During our monthly Shepherd Meetings, Shepherd support groups take turns and have a member share a funny anecdote about house church ministry. Last month, a shepherd's wife told the following story: She has a 5-year-old son. One day he came across a picture with me (Pastor Chai) in it. He exclaimed. "I know him!" She asked him, "Who is he?" expecting him to say "Our pastor!" Instead, he answered, "He's the man who was in the bathtub with grandma!" Huh??? It turns out that he recognized me from a picture where I was baptizing his grandmother. All the shepherds and their spouses roared in laughter when they heard this story. We ask someone to tell a ...

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A pastor who visited me while I was in Korea told me of a tribe in Indonesia whose entire population is Christian. They were converted by missionaries hundreds of years ago. But they are now Christians in name only. He said that the house church system would help them learn to live a life of service and wondered if I could visit them and train their leaders for this purpose. I refused. It's true that house church members say they are happy, and that such happiness comes from serving. But the motivation for service should not come from the house church itself, but from the desire to reach non-believers. In a place where everyone considers themself a ...

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For a while now, we have been making announcements offering help for house churches to make their own web pages. However, many house church members still don't know what they are and what advantages they offer. Let me take some time to explain that here. House church web pages look just like the Seoul Baptist home page, only smaller in scope. As on the Seoul Baptist page, house church members can post messages on their house church site. They may be hesitant to post something trivial on the Seoul Baptist website since people all over the world read it. They may feel more free to exchange information, crack jokes, or instant-message on their own house ...

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I first officiated a wedding when I was an Intern Pastor, before I was ordained. Unfortunately, that couple eventually got divorced. I have officiated quite a few weddings since then. While most of the couples are happily married, some marriages have ended in divorce. Whenever this happens, I feel guilty and partly responsible. The couples that got divorced all had something in common: I didn't know them personally when I married them. They were usually children of our church members. And they were in a hurry to get married. This observation led to my decision to only marry couples who completed a 6-week premarital counseling class. Pastor Lee does ...

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Some people get upset, even angry, when their personal church mailboxes are removed. Let me clarify our policy concerning mailboxes. When people do not attend a single Sunday worship service over a 3-month period, their mailboxes are removed. There is no hidden message here; we simply need to reclaim unused mailboxes for new church members. When they start attending Sunday worship services again, their mailboxes are reinstated at the request of their shepherd. When people stop coming to house church meetings, their mailboxes are also removed, even if they continue to attend Sunday worship services. This indicates that their membership to Seoul ...

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We were able to convert our traditional church to the house church without too much difficulty because of our deacons' whole-hearted support. Many churches have difficulties doing so because of the opposition of their leaders. If even one influential leader stubbornly opposes the house church, it's impossible for the church to convert. Our church deacons have not only been supportive of the house church but have also exemplary in their Christian walks. In many churches, leaders are not respected and are often criticized. At our church, the congregation admires its leaders and wants to be like them. Let me explain how our Board of Deacons works. The ...

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This New Year's Eve Service will be especially meaningful to me. I came to Houston 15 years ago this week, and started my ministry as pastor of Seoul Baptist by leading the New Year's Eve service. I arrived on a Wednesday, and all seven deacons - except for one who was battling liver cancer - came to Houston International Airport with their wives to welcome me. There is a saying among Korean pastors in the U.S. that whoever comes to the airport to welcome a new pastor will be the same ones who kick that pastor out of the church. I remember thinking to myself, "At least I won't be kicked out by just one deacon or two." Of the original eight deacons, ...

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