Meet James Han - KALI Regional Leader of Korean Southwest Presbytery
By James Han and Moses Y. Lee
This is the fourth in a series of interviews with KALI’s regional leaders. At KALI, we want to promote the growth of healthy, gospel-centered pastors to help them flourish in their respective ministry settings. As part of that mission, we want to highlight several seasoned, Korean American teaching elders from our denomination who have been running the race faithfully in their pursuit of loving Jesus as ministers of the gospel. See Will Chang’s interview here, Billy Park’s interview here, and Walter Lee’s interview here.
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Where are you from?
I was born in Pomona, California and I grew up in Porter Ranch, California and now live in Torrance, California.
How and when did you know you were called into ministry?
Ever since I was a child, I have always wanted to be a pastor. I attended Christian schools from elementary to junior high school which laid the foundation for my desire to pursue ministry. My sense of calling grew and was confirmed during college. At that point, I couldn’t imagine doing anything other than preaching the gospel.
Tell us about a difficult season of ministry and how the Lord pulled you through.
We’ve faced many tragedies over the years––we lost an eight-month-old infant, a child from our church fell out of three-story window and fell on his head, our first worship leader committed murder, our congregants suffered through several infant deaths, we’ve had several folks get diagnosed with cancer, and the list goes on and on. The challenges of ministry frequently reminds me of the brokenness of our world and that the gospel is the only source of comfort and peace. What pulled me through during these seasons was being reminded that his grace is sufficient for me. Through each trial, God brought our church together and strengthened us. Each trial prepared us for the next trial. His mercy and grace comforted me in the midst of these trials and gave me hope that his steadfast love is new every morning. How great is his faithfulness.
Who are some preachers, authors, or artists that have had an impact on you or your ministry?
I was introduced to Reformed theology by Rev. James Lee, senior pastor of New Life Presbyterian Church, La Jolla. He also showed me the beauty and wonder of God’s grace. Dr. Edmund Clowney opened my eyes to see Christ in all of the Scriptures. Seeing Christ throughout the Scriptures really made the Bible come alive to me.
What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as a pastor?
This might be obvious, but spending time in the word and in prayer really does help me grow as a pastor. It’s important to be fed so that I can feed my sheep. But it’s not just about spending time in the word, we must do the word as well. As a pastor, I’m learning so much as I continue to serve and evangelize to our community. I’m not only ministering to our church, but I also try and engage our culture.
As a parent, I try to stay active in our community. Serving at our schools and coaching my kids initially allowed me to meet many people in my community. This involvement gave me a unique platform as it led to my election as a Board Member of the Torrance Unified School District. This service opportunity has opened doors for me to be a witness of the gospel in both my words and deeds. Through serving my unbelieving community, I’ve been blessed to get to know and understand their needs.
What is one thing you didn't learn in seminary that you wish you learned?
Seminary provided me the foundation and tools to do the prophetic and priestly aspects of ministry. Yet, my education in the kingly aspects of ministry were lacking. I wish I learned more about structural and administrative aspects of ministry. As a pastor, you’re not only called to be a shepherd but you’re also called to lead. Providing more education on leading organizations and congregations would’ve been helpful.
What are some leadership challenges you have faced in your ministry?
Some of the greatest challenges in ministry I’ve faced over the years was comforting our church members who have experienced tremendous loss. I’ve often felt helpless as a pastor in those situations, unsure of how to comfort my flock or how to bring them relief.
This is why the Heidelberg Catechism is so true and so comforting to me: “That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him.”
What is one thing you wish you did more of as a young pastor?
I wish I preached the gospel to myself more. As a young pastor, I felt the pressure and demands to always perform. I felt that I needed to prove and validate myself as a preacher. When I look back, I had so much pride and felt that I knew everything. I wish that I was able to rest more in the gospel. Ministry humbles and breaks you. No matter how much you try to validate yourself, you will never get there. It’s when you know that you’re already loved and accepted that you’re free to enjoy ministry. This is why even though I may not be an all-star pastor, I rejoice that I’m surrounded by friends who are! :)
If you could tell a Korean American seminarian or young pastor one word of advice, what would it be?
One of the most helpful things I heard when I was a young pastor was the phrase, “This too shall pass.” It helps me to keep things balanced and in perspective. When difficult seasons come, it wouldn’t crush me because I knew that it would pass. When seasons of joy arrive, I wouldn’t let it get to my head because I knew that this too would pass. Ministry is filled with many bumps and dips along the way, but there’s always joy in the journey when we fix our eyes on Christ.
James Han is the Senior Pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. He received his BA in English from U.C. Irvine in 1993 and MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary of Escondido in 1997. He is ordained in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and is an active member of the Korean Southwest Presbytery. During his free time, James loves watching his kids play sports, working out, and hanging out over a hot cup of coffee, which is one thing he cannot live without. His personal hero outside of the Bible is his preaching professor, Dr. Edmund Clowney. He serves as a Torrance School Board Member.
Moses Y. Lee will be planting Rosebrook Presbyterian Church in North Bethesda, Maryland this fall. He’s a contributing author to the forthcoming, Hear Us, Emmanuel: Another Call for Racial Reconciliation, Representation, and Unity in the Church (White Blackbird, 2020) and is co-editing a book on Asian American Presbyterianism. He occasionally writes for The Gospel Coalition and SOLA. You can follow him on Twitter.