by Richard Shin

Editor’s Note: This is a follow-up series to the interviews that Richard Shin did in the spring of 2010. For the original interview with Pastor JR, please see here and here.

How are you doing?

I’m doing very well. I say this because my understanding of the gospel has deepened further. I’ve come to a much deeper understanding of what it means to really place my hope in Christ – both in who He is and what He did for me – and find my joy in Him alone. I’ve always believed this, but through my years as a Christian I had really struggled with at times pressuring myself to perform, and placing my hope in how well I think I did. But lately, I’ve really learned to wake up every morning and rejoice in the reality that I stand approved and loved before God because of what Christ did for me, and that God is using me for His kingdom purposes. I feel much less pressured nowadays than I did earlier in my faith, and yet much more empowered at the same time. It’s a joy to walk with Christ daily.

You recently became a father of a very cute little boy, Jayden. How does it feel to be a parent?

Honestly, I thank God so much for giving me the privilege of fatherhood to Jayden. It’s the most exciting, enjoyable, and rewarding ministry after marriage. My blood pressure has definitely dropped. Many had told me how hard it would be, but few told me how enjoyable it would be, haha. Ever since I was a child, I had always looked forward to the day when God would grant me the opportunity to raise a child. After becoming a Christian – and particularly after going into ministry – the desire was heightened. I’ve always wanted to be involved in this kind of lifetime discipleship. It was strange how, as soon as he was born, all these paternal instincts started to kick in! I absolutely love being a father to him, and work together with Kathy to raise Him in the Lord. That said, my relationship with God has not changed in its essence. I don’t feel godlier or more qualified by any means – and definitely don’t really feel older. From my perspective, I’m still a child myself before God.

From what I remember, you had quite a year planned out for you. When we conducted the interview, you had just gotten married and were still taking classes at The Master’s Seminary. You were planning to move up north with the church plant (not wait until you were done with school) and have a baby, while also traveling weekly to LA to finish up seminary. How were able to manage all that?

Well, things really turned out much better than I anticipated. Because we had prayed about it, we were confident that God would carry us through it. And He did. I really credit Kathy for helping make all of this work. Not only did she never complain (if anything, she was a lot less worried than I was about the whole thing, as usual), but she also came alongside and supported me and encouraged me tremendously. She would pack me a whole bag of food – ziplocked into several bags to divide them up for each meal – so that I could have home-cooked food during school. That’s just one of the many ways, haha! Also, there were some friends down in L.A. – Wayne & Melanie Hu – who were extremely supportive and hospitable to me, and invited me to stay at their place during the weeks I was in school. As far as the commuting, it was actually much easier to commute by plane than by car – both from an energetic perspective as well as from a time perspective. There’s a big difference between driving at 3 in the morning for two hours and riding a plane at 6 in the morning for one hour with free coffee and a traveling buddy (I had a classmate who did the same commute with me through the semester, and we synched all of our plane rides). That was a huge encouragement as well. But in the end, I took things one week at a time, and the Lord was so gracious to carrying us through it. I give all the credit to Him, and not to myself. It really was not as bad as it sounded (and it also helped that I got to use the Master’s College gym for free, haha!). Kathy and I actually agreed that our marriage was strengthened throughout it all. And obviously, Jayden is alive and healthy – a testament to God’s provision and care for our family.

You mentioned before that you always wanted to carry out the Vision of LBC, to plant churches. I also heard through the grapevine that you desire to plant a church in the Philippines. Can you share some of your thought process?

I’ve always had the desire to plant a church in the Philippines and Hawaii (that’s what I put in my TMS application) since I’m from those places. That said, ultimately, my desire is for God to be glorified through people from all nations worshipping Him, and not to fulfill my own visions or agenda. Psalm 67 resonates in my heart quite a bit, especially on Sunday mornings. While it helps that I know the language and the culture and have experience working with the people in the Philippines and Hawaii, in all honesty I would help LBCSJ carry out the vision of church planting anywhere – whether it be the Philippines, Taiwan, Chile, France, Seattle, or any other location on the planet where God-glorifying and Bible-teaching churches are needed. Sometimes, while going on a Sunday morning run before church, I’ll find myself praying for the churches in mainland China and Africa – even though I’ve never been to either. I honestly believe that God has called me to a work, not necessarily location. More and more, I’ve really learned to see San Jose as a mission field, and have joyfully engaged myself in evangelizing to non-believers here and discipling those who are in the faith, and I’m very content to do that. It’s not so much where I go that I’m ambitious for, as much as it is what I’ll be doing there. I’ll always want to be involved in the work of disciplship, preaching the Word, and training men for the work of ministry. That’s why I’m so happy to be ministering here in San Jose – because I get to do just that here. In that sense, I don’t see San Jose as a stepping stone to the Philippines or any other place. I see it as my current mission field, and I’m taking to make disciples here seriously and diligently. And boy, it’s a lot of fun!

Has the planting of LBCSJ changed your desire for church planting at all?

It has not changed it as much as it has strengthened it. I have a much stronger desire now to be involved in the church-planting ministry as I ever did, especially as I’m seeing just how God is being honored through the way Pastor John has led and shepherded our church here. He’s doing an incredible job of being faithful to God, His Word, and his own convictions, and the community is responding to it. I really want to learn to do what he does and bring it to places where the gospel is needed. It’s hard – no doubt – but it has only wet my appetite to see more of this happen.

What are some ways you have been encouraged by the church planting process?

I’ve come to understand God’s faithfulness in a deeper way throughout this whole church-planting endeavor. It became very clear to me, after seeing some of the issues that the church all had to tackle – whether it be relational issues or financial hardships – that God really had to be the one who accomplish the endeavor for His own glory. Seeing how He did that really helped me understand that ultimately, a church exits, grows, and is sustained not because of the people’s ability, but because of the God they serve who is committed to magnifying Himself in a location. Observing the disciple-making process take place in the lives of the San Jose locals has really convinced me that God Himself has a heart for this place. That they have both come to our church, been encouraged by the ministry, and have begun contributing to it has been a huge encouragement.

It’s also been really exciting to see the type of faithful ministry in San Diego continue on to San Jose. The giftedness that the SD team members brought with them are really building up the body here. It’s been really encouraging to see how Pastor John has not changed – how he’s still committed to the MVP, and how the locals in SJ have begun to adopt that same mindset. The neat thing about church-planting is that it forces everyone to contribute what they have to the overall church ministry. As one of the pastors, I’ve had the privilege to really both observe and discern the kinds of gifts that these guys have, and it’s so encouraging watch. I’ve always loved diversity and variety, and I’ve really experienced the benefit of that personally from the team members. I have a tremendous amount of respect for our individual members, and it’s been such a privilege to minister alongside them.

Anything you want to say to the folks at LBCSD? =)

I seriously miss you guys. There are many of you who I pray for all the time – if someone were to look at my prayer journal, they may think that I was still part of the SD church. My heart still goes out to you guys there. I’m really thankful for the times that I’ve had to interact with you either in person or over the phone or e-mail since moving up to SJ.

Remember to stay faithful to Pastor Patrick. God has gifted you with a tremendously humble pastor who does his homework and is willing to do anything to strengthen the church there. Support him, encourage him, and do the work alongside him.

How can we be praying for you?

Continue to pray that I would grow in wisdom and mature as a pastor, and stay rooted in the gospel at all times. Pray for my family, that we would faithfully serve the Lord as a unit, and really be a contribution to the overall ministry of the church.

by Richard Shin

Editor’s Note: This is a follow-up series to the interviews that Richard Shin did in the spring of 2010.  For the original interview with Pastor Patrick, please see here and here.

How are you doing?

Things have been going really well. Thank you! =)

How has God been faithful to you in the last year?

God has been tremendously faithful to me in many ways. Besides remaining true to Himself and His promises (e.g. I am still saved), He has really helped me grow significantly as a believer and a pastor. Ministry has been tremendously encouraging, and that always keeps a pastor motivated to keep going even if he is tired. For example, this past weekend was one of the busier weekends of my life, but the all-church banquet was such a huge blessing that it hardly seemed like a difficult weekend at all. The church also has been a great blessing and joy, and a huge source of encouragement. The faithful service of the members and leadership has been humbling. It truly is humbling to understand that others look to me for leadership, guidance, and counsel. I certainly feel my shortcomings and am forced to depend more on the Lord.

How have you been challenged in this role as Senior Pastor that you weren’t previously as an Associate Pastor?

I’ve honestly never really been a fan of the titles “Senior Pastor” and “Associate Pastor,” but I understand the intent behind the question. The pace has definitely picked up now that I am filling this role at LBC. As an associate, there is not as much to think about. It’s not that it’s easy, but it does not demand as much. I think any associate pastor would generally agree. Serving as the senior pastor, I have been involved in some ministry situations and counseling opportunities that have really stretched me and I have learned a great deal through them. Through it all, I can clearly see God training me up for future ministry and helping me develop my thought processes and convictions.

You went from pastoring the collegians to overseeing the singles and married folks. How has that transition been?

The transition has been good. It has been good to see the consistency on Sundays of the group that comes out to Grace Life. I feel the study has been beneficial, but the fellowship has been particularly good. The format of that time is such that I don’t simply talk the whole time. Instead, we mix in group discussions and interaction. I believe that has really helped because I know how difficult it can be to listen to someone speak for two services in a row. We recently took a break from our study in Mark to cover Peacemaking for Families, by Ken Sande. We found it to be a very practical study and helpful to address everyday situations in the home.

As for the singles ministry, things have been good as well. I wish I could devote more time and energy into this ministry because I really believe it is important to help young believers in their decision making during this stage of their lives. Singles are in the process of developing their career paths, figuring out who they want to marry, and learning to be committed to the church with a more demanding schedule than they had in college. Meeting on Friday evenings has been challenging because of the lack of consistency. Too often Bible study has had to be cancelled because of conflicting all-church events. Still, the times we have been able to meet have been sweet. Our study through the book of Colossians has been helpful and challenging. Currently I am thinking through how I can better minister to the singles. I don’t want to simply maintain a Bible study for the sake of having a structured program. I believe it is better for the overall health of the ministry and church to address people and not just promote programs.

I imagine your workload has increased somewhat significantly since you became the Senior Pastor (or has it?). How have you been able to manage your time?

This has been difficult, but it has not been impossible. There are certain non-negotiable principles you keep in mind. For instance, I need to make sure I spend a good amount of time with my family. But with the increased workload, we have become more creative in how we do this. Sometimes they will come by the office to have lunch together and maybe spend the afternoon at the church. With the various church events that take place, Christine and I have learned to be flexible with Eden’s feeding, nap, and sleep schedule. But we find it a great joy to minister together and we love being at church with our church family. We also are encouraged that Eden loves it so much as well. Eden often cries when it is time to go home even when she is exhausted!

How can we be praying for you?

There are so many things to pray for, it would be impossible to list them all. I think the biggest thing would be for perseverance in what I am called to be and do as a leader in the church. Any pastor can have a season of faithful ministry, but I’m certain it really requires great resolve, unswerving commitment, and most of all deep dependence on God for a lifetime of faithful service. You can also pray for our family. As Eden grows, we don’t want her to grow embittered against the church or pastoral ministry. I’m sure it will take a lot of love, wisdom, patience, and strength to lead our family well.

by Richard Shin

Editor’s Note: This is a follow-up series to the interviews that Richard Shin did in the spring of 2010.  For the original interview with Pastor John, please see here and here.

Have you found any decent Mexican joints in the Bay Area?

I actually went to a place recently that wasn’t too bad. I have come to the conclusion that there is just a NorCal thing that is different regarding Mexican food so instead of comparing and complaining, I’ll just be patient, keep trying, and when I visit San Diego, I’ll grab some if I can but it is no longer a life or death issue.

Generally speaking, how do you feel the transition went?

Overall, I can’t help but just be so thankful to God for the transition. I was expecting things to be a bit challenging, especially for my family but Angela and the girls have shown a remarkable attitude and have even commented from time to time how they are happy to be up here. They of course still miss family and friends and especially Jenna when she went off to college but overall it has been a positive transition. Having some familiar faces with the church plant team definitely helped but getting to know new people has been great and we already see how God has provided new relationships to mingle with the old.

The church planting team did quite a bit of preparing prior to the actual plant, even after you guys moved up. Do you feel the preparations were adequate?

I don’t know if they were necessarily adequate as it was kind of hard to know how we could plan for such a monumental move. But through the team meetings, going over the book “The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love,” team building trips, and meals together, I think the main thing was just the building up of the relationships that was key.

A year ago, you mentioned some concerns/fears you had with the church plant and the overall transition. Some of them were: practical concerns (e.g. having a meeting place, jobs for members, etc.), conflicts within and outside the church, and LBCSD’s reception of the transition leadership. Can you share some reflective thoughts on these concerns?

I guess there will always be concerns as things have been kind of dynamic and the unexpected has happened. Regarding facilities, we found a great situation with a community center, but by the end of the year, through some strange circumstances, we lost the place and were forced to look for a new site. At first it was a bit disappointing but realizing that things like this were going to happen, we kind of had to move along and just keep our faces looking forward. We found a local high school just down the street and it definitely was an answer to prayer. But we are still looking for a more suitable place as we have started to expand a bit.

Jobs have been an interesting thing as at one point almost the whole team had found jobs, then some lost some jobs and some are still looking for jobs since. But overall it’s been encouraging to see the attitudes of those who have been facing this challenge and I’m thankful to see that they are persevering the best they can.

Conflicts will always happen, both inside and outside the church. So we decided to go over The Peacemaker by Ken Sande for our Friday Night Bible Studies and that has been really good as many of the newer people have shared they have never heard anything like this. There have already been some conflicts that have taken place, some actually kind of discouraging but focusing on peacemaking has been helpful in dealing with them. So we are thankful that we are studying this right now. Regarding things with other churches, we have had some situations where it was actually quite sad but then other churches and other pastors have reached out to us as well and we are so thankful for their support and prayers. So overall we are very thankful for the greater community that is starting to build between other churches.

As for the transition in San Diego, I have heard encouraging things about how many have come to really support Pastor Patrick and his leadership. I know that it was a concern for him to have to follow me as we are quite different, not to mention that he is younger. But as I shared when we had our installation of Pastor Patrick, he has been such a faithful servant and minister over all the years and I can’t think of anyone better suited to take over the responsibilities of leadership at the church. He also has the support of the elders and I think it’s pretty evident that while there is always room to grow, can you imagine some total stranger coming in and try to lead the church? There is no comparison. I’ve also heard that there have been a few who have not maybe been the most encouraging in light of the transition – I just pray that God would remind them to have a gospel-centered heart toward Pastor Patrick and be gracious and even more supportive. I told Pastor Patrick before I left to expect that there would be those who would not always say the most encouraging things, but it’s not just because he is younger. I was older than most of the members and they would say discouraging things to me and about me as well so it’s not just because of the age issue. It’s just a heart issue and at the same time it is an issue of sanctification, to learn and grow even through being challenged in those ways. So overall I am thankful to see that the church in San Diego has continued to move forward and grow in different ways and for that God receives much glory!

What are some similarities and differences between what you expected versus what actually happened?

I think what I expected was that I wasn’t sure what to expect but the one thing that I could expect was the unexpected. That being said, I told the team during preparation to be ready for some members of the team to step down (to date five out of the original thirty adults stepped down) and to some degree it was bit discouraging and deflating. But one thing that we prayed for but didn’t know what to expect were the people that God was going to bring in San Jose. So while we were down to 25 from San Diego, as of May 3, we have 37 members and another 11 members ready to be welcomed. We have already seen several individuals come to know Christ and have had a number of people who were looking for a church decide to consistently attend, though they are not members yet. So it really has been the relationships that were the main issue that related to expectations and I can say that God has really been gracious to us in helping us both work through the losses as well as the new additions.

What are some ways you have been growing in the past year? (Feel free to talk about the church plant specifically or in life generally)

I think there are a few lessons that I have been learning along the way, especially in the past year as we transitioned to life in the Bay Area.

Keep Preaching the Gospel

The primacy of the gospel and the centrality of the gospel in ministry continues to become more and more of a conviction in how we need to relate what we do, both to unbelievers and believers. We have seen several people already get saved as we have been preaching the gospel on Sundays, Fridays, and even with our new College Fellowship at San Jose State. We also have been encouraging those who are believers to preach the gospel continually to themselves so that they live in light of the cross and remember to relate to each other because of the grace we have experienced through Christ.

Trellis and the Vine

Remembering that people are more important than programs, we have had to challenge everyone to make ministry centered on gospel growth instead of program growth. We are all learning, myself included, what it means to prayerfully proclaim God’s truth and to share the reality of how we are taking what we learn and passing it on to others through the sanctifying process of dealing with sin and pursuing Christ. We have been challenged to be humble, transparent, vulnerable, yet at the same time hopeful, encouraging, and taking initiative to build relationships without having to wait for some kind of formal role or structure. It is inevitable that we will have some kind of structures to help provide some basic order and organization. But it has been tremendously encouraging to see that through the messy process of building relationships, we have already seen people come to know Christ, get baptized, and show such an enthusiasm to grow and participate in the life of the church that we can’t help but thank God for His faithfulness in these ways.

Peacemaker

As mentioned earlier, we have been going through “The Peacemaker” by Ken Sande on Friday nights and it has been a wonderful and amazing time learning to resolve conflicts in a God-glorifying way. As our membership commitment includes the Peacemaker Pledge, we are building on that by seeking to build a culture of peacemaking that would be modeled by the leadership and practiced by everyone. While some of us have heard these principles multiple times, I don’t think we could ever hear it enough. The love of Christ is going to be manifested particularly in how we learn to forgive one another and resolve our conflicts so I think it is imperative, especially at the beginning stages of the church to really emphasize this foundational priority. It has been neat to hear people share how they are already passing it on to their family members, friends, and other fellow believers. It is even challenging some to practice peacemaking in their secular environments, whether in school or at work. The emphasis on the gospel in the revised and updated edition especially makes it a more powerful tool for each member of the church to utilize in their own personal spiritual growth as well as in helping edify and build up the congregation. There is an anticipating of tests and challenges that we know will come our way, but God-willing we will continue to build a deep foundation of peacemaking that will help us not only weather the storms but to grow stronger in our trust in God as well

Love them like Jesus

The last message I left with the church in San Diego was the series from John 13:34-35, to love one another. I picked up from there when we first moved to San Jose and it has been a foundational principle for our ministry. God has already opened up opportunities for counseling, encouraging, supporting those who are unbelievers, those who are in difficult situations, and those who have had bad church experiences. The love of Christ truly is a fragrant aroma when practiced by a church congregation. While we are not perfect of course, it has been a blessing to see many of the church members minister to each other, pray for each other, get to know one another, and serve in various ways. Angela and I recently shared with each other how much we just love being with our church family as it has been great to get to know them better and better each week. Since we host the Friday night bible study at our home, many stick around afterward for quite some time, eating refreshments, talking about the message, playing Monopoly Deal and other games. After church on Sundays, we have to vacate the meeting room right at 12pm but we see so many congregate outside and welcome newcomers and just interact with one another. We have a single mom attending who shared that this was the first time she felt welcomed at a church. We have had a bunch of collegians from San Jose State and a few local community colleges come and they have been so excited to be a part of the church that they come pretty much to everything they can come to, no matter how many days a week. We have a few new families coming too and we are expecting two more babies so the family is really growing! It really does feel like a family and while we know the initial stages of a churchplant can be kind of a honeymoon feeling, we continue to see the love for Christ and one another expand and we are thankful.

Anything you want to share with your extended church family in San Diego?

Thank you for your prayers and support! More and more we realize how incredible it is to have a church family that supports us and stands behind us. So many of you have come to visit since we moved up here that it is like a regular occurrence. There were over 50 that came to the inaugural service back in January and others commented that they had never seen such a thing before, that people would be willing to travel so far to support a church plant. Each time we do visit San Diego, we are reminded that the love of Christ truly has been shown in such amazing ways and we look forward to seeing what God will continue to do in San Diego as well as how we can partner together in the future. I can say that we truly love you and thank God for every remembrance of you (Philippians 1:3).

How can we be praying for you?

Please pray for us to be faithful to the MVP, to the Peacemaker Pledge, to welcome all who come, to boldly proclaim the gospel, to build Christ-honoring relationships with other churches, to reach out to the college campuses in our area, to minister to the families that are coming and to provide a place where parents can entrust their children to be shown gospel truth. Pray for a sensitivity to the needs of our single adults, to promote healthy God-honoring relationships that nurture true fellowship and edification. Pray for leadership to develop so that we would have a committed elder board that would shepherd the church and pastors that will faithfully preach the Word and lead the congregation to Christ. Pray for our joint mission trip with LBC San Diego to the Czech Republic and the future development of international missions work. Pray that we would encourage other pastors and churches in our area who are discouraged and downcast and be a loving partner in the gospel ministry. Pray that we would really make disciples in a way that truly represents Christ and to instill a passion to love God and people that would lead to God allowing us one day to plant a church in the near future.