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.