Pastor Sam Koh has been serving as the lead pastor of Hillside LA, the English congregation of Los Angeles Christian Presbyterian Church (LACPC), for his sixth year. Throughout his time serving in the English congregation of a Korean church, he’s experienced a discouraging phenomenon of many of his colleagues, young pastors who used to serve in English congregations, leaving ministry. This stirred him to start NexGen Pastors’ Fellowship, a gathering that creates a space for Korean American pastors to network, share, encourage, and run together. Koh shares his thoughts and experiences regarding ministry in the Korean immigrant church.
You shared that one of the reasons that NexGen Pastors’ Fellowship was started was because many fellow EM pastors were leaving ministry. What do you think are some struggles that EM pastors face that cause them to want to leave ministry?
You know, I’ll be very honest with you. It’s not easy to survive in the Korean church. EM pastors are getting older, and as they get older, they need to be able to make decisions. But because they need approval from an elder board or from someone else on the upper echelons, they don’t have the freedom to make their own decisions with their own leadership; and when they can’t make their own decisions regarding their own finances, they’re gonna get tired and get out of there.
Second, there are cultural differences. Some of the traditions and ways that the first gen worships is just not how we as the second gen worships, but EM pastors still strive to play by the same rules.
Third, there’s a language barrier, and that’s especially significant during meetings. Most if not all churches’ pastors’ meetings or leadership meetings will probably be held in Korean, and half the time, we probably can’t understand what they’re saying. And we can’t stop the meeting and ask what every other word means.
What do you think might be the healthiest model for the Korean immigrant church, then, when trying to navigate these issues of a bicultural, multi-generational, and bilingual congregation?
At this point, longevity-wise, I personally think it’s healthiest for both the KM and the EM if the English congregation just goes independent, given that the EM is stable with finances and leadership. One of the reasons for that is there is always a brokenness and a shift in congregation and leadership when a pastor leaves, and when an EM pastor leaves, the associate EM pastors usually leave as well. And this goes back to decision making. EM is usually not connected to the KM at large, so they usually don’t make it into positions of leadership. So they don’t have a voice, and they don’t have a substantial say in things. In that kind of model, the associate EM pastor is going to leave at some point.
But the thing is, even if an English congregation were to go independent, they don’t have to be completely separate. As long as the KM and the EM pastors have a heart for each other and a good relationship with each other, the two could still collaborate and do things together. They could go on missions together and do outreach together, for example.
How do you think, for churches that have both EM and KM, that the gap between the two ministries can be filled and that they can maintain a healthy relationship with each other?
They need to spend time with each other – the KM pastor, EM pastor, and the senior pastor. I think Koreans tend to be very driven, so they’re usually very busy, both KM and EM pastors, with their ministries and families. It’s okay to grow and to keep moving forward, but only with a certain measure. You need to maintain a quality of life, and part of that includes relationships. If they spend time with each other, share what’s going on, and build a deeper relationship, I think that would be a great start.
What are some ways that your church has been trying to collaborate with the Korean ministry?
We do various events together, such as the annual church picnic. There are a lot of things even during the picnic, such as the games, that we as the second generation don’t usually do on our own and we might not be used to it, but we go in there with the mindset that we’re going to try and do everything the way that KM does it. And we have a lot of fun and we really look forward to it every year.
The EM also cooks the annual Thanksgiving lunch for the entire church, so we prepare food for 400 people.
And one of the most successful things we’ve done together is going on missions together with KM. We’ve gone together for about two years now, and so far, we’ve been to Arizona, Belize, Mexico, and China. For one of the mission trips, we had some Hispanic members of our EM—our EM is very multi-ethnic—and at first, I noticed that some of the KM members kind of avoided them, because they were ex-gang members. But at the end of the mission trip, I saw them putting their arms around each other and just so much closer to each other. These things are happening in the name of Jesus.
What is some advice you would give to EM pastors who may be struggling at their church?
They need to pray hard. They can’t just move by emotions – they need to have clear convictions, because without that, they’ll waver left and right.
Also, I know that second gen pastors can be lazy. I want to encourage them to work hard, and pray hard.
For the EM pastors who may be thinking of going independent, they need to know what they’re asking for before they ask. Make sure to know all of the logistics and finances, and make sure that they can be self-sustaining. Wait on the Lord and move with conviction. And make sure to receive support from the KM and have their blessings.
Give your best, and really serve the church.
This is one in a series of interviews with southern California pastors who either serve in English ministry (EM) or have a heart for the intergenerational relationship within the Korean church. As the generation of the Korean church leadership is shifting from the first to the second generation, what are the obstacles that are hindering the English ministry from flourishing? How can EM and KM pastors work together to build up the second-generation church? These are among the many questions that these pastors grapple with, and that Christianity Daily is hoping to wrestle together with through these interviews.
