Compared to churches in Korea, ours isn’t very large, but among Korean churches in Europe, we’re known for having many young people gather. Because of that, people have taken interest and reached out, suggesting that we partner together if there are important ministries to pursue. Yet, because I have personally witnessed so clearly that it is Jesus who builds His church—as He said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18)—whenever I receive even the slightest praise, I feel inclined to withdraw rather than accept it.
I am convinced that the main reason God has blessed me and our church is because of our desire to live for missions. Even so, I do not consider us to be doing particularly well. I often feel sorry before God, wondering if we are just dreaming while bearing too little actual fruit. From the very beginning of my ministry in London until now, my passion for missions has remained unchanged. I still long to see the gospel preached to the ends of the earth and to meet the Lord when He returns.
The vision I most often proclaim and share regarding missions is diaspora missions within the city. I want to support churches of various ethnic groups gathered in large cities like London. In particular, I hope to create opportunities where the next generation of those nations can come together and meet consistently, so that they can achieve the unity that the first generation could not due to language and cultural barriers. Ultimately, I hope they can become organized and rise as key leaders who will carry out mission work across the entire United Kingdom. If such a good model is established in a highly influential city like London, I imagine taking it to cities around the world, helping to implement it, and forming networks between those cities. In the end, I envision global missions being completed through the next generation. Just thinking about it gets me excited.
Because my calling is so clear, even when others from outside invite me to collaborate with good intentions, I politely decline if it is not directly related to diaspora missions. I had received invitations to KOSTA before, but if it were simply a youth gathering focused on receiving grace, I wasn’t particularly interested. I felt that our church’s weekly worship and annual retreats already served a similar purpose, and since there are many such gatherings elsewhere, I thought that was sufficient.
However, two years ago, after meeting the representative of KOSTA in Korea and having a conversation, I became convinced that KOSTA—already established in many major cities—could be used as a platform where young people from diverse ethnic backgrounds gather together. With that purpose in mind, we decided to try it in the UK, and that is how KOSTA UK came about.
The reason I am participating this week in the “Diaspora Mission Conference” held at Bethel Church in Irvine is the same. If God grants good fruit for diaspora missions in London, I want to take that model to cities in different countries and encourage Korean church pastors and missionaries to adopt it. Now, Pastor Kim Han-yo of Bethel Church in the United States—a highly influential church—has created an opportunity for key Korean pastors to gather in one place. There could not be a better opportunity than this.
If the first half of my ministry in London has been focused on building the church, I want the second half, together with our congregation, to boldly step outside the church to work toward the completion of missions. At the same time, we will continue to strengthen the church internally, but that is the direction I want to pursue.
