Many of our church members say that they have happy lives because they are satisfied with church. Visitors comment that our church members seem genuinely happy. Statements like these make me glad because my goal in ministry is to help our members be happy through church. I had such bad experiences in churches I attended as a lay-person that I committed myself to making my church members happy when I became a pastor. Every Christian wants to enjoy their church. But sadly, it's rare to meet Christians who truly feel this way. I also think that every pastor wants to make his church members happy. But it's rare to meet pastors who are successful in ...

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When my grandchild Ellie was born, I had mixed emotions. On one hand, I was happy to get a beautiful granddaughter. On the other hand, I was sad to become a bona fide grandfather. I felt too young, at least at heart, to be a grandfather. But in less than a year, I will have three grandchildren. My daughter-in-law Jieun and my daughter Christine are both pregnant. So I'm resigned to the fact that I am a grandfather. But if I must be a grandfather, I want to be a nice one. So I pay close attention to older people and observe how they behave. One thing I noticed is that they tend to not pay attention to what other people say. For example, if someone ...

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Someone once said that our church is demanding. I don't disagree with this assessment. Unlike many churches that accept visitors as members if they simply fill out a visitation card, our church asks people to come forward during Sunday worship services and sign a commitment card in order to become members. And these "members" do not have the voting privileges and may not serve in most ministry positions. These are reserved for "full members". To become a full member, a person needs to accept Christ, be baptized, and apply for full membership. Their application must be approved in the deacons meeting, and during the Sunday worship service, the ...

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We have a "hug ceremony" for people who have come to receive Jesus as their Lord, been baptized, and completed "Survival Kit", our introductory training course. Their fellow house church members each give them a rose and a hug, thus the name, "Hug Ceremony". The purpose of the Church is to reach people who do not know the Lord and make them his disciples. This ceremony is meant to celebrate shepherds, their spouses and house church members for helping people take their first steps towards becoming disciples of Jesus. During this ceremony, most shepherds and their spouses are so moved that they shed tears. It is understandable, considering all the ...

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Meteorologists predicted that Hurricane Rita would be the third strongest hurricane ever recorded when it hit the American coastline. Many reporters feared that Houston would suffer historic damage, being in its direct path. Many people evacuated the region to take refuge elsewhere. I heard this news in Atlanta, where I was leading a seminar for pastors on the House Church. I was reminded of a Bible passage: "Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." (James 5:17-18) I was especi...

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House church members are allowed to switch to another house church only once, during the first 6 months after they join our church. Afterwards, they may not switch. The reason for this is that the house church is a place where people are trained to conform to the image of Christ. People become like Christ through conflict. We change as we work to get along with people whose temperaments are very different from our own or try to love people who hurt us. People usually leave house churches because they can't handle conflict. If everyone is allowed to do so whenever conflicts arise, we will never learn to become like Christ. There are exceptions to ...

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Last Thursday I went to the George Brown Convention Center to serve Hurricane Katrina refugees. I helped pack and load portable beds to be sent to other shelters and swept the floor of dining areas. It seems that the refugees at the Astrodome and the Convention Center are receiving enough attention and care. From now on our church will focus our attention on those refugees who are staying at church-run shelters. These shelters don't receive financial distributions from the Red Cross or United Way because they are religious organizations. We will be partnering with the Gano Mission Center (GMC). People who want to help often don't know how best to ...

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