As 2004 comes to a close and I reflect upon the past year, I'm thankful for the blessings God has bestowed on our church. I am especially thankful for 7 things that happened this year. 1. We reorganized the Mission Department. Shepherd KC Choi, who is a vice president at Bechtel - one of the largest construction companies in the world - played a key role in restructuring the department and outlining a blueprint for the next 10 years. Shepherd Don Kim was put in charge of the new department. Its first project was the Mission Festival, with guest speaker Jerry Rankins, President of the International Mission Board. More than 100 people committed to ...

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As Christmas approaches and we celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus, I'd like to share something about our baby dedication ceremony. Roman Catholics practice infant baptism, as do certain Protestant groups. But the New Testament does not record any cases of infant baptism. In Scripture Baptism was only administered to adults after they confessed their faith in Jesus Christ. So Baptists who acknowledge the Bible as their only authority for faith and practice do not baptize infants; instead, they conduct an infant dedication ceremony. I am frequently asked whether it is necessary for both parents to be full members of our church to dedicate their ...

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In our staff meetings we discuss a book, one chapter each week, chosen in turns by every staff member. One book we studied recently was "Spiritual Leadership" by Oswald Sanders. Near the end of the book the author discusses possible hidden sins in leaders. These sins are very destructive because leaders are not aware of them and do not even realize that they are committing sins. It's only after much damage has been done to themselves or others that they become aware. Some of these sins are pride, jealousy, and self-centeredness. These sins are hard to recognize and get rid of. Their effects are more potent because they are committed unawares. How ...

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I have been thrifty my entire life. This might be because I have never been really affluent. But the main reason for my thriftiness was that I thought it was the "right" lifestyle. My wife recently threw away (to my deep regret) a pair of shoes that I had worn for 10 years after repeatedly replacing the soles. My wife also threw away some of my suits after buying new one as a 60th birthday present - they were also a decade old. I only wear suits on Sundays so they last forever. My watch has also been with me for more than 10 years. Fortunately, my wife can't throw it away because I always wear it. I don't buy too many things for myself partly ...

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The Mission Festival held a few weeks ago was very fruitful. From the Korean speaking congregation alone, 33 people (including some couples) committed to long term missions, which means they are willing to serve in a foreign country for 2 years or longer. This may be a good time to say something about our mission policies concerning sending our own missionaries. We will support but not send our own missionaries. Some missionaries have gone to mission fields without belonging to a mission organization, relying solely on the support of their local church. While some are doing well, most of them are struggling or have returned because they did not ...

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I just returned from Korea after leading three meetings there on the house church - one conference, one seminar for pastors, and one for lay people. The seminar for pastors, held in Junju, was especially meaningful to me. For the first time, multiple churches co-sponsored a seminar, here four churches, each having a little over 100 members. It was also the first time a seminar was held in a commercial building; the church that provided space meets in the basement of a downtown commercial building. Many small churches meet in commercial buildings and their pastors must have been very encouraged to see a church in similar circumstances sponsor a ...

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"Are you traveling again?" a member of our media team asked me with sadness as we were shooting Sunday's video announcements. I know she asked because she misses me but it made me feel guilty because I have been doing a lot of travel lately. It was a rule of mine that I would vacate the pulpit no more than 6 times a year. For the most part, I've kept this rule since becoming the senior pastor of our church. But recently I have left the pulpit more often, especially this year, taking a ten-week Sabbatical to write a book. I've been leaving more often in order to support the house church movement. I think that it has gained critical momentum. Even ...

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