There’s so much to preach in the Book of John. And I know it’s torturing him; there’s so much in the Book of John. But I think it will be a good thing for us, Lord willing, to go through the book.

What would I do differently? Hm…I mean, in seminary, they always warn you if you ever take over another ministry to be careful of changing everything. Like I said, people don’t like change. And sometimes it comes across as “I know better.” And I know that’s not the case.

But I think to a certain degree, change will be necessary just given the people that we’re losing and all of that. I’m sure people will step up and fill in the gaps too.

What would I change…? I’ve joked around about losing the tie on Sundays. But that might be my youthfulness coming out.

Let’s say you stepped into the building of Lighthouse one Sunday morning in ten years. What would you like to see happen?

Sure. I’m going to steal this one from Pastor MacArthur because he just celebrated forty years. I don’t know if this is true because I don’t go to Grace. But MacArthur said that the series that he gave during his first year at Grace Church was the series he gave in his 40th year. Meaning that the principles that he committed to at the outset never changed, they never turned to the left or the right, they kept right down the road in terms of what they were committed to. They wanted a high view of God, they wanted a high view of His Word. Everything that became the pillars for the church that are built on Biblical principles, they’ve committed to over that long a span of time. And that’s remarkable for a church. Given all the fads and trends that have come and gone, to not have gone the course of those things. There is a lot of temptation to do that. If every church looks a certain way, and you don’t, it doesn’t look good for you. And I think that’s one thing I’ve really come to appreciate at Grace Church. It’s that unwavering commitment to Biblical doctrine.

I would love to do that same thing. And that’s something I planned on doing as soon as the church plant leaves, to teach a series on “What are the foundations of Lighthouse? What are things that are non-negotiable? What are the things that we really want to build this ministry on?” I would love to do that series again in ten years, and we haven’t turned to the right or the left. That would be sweet. That would be great.

If you were to ever plant a church yourself. Where would you like to go?

San Jose. Haha, I’m just kidding. I would say the only place in the world that has particularly drawn us that we’ve seen a great need, and along with that, a heart to be there, was Argentina. There’s already a strong church with whom we work with and to partner with in our work out there, but one thing that’s been of concern is the lack of theological training that is available there. And to have been seminary-trained, and to be able to go out there and help other pastors would be just an amazing work. There’s a tremendous need. If the Lord would work it out that we could do that someday, that would be awesome. While right now, I think it would be helpful and better if I had some years of ministry under my belt. Some of these pastors have been serving there for years, and here I am coming up on year one on being senior pastor… I don’t think I’ll have a lot to say. To be able to relate to them, it’ll be hard.

Also, related to that, I’ve always been taught that a pastor should anchor himself to a ministry. So many pastors… I think the average is that pastors tend to stick around three years or something like that before they move on. And a lot of pastors treat ministry as a stepping stone to greater things. And that’s never been my desire. I’ve told people this too, Christine and I are not making plans to leave any time soon. We would like to anchor ourselves here and be here for a significant time. I think that’s important for the members to see that. And I think it’s helpful for the church as a whole. And this won’t be like a three years and out of kind of thing… unless I die or Jesus comes back. Hallelujah!

What’s something people don’t know about you?

Um…I’m exceptionally charming?

You mean, people don’t know that about you?! Hm. Let me rephrase. What are some things people don’t know about you that might help us understand you better in terms of your ministry?

Haha! Here’s one. I feel like people already… you get what you see. I talk a lot more than I probably should. And because of that, I think I expose everything inside. I’m a lot more comfortable in front of people than I am one-on-one or in small groups or things like that. Not to say I’m not willing to do all that. Obviously it comes with the territory, and that’s something I need to do. If I had a choice between leading a small group, and teaching a Sunday school class, I would teach Sunday school class ten out of ten.

I mean, I enjoy the one-on-one and small group times, but when I am teaching or giving a message, I really get that sense that this is what I’m supposed to do. And I think that’s why when I preach, I smile so often. I really, really enjoy preaching. It’s one of my favorite things to do. I love talking about God, I love talking about His Word, I love seeing people’s eyes widen when they hear something they’ve never heard before or when they learn something new, I love the feedback I get when people tell me they’ve learned something that day, they’re growing or they got saved. It’s what keeps me going. I really enjoy teaching. I don’t know… maybe people already knew that.

How can we as a congregation encourage you in the upcoming year? And how can we pray for you?

I don’t know…keep doing what you’re doing? Christine and I have been so blessed. What church sends their pastor to Cabo for a week? The generosity of the church has been so amazing. And it’s not just this year; it’s been like that since day one. The church has been amazingly supportive. It really is the best scenario that we can possibly be in.

One thing I might throw in, but in comparison to the support we’ve already received, this is a minor thing. I would caution the members about expectations. Expectations destroy relationships, especially unfair expectations. Christine and I know I’m not John Kim and she’s not Angela Kim. Those are tremendous shoes to fill. One thing I’m thankful for is God led them to this point too. They didn’t always have the insight that they have now; they started at a certain point too. And it is going to take a little bit of patience. We have a very seasoned pastor in Pastor John, a very experienced pastor, just a brilliant communicator. He’s a really good pastor! And I think a lot of people might be here just for John. And that is the inevitable thing: when John leaves, I’m not John. I’ve been trained by him, but I’m not him. We’re going to have different styles, different weaknesses and strengths. Some people might enjoy the changes, and for others it might take some getting used to.

Beware of those expectations. It’s like that in any relationship. In marriage, if you have unfair expectations for your spouse, it’s going to be a disappointing relationship, but if you understand that anything you get out of it is grace, then it makes the relationship so much more meaningful.

Any last words?

One thing I would like to see in the upcoming months is for the church to rally together, and really stand behind this church plant. I couldn’t think of any other way to encourage John and the church plant more than for the home church to be completely onboard, excited and supportive. And I think a lot of it will come down to the way we present it, to help people remember that this is an offshoot of our Biblical way of ministry. We’re not doing it for the sake of doing it; we’re doing it because we’re committed to certain principles Scripturally. If you’re passionate about Scripture, there’s no reason you shouldn’t be passionate about this plant. It’s doing God’s work God’s way. People might question the timing of it, the wisdom of it, or whatever. To that, I would just say, when is it ever going to be convenient? I’m so thankful for the team that’s going. Pastor John recently asked us as leadership, why do you support this church plant? And my answer was, “Because I can’t go.” God has made it clear that He wants me to say. And I’ll stay and be as supportive of this church plant as I possibly can be. And I hope that’s the same with other people, that if God has made it clear that they should stay, that they should be as supportive as they possibly can be. That would be sweet to see. It’s like when we first announced it. When we first announced it, we had this great ovation. And I was thinking to myself, “I know we’re excited now, but let’s see if that excitement carries on to the very end.” Because it’s going to have its difficulties.