Someone shared yesterday about a vision (a mental picture) one of his TLC members had last Sunday. In the vision the member saw a group of people, some of them JOY members, standing in a fellowship setting. Then, a fog came and surrounded them. Out of the fog came out tentacles that separated people from each other. The fog represented a spirit of confusion that comes over people that prevents people from seeing clearly; the tentacles represented works of the devil that try to separate people and create division.
As we considered what is happening in some of the members' lives, we could tell this type of division was at work. Some people are upset at each other, and some have not attended church for a while because of relational strains. Others want to leave a TLC, etc. Going forward, we see a greater possibility of division, with the elder selection process for example.
It is imperative that we pursue unity of the spirit. After St. Paul severely rebuked an immoral member of the church, and after a time of the member's repentance, St. Paul asked the church to forgive and restore him to fellowship for "we are not unaware of the devil's schemes" (2 Corinthians 2:11). What is the devil's scheme? To create division in the church, and through that division destroy people's spiritual lives. And that kind of scheme happens constantly around us. People leave churches because they are hurt by someone and eventually quit their relationship with God. These are not just small relational problems that we can overlook. People's eternal destinies are at stake. It is imperative that we pursue the unity of the spirit.
The best way to do it is first to pray. Pray for protection. Pray for humility among us all to seek unity. Before we try to humanly bring unity, we need to pray, for our struggle is not against people, but against the spiritual forces of evil (Eph. 6:12). Second, we reach out to people, humble ourselves and reconcile. Do not let one person perish because of our pride. We commit ourselves to do all we can to restore fellowship, knowing that their eternal life may be at stake.
After hearing about the vision, the group of us spent time praying for protection of our church. This morning, I shared the vision at our staff meeting and again prayed for protection. I ask you right now to pray for protection of the church, and if you know of anyone who has fallen away because of relational issues that you would reach out, call, email, etc., and bring them back to fellowship. Blessings.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Friday, April 3, 2009
Elder Nomination
The ball is rolling. In February JOY passed the bylaw and affirmed the decision to go forward with the eldership. After getting the board's input, I have selected the nominating committee. We decided to choose five members so that the burden would not fall on few shoulders but shared broadly. At the same time, we did not want the number to be too big thus causing the process to consume too much time. The nominating committee members are: Sung Park, Paul Lee, Kathy Lee, Sandy Moon and Susan Yom .
Nominating committee plays a very important role in selecting elders. Therefore, I prayed and looked for the following characteristics in selecting the nominating committee: People who deeply care about the church, are respected leaders of the church and will give discerning and unbiased opinions. I also chose people who represent different pools of people in the church.
There is no mystery in elder selection process. Besides the biblical requirements about elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9), we are looking for people who 1) have no selfish ambition in serving as an elder, 2) have wisdom and discernment, 3) are conciliatory in nature, and thus seeking harmony, 4) have leadership (others respect them as leaders), 5) are long time members of JOY, 6) supportive of pastors, and 7) people who together will bring a mixture of gifts to the church leadership.
Starting now, these people will take charge of the nomination process. They will ask for nominations, screen and interview them, and eventually provide me with the short list from which the elders will be chosen. Once chosen, they will be affirmed in the congregation vote, go through training (proposed period is six-months) and once they pass the elder ordination exam, they will be ordained publicly. This is an important step our church is taking, so please keep the elder selection process in prayer throughout the whole period.
Nominating committee plays a very important role in selecting elders. Therefore, I prayed and looked for the following characteristics in selecting the nominating committee: People who deeply care about the church, are respected leaders of the church and will give discerning and unbiased opinions. I also chose people who represent different pools of people in the church.
There is no mystery in elder selection process. Besides the biblical requirements about elders (1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9), we are looking for people who 1) have no selfish ambition in serving as an elder, 2) have wisdom and discernment, 3) are conciliatory in nature, and thus seeking harmony, 4) have leadership (others respect them as leaders), 5) are long time members of JOY, 6) supportive of pastors, and 7) people who together will bring a mixture of gifts to the church leadership.
Starting now, these people will take charge of the nomination process. They will ask for nominations, screen and interview them, and eventually provide me with the short list from which the elders will be chosen. Once chosen, they will be affirmed in the congregation vote, go through training (proposed period is six-months) and once they pass the elder ordination exam, they will be ordained publicly. This is an important step our church is taking, so please keep the elder selection process in prayer throughout the whole period.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
It's Lent. Have you been praying?
For the first time in Bergen County Asian-American history, seven churches have been gathering every Friday for praise and prayer during this Lent season, moving from one church to another. The Bible and history demonstrate two elements are necessary for revival--unity and prayer--and through the joint prayer, we are trying to accomplish exactly that. Although the overall participation is encouraging, I find the lack of JOY members' participation disappointing. There are the usual faithfuls who show up at every Friday prayer, but I had hoped that many who usually do not come out to pray would come out, it being a special Lent season. I am mostly disappointed about that. Even in this dire economic climate, most remained unmoved. For some people, especially parents of young children, I understand the difficulties. Still, even for them, I long for the old days, like when I was a young boy. My mother took me to the prayer services, which was completely age-irrelevant to me; I found it boring, frequently fell asleep in the middle of the service, etc., but in those services I caught something. The spirit of revival. I felt the Holy Spirit move in those passionate prayers. And those prayers changed the nation--in this case, the nation of South Korea. I wish those days would come to us, that the spirit of desperation would descend upon us, and we would pray as though the world depends on our prayers; and it does.
We are living in a momentous point in history. The tipping point of history is upon us. It is not time to sit idle with TV. It is not even time to panic with news. It is time to pray. The world is moved by God, and prayer moves God. It is time to come together and pray. The people of God must take up their battle positions to pray and change history.
"I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth." (Isa 62:6, 7)
We are living in a momentous point in history. The tipping point of history is upon us. It is not time to sit idle with TV. It is not even time to panic with news. It is time to pray. The world is moved by God, and prayer moves God. It is time to come together and pray. The people of God must take up their battle positions to pray and change history.
"I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they will never be silent day or night. You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth." (Isa 62:6, 7)
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Manhattan Site
I am preparing to launch JOY's third site in Manhattan. For those who wonder why we would want to do that, I write this blog entry. A year and a half ago, we began looking for a second site to provide room for growth. That search led to the Edgewater Site. However, what began as a simple search for physical room to grow led to a total paradigm shift of how we would do church. As the congregation prayed for one month concerning the decision to have a second site, God began to give us confirmations via many people. One verse particularly struck me: "Jesus went through every city and village, preaching the good news of the Kingdom of God" (Luke 8:1). This is a most simple verse describing Jesus' ministry, but it struck me hard. Until then my paradigm of doing church was : build it as large as you can and have people come to you. However, this verse showed a different picture: Go where people are and build churches. Jesus did not put up a large tent and gathered people from all over the country; he went to people and preached the gospel. Thus, before we launched the Edgewater Site, we had changed how we would go forward. We would look for places where churches are needed--especially places where concentrations of Asian-Americans live without Asian-American church presence--and build churches. As we started the Edgewater service, we were already planning for the third site for the fall of 2009.
I thought the third site would be near Parsippany. I never thought of going into NYC. What a wild idea! How daunting it looked. However, some people shared with me their impressions from God that the third site would be in NYC. These were unsolicited; therefore, I began to mull over this possibility and inquired what other people, especially those who live in NYC, thought. The responses were enthusiastic: "We need JOY in NYC. People want to come to JOY but cannot because it is in NJ," etc. Thus, we began seriously thinking, and it made more and more sense that the third site would be in Manhattan--where massive number of Asian-Americans live with limited church presence. Julie and I also visited the Redeemer Church and The Journey Church and came back more convinced that JOY will have a role to play in NYC.
The Manhattan site launch will not be as Edgewater launch. It will be much more limited. Edgewater launch was a passive structural change: 70-80 people coming out to start a new service. For Manhattan site, I expect 20-30 from JOY to come out. While Edgewater was a like division of forces in half, Manhattan will be like sending a special force.
Therefore, we are looking for mission-minded people, people who look forward to the hard work of tilling a new soil, people who want to begin something for the sake of many. Already a good number of mission-minded people have signed up. If you are interested, please let me know. We need people who will lead TLC's, ministries, and worship band (for worship band, please talk to Kevin Jun if interested kevinjun@gmail.com) . If not, please assist us with prayer that many will be brought to God's Kingdom through this new site.
We will be duplicating what we are already doing at Tenafly and Edgewater. I think the service will begin at 4:30pm, somewhere midtown. I will preach. TLC will take place immediately following the service, just as at Tenafly and Edgewater.
I thought the third site would be near Parsippany. I never thought of going into NYC. What a wild idea! How daunting it looked. However, some people shared with me their impressions from God that the third site would be in NYC. These were unsolicited; therefore, I began to mull over this possibility and inquired what other people, especially those who live in NYC, thought. The responses were enthusiastic: "We need JOY in NYC. People want to come to JOY but cannot because it is in NJ," etc. Thus, we began seriously thinking, and it made more and more sense that the third site would be in Manhattan--where massive number of Asian-Americans live with limited church presence. Julie and I also visited the Redeemer Church and The Journey Church and came back more convinced that JOY will have a role to play in NYC.
The Manhattan site launch will not be as Edgewater launch. It will be much more limited. Edgewater launch was a passive structural change: 70-80 people coming out to start a new service. For Manhattan site, I expect 20-30 from JOY to come out. While Edgewater was a like division of forces in half, Manhattan will be like sending a special force.
Therefore, we are looking for mission-minded people, people who look forward to the hard work of tilling a new soil, people who want to begin something for the sake of many. Already a good number of mission-minded people have signed up. If you are interested, please let me know. We need people who will lead TLC's, ministries, and worship band (for worship band, please talk to Kevin Jun if interested kevinjun@gmail.com) . If not, please assist us with prayer that many will be brought to God's Kingdom through this new site.
We will be duplicating what we are already doing at Tenafly and Edgewater. I think the service will begin at 4:30pm, somewhere midtown. I will preach. TLC will take place immediately following the service, just as at Tenafly and Edgewater.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
A Lesson from Old Soviet Republic
In 1991 the seemingly impossible happened. The feared, powerful Soviet Empire collapsed in a nearly less revolution. Only after the seemingly impossible took place, the facts began to emerge for the general public. The Soviet System was dysfunctional and had been crumbling for decades. The collapse created a panic throughout the Soviet state.
But for Christians, the collapse of the evil empire created an opportunity like never before. Previously, Christians had to smuggle bibles into the country. Followed by KGB, once captured, a Christian could be imprisoned, or at least deported. But when the empire collapsed, the Russian people began to seek Christ, not in hiding, but out in the open, even aggressively. The Christians who visited the Red Square during those years would testify how Russians would clamor around anyone seemingly Christian and ask them to tell them how to be saved. Once Christians had to risk all to preach the gospel, but now the iron curtain of darkness was lifted, and people sought the gospel. Many became saved, and churches were born.
The open window however did not last for long. Within 10 years, the nation began to clamp down on missionaries. More important, the inundation of the western materialism possessed people's hearts, and the once spiritual hunger lost its sharpness. The window of opportunity lasted only a short while.
In America today, we face perhaps the most spiritual open season in our life time. The collapse of the financial system has brought desperation in people's hearts. Christians, this is the time to share the gospel. It is no time to share in the same fear, but show our reasons for hope and bring others to this hope.
I wonder what steps you are taking to throw a lifeline to your friends or co-workers? Do you ask them how they are doing, and share how you are doing--that you are confident because of Christ? Do you share your testimonies of how God miraculously met your needs? Do you invite them to church? Do you initiate prayer meetings at work? (I tend to think it is the best to start a company prayer meeting. Who would object to "Let's start praying for our company and one another?)
Like Russia, the window will not remain open forever. In life, there always is a season of opportunity and it closes. We must step into it. There is no time for fear or hesitation.
In the same vein, I believe this is the right time to start our new worship site in NYC. We have 15-20 people interested but are looking for more. If interested, please send me an email (dannyhan@joychurch.com).
But for Christians, the collapse of the evil empire created an opportunity like never before. Previously, Christians had to smuggle bibles into the country. Followed by KGB, once captured, a Christian could be imprisoned, or at least deported. But when the empire collapsed, the Russian people began to seek Christ, not in hiding, but out in the open, even aggressively. The Christians who visited the Red Square during those years would testify how Russians would clamor around anyone seemingly Christian and ask them to tell them how to be saved. Once Christians had to risk all to preach the gospel, but now the iron curtain of darkness was lifted, and people sought the gospel. Many became saved, and churches were born.
The open window however did not last for long. Within 10 years, the nation began to clamp down on missionaries. More important, the inundation of the western materialism possessed people's hearts, and the once spiritual hunger lost its sharpness. The window of opportunity lasted only a short while.
In America today, we face perhaps the most spiritual open season in our life time. The collapse of the financial system has brought desperation in people's hearts. Christians, this is the time to share the gospel. It is no time to share in the same fear, but show our reasons for hope and bring others to this hope.
I wonder what steps you are taking to throw a lifeline to your friends or co-workers? Do you ask them how they are doing, and share how you are doing--that you are confident because of Christ? Do you share your testimonies of how God miraculously met your needs? Do you invite them to church? Do you initiate prayer meetings at work? (I tend to think it is the best to start a company prayer meeting. Who would object to "Let's start praying for our company and one another?)
Like Russia, the window will not remain open forever. In life, there always is a season of opportunity and it closes. We must step into it. There is no time for fear or hesitation.
In the same vein, I believe this is the right time to start our new worship site in NYC. We have 15-20 people interested but are looking for more. If interested, please send me an email (dannyhan@joychurch.com).
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Unnecessary Fear of the Unknown
We live in the most fearful of our lifetime. We feel a heavy, dark cloud hang over us. Most of us are doing OK. We still have our jobs, and houses, but the fear is palpable: "Am I next? Will I be OK?"
As we face these dark times, I want to share with you a few truths.
1. Do not fear the unknown future. Remember that God has already gone ahead of you into your future and waits for you. There is nothing to fear. The future is unknown, but our God is not unknown. He is good. He is working out His good plans for you through the dark times, and He is sovereign. Do not fear the future.
2. If you have been at JOY for a while, you have been prepared for such a time as this. We have talked extensively about the time of God's judgment, and in the time that was coming (which is upon us now), it is not what we know that matters, but who we know. You should know God and Christ now, that He cares for you and that He is sovereign. If you do not know Christ intimately, this is the time to seek God, even now.
It is no time to panic. It is God's time.
1. If you do not know Christ intimately, this is the time to seek Him. Do not panic; instead, seek Him earnestly. Come to Marveling Place or Morning Prayer, and seek Him. Worrying will not help you; intimate knowledge of God will help you. You will know you are secure in Christ.
2. If you know Christ, realize this is God's time. We have been praying for the spiritual repentance and revival of this nation, and the great spiritual harvest. This is such a time. Those who know God must lead the way and tell others about Christ. Share with others the confidence you have in Christ and how they can know Christ also. This is the time we have prayed for. Now that the time is here, do not lose the opportunity.
As your pastor, I am not worried about your future. God is in control. He cares for you. He is even through what is happening working out His wonderful plans for your life. We will look back at these times one day and give thanks to God for what He accomplished.
As we face these dark times, I want to share with you a few truths.
1. Do not fear the unknown future. Remember that God has already gone ahead of you into your future and waits for you. There is nothing to fear. The future is unknown, but our God is not unknown. He is good. He is working out His good plans for you through the dark times, and He is sovereign. Do not fear the future.
2. If you have been at JOY for a while, you have been prepared for such a time as this. We have talked extensively about the time of God's judgment, and in the time that was coming (which is upon us now), it is not what we know that matters, but who we know. You should know God and Christ now, that He cares for you and that He is sovereign. If you do not know Christ intimately, this is the time to seek God, even now.
It is no time to panic. It is God's time.
1. If you do not know Christ intimately, this is the time to seek Him. Do not panic; instead, seek Him earnestly. Come to Marveling Place or Morning Prayer, and seek Him. Worrying will not help you; intimate knowledge of God will help you. You will know you are secure in Christ.
2. If you know Christ, realize this is God's time. We have been praying for the spiritual repentance and revival of this nation, and the great spiritual harvest. This is such a time. Those who know God must lead the way and tell others about Christ. Share with others the confidence you have in Christ and how they can know Christ also. This is the time we have prayed for. Now that the time is here, do not lose the opportunity.
As your pastor, I am not worried about your future. God is in control. He cares for you. He is even through what is happening working out His wonderful plans for your life. We will look back at these times one day and give thanks to God for what He accomplished.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Bylaws and Elders
This Sunday we will take a congregational vote on the bylaws. This is a big step and according has raised significant jitters. The core of the fear concerns eldership. Most people have witnessed bad eldership cases where churches have split, and many question, "Do we need to have elders," "Are we ready to have elders," or "Is anyone ready to become an elder?"
Why do we need eldership? Much work happens behind the scene at church as in any organization. Let's compare the church to a secular organization, a store. For the store to look immaculate and function well, we know that many people work furiously to keep everything in good order in the backroom. Likewise, many things happen in the background to keep the church minister to people. Over the years, the present board--me and the elected lay leaders--have found the present system of board structure no longer sufficient. Average congregation members do not feel the strain the old system increasingly put on the staff and the board, but for those who work day-to-day, the strain had become tremendous. Thus, we embarked on searching for a new system and came to the conclusion of having eldership . Ultimately, it is a biblical even if we had bad experiences with it, and we decided that the should be redeemed rather than discarded. I ask you to trust the leaders that you elected to consider the welfare of the church and their decision to choose eldership.
Are we ready? In some ways I wish our congregation was older. Because most people are still in their 20s and 30s, they are busy building their career and raising young children. Eldership requires great sacrifice, and it will be a very difficult choice when people are still so young. However, if the question is about maturity of our members, we have to counter the question with another question. "Will we ever be ready?" Is anybody ready to get married and bear the burden of marriage as he/she is supposed to? Is anybody ready to become a father/mother? No one should be so proud to say that they are ready. Lord have mercy on the person who thinks he/she is ready. Rather, we humbly enter marriage or parenthood and become competent in the process. We all need to be humble--those who will become elder--and the rest must help those who will become leaders to grow into those roles.
If there is anyone who should be most concerned about eldership, it should be me. When the eldership falls apart, the one that pays the highest price is the pastor. Churches have split, pastors have suffered under pressure and even been kicked out. Initially I had significant reservation, but I agreed for a couple of reasons. First, I trust in God. Joy Christian Fellowship is not my church; it is God's church. If the worst happens to me, and I get ousted, that's really OK. It's not the end of God's church or my life. Second, I trust in the fundamental decency of our leaders. I have worked with many leaders now. It has not always been easy, and we have not always agreed, but I have found all of them good people seeking the best of the church without personal agendas. So, in that sense I believe we are ready.
Is anyone ready to become an elder? is another question that people ask. A long time ago, a young lady came to me and asked if a certain young man who was seeking her hand was fit to be her husband. At that time, she was far more mature in faith and like most women she had hoped for a man who would be her spiritual leader. I told her that she should look at 1) the fundamental character of the person, and 2) potential of the person. Is he a fundamentally good person, and does he have the potential to become the kind of man you would like to have as husband one day? He had both qualities. They married and the man has become a spiritual leader. Therefore, we should look also not for people who are completely ready--when will that come--but look for people with fundamentally good qualities, qualities like gentleness of spirit, humility to genuinely listen to other people's views with whom they disagree, and sacrificial love for Christ and His church. Personally, I believe we have many people who will become great elders.
This Sunday is an important vote for our church. Please pray for the church, vote, and pray some more.
Why do we need eldership? Much work happens behind the scene at church as in any organization. Let's compare the church to a secular organization, a store. For the store to look immaculate and function well, we know that many people work furiously to keep everything in good order in the backroom. Likewise, many things happen in the background to keep the church minister to people. Over the years, the present board--me and the elected lay leaders--have found the present system of board structure no longer sufficient. Average congregation members do not feel the strain the old system increasingly put on the staff and the board, but for those who work day-to-day, the strain had become tremendous. Thus, we embarked on searching for a new system and came to the conclusion of having eldership . Ultimately, it is a biblical even if we had bad experiences with it, and we decided that the should be redeemed rather than discarded. I ask you to trust the leaders that you elected to consider the welfare of the church and their decision to choose eldership.
Are we ready? In some ways I wish our congregation was older. Because most people are still in their 20s and 30s, they are busy building their career and raising young children. Eldership requires great sacrifice, and it will be a very difficult choice when people are still so young. However, if the question is about maturity of our members, we have to counter the question with another question. "Will we ever be ready?" Is anybody ready to get married and bear the burden of marriage as he/she is supposed to? Is anybody ready to become a father/mother? No one should be so proud to say that they are ready. Lord have mercy on the person who thinks he/she is ready. Rather, we humbly enter marriage or parenthood and become competent in the process. We all need to be humble--those who will become elder--and the rest must help those who will become leaders to grow into those roles.
If there is anyone who should be most concerned about eldership, it should be me. When the eldership falls apart, the one that pays the highest price is the pastor. Churches have split, pastors have suffered under pressure and even been kicked out. Initially I had significant reservation, but I agreed for a couple of reasons. First, I trust in God. Joy Christian Fellowship is not my church; it is God's church. If the worst happens to me, and I get ousted, that's really OK. It's not the end of God's church or my life. Second, I trust in the fundamental decency of our leaders. I have worked with many leaders now. It has not always been easy, and we have not always agreed, but I have found all of them good people seeking the best of the church without personal agendas. So, in that sense I believe we are ready.
Is anyone ready to become an elder? is another question that people ask. A long time ago, a young lady came to me and asked if a certain young man who was seeking her hand was fit to be her husband. At that time, she was far more mature in faith and like most women she had hoped for a man who would be her spiritual leader. I told her that she should look at 1) the fundamental character of the person, and 2) potential of the person. Is he a fundamentally good person, and does he have the potential to become the kind of man you would like to have as husband one day? He had both qualities. They married and the man has become a spiritual leader. Therefore, we should look also not for people who are completely ready--when will that come--but look for people with fundamentally good qualities, qualities like gentleness of spirit, humility to genuinely listen to other people's views with whom they disagree, and sacrificial love for Christ and His church. Personally, I believe we have many people who will become great elders.
This Sunday is an important vote for our church. Please pray for the church, vote, and pray some more.
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