Apr 15, 2026 | Rev. Dr. Sang Choi, Associate Superintendent

In April 2001, I was appointed by the first Korean-American bishop, Hae-Jong Kim, to plant a new Korean-American church in the Greater Pittsburgh area. This ministry was intended to serve Korean immigrants, second-generation Korean Americans, and intercultural families.

Before my appointment, I received a phone call from Bishop Kim. He said, “Why don’t you come to Pittsburgh? I am planning to start a new Korean-English-speaking church.” I must admit, I was terrified to hear those words, because I had never considered myself the right person to start a new church. At that time, there were no mentors or coaches available to guide me, so I turned to books for direction. I purchased The Purpose Driven Church by Pastor Rick Warren and Leading Beyond the Walls by Pastor Adam Hamilton, and they became my teachers.

In Leading Beyond the Walls, Hamilton challenges readers to deepen their motivation and vision by reflecting on three important questions he considered when founding the Church of the Resurrection in Kansas City:

  1. Why do people need Jesus Christ (or God)?
  2. Why do people need the church?
  3. Why do people need this church—your specific church?

In John 21:15–19, the Risen Christ asks Simon Peter three times, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” After asking this question three times, Jesus gives Peter two commands: “Feed my sheep” (v.17) and “Follow me” (v.19).

Through this repeated question—“Do you love me?”—Jesus not only forgives Peter but also restores him. He reinstates Peter as an apostle and sends him out as a faithful witness of the Risen Christ, bearing good fruit (John 15:16). In the end, Peter responds to Jesus’ call once again, offering his whole life to the gospel ministry as a forgiven and transformed disciple.

These two sets of questions—from the Risen Christ and from Pastor Adam Hamilton—continue to echo in my heart during this Easter season like a gentle, still voice:

Are we faithfully responding to the call of the Risen Christ—“Follow me”—and serving the Body of Christ—“Feed my sheep”?

Photo by Julia Weihe on Unsplash