{"id":1259,"date":"2010-03-15T01:00:28","date_gmt":"2010-03-15T09:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/?p=1259"},"modified":"2013-03-25T10:28:35","modified_gmt":"2013-03-25T17:28:35","slug":"church-plant-interviews-pastor-john-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/2010\/03\/15\/church-plant-interviews-pastor-john-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Church Plant Interviews – Pastor John (part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Richard Shin<\/em><\/p>\n

Pastor John and I met within the confines of his office. As someone who hears him preach on a semi-weekly basis, and given his openness during his messages, I thought I had him figured out for the most part. But after having gone through this interview with him, I realized there is much more to Pastor John Kim than what he reveals on the pulpit. I hope this interview will motivate you to talk to him, get to know him, and squeeze every bit of wisdom from the man as you possibly can before he leaves. Within reason, of course.<\/em><\/p>\n

What is your role in the San Jose church plant?<\/strong><\/p>\n

My role for the San Jose church plant is to be the senior pastor and pretty much the point person to help provide leadership and direction and hopefully encourage everybody and shepherd everybody along the way as we get going.<\/p>\n

What has been a significant challenge or concern so far? And a significant blessing, if different?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Probably one of the more significant challenges that seem to affect people is the practical considerations. Trying to relocate, find a new job, sell your home\u2026 all those things in this economy especially is raising concerns among parents, questioning, is this the right time? Understandably, there\u2019s a lot of difficulty having to handle the practical side of things. So, I know the people have been wrestling with that, having just the reality of making a major move. That too has been difficult for a lot of people, even for us, having to sell our home, and to anticipate uprooting our family. On the practical end, that has probably been a significant challenge.<\/p>\n

At the same time, it\u2019s a blessing. We\u2019re seeing that people are willing to live out Matthew 6:33: \u201cseek first His kingdom and His righteousness\u201d. To really see the point of planting a church to be actually something that would guide one\u2019s life direction as opposed to work or school. I think a lot of people don\u2019t realize how much they let the worldly elements of life to dictate their life, not to say that it\u2019s all evil and bad, but sometimes people don\u2019t realize how much they need God to accommodate their agenda as opposed to saying we need to follow God\u2019s agenda, and orient everything around that, whether it be school, work or even buying a home.<\/p>\n

I think that\u2019s what\u2019s been most encouraging to see, the commitment of the people who have been willing to act on that, especially the younger group of people. Some of them have never been to San Jose; for them it\u2019s a huge step of faith. Initially I think I was a little disappointed because I thought maybe more of the older members might be considering going. Understandably, it\u2019s difficult when you\u2019ve got a young family, and you still got young kids. I think I\u2019ve come to understand that God has to be the one who moves people\u2019s hearts to go and God is also going to be responsible for people staying. He has a purpose in it all. So I think I\u2019m okay with that now.<\/p>\n

That played into something too. I thought, \u201cIs our team young?\u201d It would be helpful to have mature, older, more experienced people and I think that is definitely something that is important. But I think on the other end, having younger people also bring a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of energy. And I think because they\u2019re willing to take some risks too, it does definitely lend itself toward giving a very positive outlook for what we hope to see happen.<\/p>\n

What are you looking forward to for the church plant?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m looking forward to just being able to spend time with people a lot more again. As our church got bigger here, my role had to adjust because the dynamics aren\u2019t the same. I\u2019m not complaining about that or anything; I\u2019m very grateful that our church has grown. But I think I particularly enjoy interacting with people a lot more. I\u2019m looking forward to just developing things from the beginning again. And some people think that\u2019s the hard part of it. But I think it\u2019s the more enjoyable part, being able to interact with the majority of the group and getting to know everyone on a first name basis and actually remembering who they are. And just to be more involved in their lives on a more personal level. I miss that. That aspect, as the church gets bigger, it\u2019s just impossible to maintain that kind of relationship with everybody. So the developmental stage I think I really enjoy.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m also looking forward to getting to know people in the community. Being evangelistic, hoping to just let everyone who comes know that they are welcome and that we would love to get to know them, and hopefully seeing people come to know Christ. Having that be a more distinguishing mark than just transfer growth.<\/p>\n

What are some fears you need to trust God with both for LBCSD and LBCSJ?<\/strong><\/p>\n

For San Jose, there are just practical concerns like, \u201cWill we have money?\u201d, \u201cWill we have resources?\u201d, and \u201cWill we have a place to meet?\u201d I think a lot of basic things because we don\u2019t know what to expect. Will we be able to build a relationship with the church community at large? That\u2019s a very important thing, that we\u2019re not just there to do our own thing, but to partner and build relationships. That\u2019s something I wish we could have seen happen more here.<\/p>\n

Another fear is the realities of church. Conflicts, disappointments\u2026that\u2019s just a part of life. That\u2019s something you don\u2019t look forward to. I think especially when it involves people you become close with. The relational side is what carries the most weight for me both in terms of what I look forward to and what do I fear. Like betrayal. That\u2019s already happened several times; it\u2019s something painful to go through. While I hope those things don\u2019t happen, unfortunately they do. But we know God is in control even in those things to shape the church and to help us trust Him more.<\/p>\n

On the San Diego side, there\u2019s going to be a lot of transition and adjustment. I\u2019m concerned most for how people will treat Pastor Patrick. I hope they would be respectful and that they would not look down on the fact that he\u2019s younger, but I hope that they can see the pattern of his faithfulness already since the church has started. And that they wouldn\u2019t do any comparing. I think in a lot of ways Pastor Patrick has a lot of gifts and talents that I don\u2019t. He has a lot to offer, and I think he\u2019s shown his faithfulness to the church. I hope people will look at that as opposed to age or experience. Those things are just not fair to compare with someone who has been doing it for like twenty years.<\/p>\n

And then for people to not place their hopes on people. The church doesn\u2019t depend on me and so my leaving shouldn\u2019t dictate how the church does. I know there will be practical facts because of relationships and all, but I hope people can just trust God and do their part in filling the gaps and whatever void they think might have been created. Not only with my family leaving, but others leaving. I hope it will lead to people stepping up, instead of people just complaining or moaning and groaning why things are the way they are. Hopefully people will not resort to being negative about all the change. It\u2019ll be hard; it\u2019ll be a challenging. Hopefully it\u2019ll cause people to trust God more, and hopefully they\u2019ll step up.<\/p>\n

How do you feel about leaving Pastor Patrick? And how do you feel about taking JR?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think we shared this at members meeting and at the ordination service. There\u2019s no one else I would trust than Pastor Patrick. He has shown himself to be the most loyal and faithful partner in ministry that I\u2019ve ever had. And that hasn\u2019t come easy. I know he has had to put up with a lot with all my idiosyncrasies and differences, just the way he is. And I\u2019ve been tough on him. And at times, I\u2019ve probably made him cry. But he\u2019s persevered. He\u2019s teachable. He has shown me his willingness to work hard. And his willingness to do anything I\u2019ve asked him to do from pastoral duties to simple things like cleaning up to running missions trips to even stepping in during my leave of absence and to run things and see what it\u2019s like. I\u2019m very confident that he\u2019s going to do a great job. I\u2019m honestly saying that; I\u2019m not just saying that to get people psyched up.<\/p>\n

I know Patrick will have his set of struggles, and he\u2019ll have to adjust to being the senior pastor. That just has its own set of challenges that he\u2019ll have to go through. But I hope people would know that he has definitely proven himself over the years. I can honestly say that he has shown himself to be a true friend and partner in ministry and he\u2019s probably the one who has kept me sane over the years because he has made me laugh. Sometimes he would just be silly and help me not be serious about all these things. I\u2019m confident that he\u2019ll do a good job. Hopefully people would be patient with him too, give him room to adjust, and be himself.<\/p>\n

Taking JR\u2026 I have mixed feelings about it. Personally I\u2019m thankful. At the same time I know it takes a hit for the church because I know he\u2019s been doing such a great job with the youth ministry. And I know the kids love him here. My kids love him too. So we\u2019re fortunate to get him to continue on with us. JR\u2019s heart has been with church plants. When we prayed whether he should be part of the plant or not, honestly I thought he should stay because I thought he could help Patrick. But he told me he fasted and prayed for over a month, and he prayed and trusted that it\u2019s God\u2019s direction for him to go. So, what can I say to that?<\/p>\n

I know things don\u2019t always go in the way of conventional thinking. I know that because that\u2019s the way I look at a lot of things myself too. I couldn\u2019t just say that\u2019s not conventionally right or the best thing to do. At the same time I\u2019m definitely thankful that he could come as a ministry partner would be helpful. JR has done a great job pastoring the youth, and not only that, he\u2019s done a great job in developing in his preaching and he\u2019s really grown in his ministry skills and I think it would be good to just have someone who I can count on to be there in case I get sick which happens often or be able to fill in on various ways and for Kathy to come with him. I know it\u2019s going to be a challenge for the church as well to have two of the three pastors leaving.<\/p>\n

What are some more encouraging words that you have heard regarding the church plant?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Some of the older folk have come up to me and told me that they are challenged that at this stage of life that we\u2019re willing to do this. I think Angela and I imagined ourselves living in San Diego and just watching the kids grow up and enjoying the nice weather after leaving the east coast where it was cold, appreciating the warm weather more\u2026 As God has lain on our hearts to do this, we don\u2019t want to make excuses because of \u201cstage of life\u201d issues. There are those who have been encouraged to not use \u201cstage of life\u201d excuses, and that\u2019s been encouraging to hear.<\/p>\n

Others have been encouraging to reaffirm our commitment to church planting. Especially the ones from northern California, they\u2019re thankful that we\u2019re going up there. But I think more than just going up there, they\u2019ve learned a lot and grown here. It\u2019s not just for the sake of having a church, but they want to show what they\u2019ve learned here and have a place where family and friends they can share the gospel with and also bring them out to church. It has been encouraging to see the responses of people looking forward to see what\u2019s going to happen up there.<\/p>\n

Even some of the pastors up there have been very encouraging and receptive to partnering, at least developing friendships. When I came to San Diego, it wasn\u2019t like that. No one wanted to be my friend. Churches were not very nice. That\u2019s kind of nice to look forward to, pastors saying, \u201cYes, we need more churches planted!\u201d In fact one pastor has said he\u2019s willing to offer whatever support he could. When I came to San Diego, there were people actively opposing the church plant. It\u2019s kind of strange. We thought we would encounter opposition from non-Christians, but we encountered more opposition from other Christians. So in San Diego, that was kind of a big difference. So that\u2019s been an encouraging response from people too.<\/p>\n

Do you ever have second thoughts? And if so, for what reasons? If not, what thought or conviction helps you stay determined?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always wonder if I\u2019ve made the right decisions because I don\u2019t know at the time. There\u2019s no 100% guarantee in everything, but I\u2019m just trusting in God. I think one sure thing is trust God, and know that He will work everything out for good. I think I\u2019m learning more and more through the Scriptures that God\u2019s sovereignty really is something we can find comfort in. We can\u2019t forecast or guarantee anything we do in life. Even from a human vantage point, we try to do all our homework and evaluate everything, and maybe make the best decision we think possible, but even then that\u2019s no guarantee that it\u2019s God\u2019s will. I think trusting God is the one thing that keeps me hopeful.<\/p>\n

But yeah, sometimes I wonder if we should have sold our house, should we start all over again? Some people say things like, you\u2019re getting older now\u2026 why don\u2019t you let the younger guys do it? And sometimes I think, yea, maybe that would be good because I\u2019m tired, my health has not been as good. So sometimes is it the stress of doing these kinds of things that is getting to me more? I think just trying to get re-established all over again for everything, not having relatives close by\u2026 that\u2019s the kind of things that come to mind, is this the best thing to do?<\/p>\n

But I think about the long term picture, and I ask, what are we living for? We are not living for our own comforts. We\u2019re not living to have our needs met, or have things convenient for us. Are we really considering Matthew 6:33? Is it really our heart\u2019s desire? At a human level, it\u2019s hard. But we trust God\u2019s Word to be true, and that is actually what\u2019s worth living for. And then we strive for that. And we know God will sustain us. But yea, sometimes it\u2019s hard\u2026 especially when I think about Mexican food and Evangelical (the bookstore) and my friends there.<\/p>\n

Will you be the only on-site elder? And should we be concerned?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Initially in principle, yea. But we already have in place what we call an \u201cAdministrative Team\u201d. It\u2019s kind of how we started things here as well, and that we would work together with the team in terms of making decisions. This is not a dictatorship. Yes, I think I need to provide leadership, but at the same time work as a team. There are already certain kinds of things we\u2019re talking through, and having checks and balances for decision-making issues so that it\u2019s not completely just my will being imposed on everybody. At the same time, I would hope that God would use me to provide clear leadership and direction, but not at the expense of just simply imposing my own will. I\u2019ve always been a team guy; I don\u2019t think I\u2019m the guy that\u2019s supposed to make all the calls for everything. But at the same time I\u2019m in a position to teach and equip and challenge people. In good time, our goal would be to appoint elders who would fulfill the qualifications, and we hope to do that very early on in the life of the church.<\/p>\n

to be continued…<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Richard Shin Pastor John and I met within the confines of his office. As someone who hears him preach on a semi-weekly basis, and given his openness during his messages, I thought I had him figured out for the most part. But after having gone through this interview with him, I realized there is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":307,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lighthouse-news","category-member-spotlight"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/307"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1259"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7747,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1259\/revisions\/7747"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lighthousebc.com\/beacon\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}