Preparing for the Upcoming Congregational Meeting
Our guest preacher today faithfully served our church for eight years in the KM’s young adults ministry, a parish, and recently accepted a call to teach at a seminary in South Korea. At the beginning of this year, when the Session took on the task of the senior pastor search, no one knew if Rev. Jeon would be the one to be called. But by God’s intervention, we have come to this point! When he left our church at the end of January this year, I thought to myself, "Oh, too bad, he could have been easily one of the candidates for our church.' I had no idea he would become that candidate.
For those of you who don't know much about the preacher, let me jot down a few words about him.
Foremostly, Rev. Jeon is a sincere person. When he was on staff, he fulfilled his pastoral duties by taking care of the young adults under his care, counselling them and guiding them spiritually, and checking upon the well-being of the elderly in his parish. His relationship with the pastors was also very cordial because of his sincerity, and he always put the church first, making sacrifices and dedication whenever necessary. He also has a special gift for teaching. Those who have taken his classes at Young Nak Bible School would agree.
If Rev. Jeon is called to be our senior pastor, I believe that he will make the transition very smooth. He has a good understanding of how our church works. I also expect that the church’s vision of becoming a missional church will continue seamlessly under his leadership. Add to that the vision, the talents, and the leadership skills he brings will enrich our community. I am confident our church will continue to thrive and grow with him.
Rev. Jeon spent a lot of time in North America, so he knows the needs of immigrant churches better than anyone without such exposure. While he is not a native speaker of the English language, he will be in close communication with the COAH leaders and will continue to validate our model of two congregations under one roof. He will work hard to foster the most effective environment for both congregations to work together for the Kingdom of God.
Article 59, paragraph 6 of the Constitution of the General Assembly of the Korean Presbyterian Church Abroad (KPCA) states that an associate pastor cannot be called as a senior pastor while in office, so there must be at least one year after his resignation before he can be called. In the case of Rev. Jeon, since he resigned from our church at the end of January this year and started to work at a seminary in Korea, he will not be able to take office as senior pastor until February 1 of next year. I am letting you know in advance. In the meantime, I can work with him to make the transition smooth.
May I ask that you seek God's wisdom and discernment as you pray during the week and come to next week's congregational meeting prepared?
Thank you and may the LORD bless you!
Pastor Minho Song