Late last summer, Rev. Choi joined the team here in EPA as an Associate Superintendent. In December, we sat down to chat about life in ministry and the parts of his job that bring him the most life and joy. What follows is an edited and condensed record of our conversation.
What do you like to do for fun?
I love gathering together with others. I like to watch TV, especially football games. I’m not yet fully a Philadelphia Eagles fan. I will support the Eagles, but I’m still a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
I also really enjoy watching Netflix movies; they help me to relax and focus on different areas besides ministry.
What’s your favorite Netflix movie? – Recently I watched a Christmas movie, it was so touching, I forgot the title. I also really enjoyed Shadowlands, the story of C.S. Lewis who cared for his wife as she was dying of cancer. Through his care for his wife, he learned we humans suffer in different ways; that suffering is a part of life, though we might want to avoid it.
I love that. I’m a big C.S. Lewis fan; I’ll have to go watch the movie. Shifting gears slightly, I’d love to hear a little bit about your call story. How did you enter the ministry and how has your sense of call shifted from the beginning until now?
To make a long story short, as a pastor’s kid I have been growing up watching my father’s ministry. My father served in a small rural church, a small village, until my family moved to Seoul when I was in 6th grade.
While I was watching my father’s ministry, even though I was young, I was always thinking about church revival, resilience, and restoration.
My father was a great example of ministry; he served a small congregation, and a new church start. He was so faithful. I followed his footsteps, and I decided to go to Methodist Theological University in Seoul. And then, my family immigrated when I was 24 finishing college. I continued to pursue becoming an ordained minister in The United Methodist Church at Drew Theological School.
I was ordained as an elder in the New York Annual Conference. I served as an associate pastor in Flushing, NY for a Korean church that had about 1,000 attendants every Sunday, then served as an associate pastor in Detroit Korean UMC for five years.
In 2001, I was appointed to start a church for Korean American people in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan area. I preached a bilingual service at Mt. Lebanon to Korean immigrants (including second generation of K-A), international students, and cross-cultural families. I served there for four years, and since that time I’ve served in cross-cultural, cross- racial ministries for four churches in Western PA before becoming a District Superintendent under Bishop Moore-Koikoi for three years.
Now I am here, by God’s divine purpose. I’m now closer to my mom in Staten Island, New York City.
What brings you joy in ministry?
When I served a local church, it brought me joy to see church growth in the spiritual maturity of the church members. Not just deep faith, but spiritual maturity. I also loved to see the church reaching out to the community in many ways.
My last church I served was Christ UMC in a suburb of Pittsburgh. Through Mission Insite I found out that the community where the church is located is not the place where there are many middle-aged people, rather it was elderly people, and young singles and couples were the predominant demographics in our area.
Once I found that, I thought how can we reach out to this community through vision casting meetings? One couple suggested we start an elderly ministry. We began the Happy Heart gathering on the first Tuesday of each month. We provide the main meal, devotions, and programs. We started with 30 people, and when I left there were 80 people.
My second joy is inspiring congregations to grow in their shared ministry. The last church I served had not paid their full apportionment for 20 years. After three years we paid 100%, even during COVID-19.
I want to be part of missional giving, giving to our church. We are a connectional church for the sake of larger ministries of evangelism, peace and justice, hunger, saving people from human trafficking, and refugees around the world.
My third joy in ministry was sending short term mission trips, teamed up by lay people. One church sent short term mission trip to Dominican Republic 4 years in a row. It changed the whole church atmosphere. Everyone prayed. Everyone donated. The church was so much blessed in its service.
What is your understanding of the role of an associate superintendent? What gifts and graces do you bring to the role?
An associate superintendent helps local churches to be sustainable in their ministry. My job is to help churches become more vital and make disciples.
In terms of my gifts and graces, I am an attentive listener. When I was at Drew, I did a round of Clinical Pastoral Education. It taught me to listen with empathy to patients and their families.
I also try to be an encourager. I believe that every pastor who is called is gifted by God, graced by God. Every pastor. I really believe that. I encourage pastors to find their own spiritual gifts and talents and then help them to exercise their talents boldly.
Third, praying and discerning together. That’s my gift and talent. I try to be humble by myself, just being sensified to what God calls me to do or to be, to embody myself, so then I’m happy and content to pray with them, and discerning God’s good will.
So, in short, I help churches by listening attentively, encouraging positively, and praying and discerning God’s will fervently.
How do you hope and pray that your work with churches will empower their witness?
I believe that God has a great plan for every church, regardless of its size. I read a book; One Size Doesn’t Fit All. We often see small congregations worrying about being small. I want to help change their mindset. I believe God has a great plan for every church regardless of its size or geographic location.
I grew up observing my father. I have a big passion for small local churches. I believe that every church can serve their ministry in their community and world through our connectional church. I believe that.
What have you learned about EPA over the past 5 months?
EPA has great potential witnessing to Jesus’ ministry. Jesus says make disciples of all nations, all ethnic people. In EPA there are many different ethnic people, of different colors of skin, faith traditions, and histories.
There’s old United Methodist history and central conference history. Many in the West District and the North District come from former EUB churches and are more conservative. But I like that. I’m a moderate; but I embrace conservative, moderate, and progressive.
There’s a diversity of theological stance. I like Bishop Moore-Koikoi’s greeting: “Beloved.” Everybody is beloved. Everybody is loved. Everybody is chosen to be children of God.
I feel such a spirit in EPA. I feel very positive about the ministry of EPA.
How can churches get in contact with you?
Email: schoi@epagnj.org or text or call 412-977-1538. Text message or call for consultation in ministry, coaching for pastors, casting vision day. It’s free of charge. I encourage pastors and congregations to connect with me. I’m working with Pathways Bridges so you can also connect with me there.