476. Parents Conference is now Parents Connect

Anthony • Youth Pastor
September 18, 2026

2 Minute Read

During the early years of launching youth house church there were changes that needed to happen before it could be implemented effectively. One of those changes was partnership with parents. Parents conference was created out of a necessity to fill the gap and bring parents and youth shepherds to work together towards the same goal—youth house church.

I have witnessed the culture shift over these ten years. Parents are fully onboard with home gathering and actively communicate with the youth shepherds to coordinate and rotate homes. So now, the emphasis has shifted from “bringing parents onboard” to “continuing to build and maintain good ministry relationships with parents.” Hence, starting this year the youth ministry team felt it appropriate to rename parents conference to parents connect. Back then “conference” was definitely the right word. However, with the current stage of ministry partnership we are in, conference feels too heavy and distant. “Connect” communicates more of what we are trying to achieve in that session and our current relationship with our youth parents.

Although much of the structure remains the same, there is an additional emphasis to discuss with parents how they can practically help youth house church through home gathering. By strategizing together, I believe we can come up with greater ways to support each other and the mission of Jesus at our church.

The reason I am sharing is simply this—God has been faithful. I’m so grateful for how God has taken the small step the youth ministry team took towards parents partnership and grew it abundantly. I believe we are now at the next level of partnership in our church culture. Connecting once a year isn’t much, but when done over 10 years, it can completely shift the culture and dynamic of a ministry. Witnessing it with my own eyes builds my faith that God can take our small initiatives of obedience and faith and turn it into something amazing. It just takes a bit of time.

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September 18, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
476. Parents Conference is now Parents Connect
During the early years of launching youth house church there were changes that needed to happen before it could be implemented effectively. One of those changes was partnership with parents. Parents conference was created out of a necessity to fill the gap and bring parents and youth shepherds to work together towards the same goal—youth house church. I have witnessed the culture shift over these ten years. Parents are fully onboard with home gathering and actively communicate with the youth shepherds to coordinate and rotate homes. So now, the emphasis has shifted from “bringing parents onboard” to “continuing to build and maintain good ministry relationships with parents.” Hence, starting this year the youth ministry team felt it appropriate to rename parents conference to parents connect. Back then “conference” was definitely the right word. However, with the current stage of ministry partnership we are in, conference feels too heavy and distant. “Connect” communicates more of what we are trying to achieve in that session and our current relationship with our youth parents. Although much of the structure remains the same, there is an additional emphasis to discuss with parents how they can practically help youth house church through home gathering. By strategizing together, I believe we can come up with greater ways to support each other and the mission of Jesus at our church. The reason I am sharing is simply this—God has been faithful. I’m so grateful for how God has taken the small step the youth ministry team took towards parents partnership and grew it abundantly. I believe we are now at the next level of partnership in our church culture. Connecting once a year isn’t much, but when done over 10 years, it can completely shift the culture and dynamic of a ministry. Witnessing it with my own eyes builds my faith that God can take our small initiatives of obedience and faith and turn it into something amazing. It just takes a bit of time.

Anthony

Youth Pastor

December 25, 2025 • 2 Minute Read
450. Updates for January
I want to share some key events happening in January and some changes coming in the following year. We start our new year with 10 Days EMP (Early Morning Prayer), and it has been a challenging but fruitful corporate practice. Personally, it is challenging because I have to prepare nine sermons based on a book. But through the process, I get to learn a topic more deeply, and I find it helpful for our members to be challenged in a different way than a Sunday sermon. Surprisingly, VIPs have been attending as well, and they seem to enjoy the group prayer experience and sharing. On the last day of the 10-day EMP, I will be flying to LA to preach at God’s Family Church retreat. They also have two congregations, as we do, and their ESC has been growing, and their house church ministry has been getting stronger as well. As I will be missing 1/18 Sunday, which we usually have our annual congregation meeting, I moved it to one week earlier (1/11), and the ministers’ meeting is moved by one week as well. (1/4) Due to my absence, there won’t be New Family Class (NFC) in January. I will post more details later, but starting next year, I plan to have at least one study month a year. I will be present at church, but I won’t be preaching for a month, so I can focus on studying and researching a topic or working on big projects. The last Sunday of the year 2025 is here. It still feels unreal that this year is already coming to an end. But I’m grateful that we have the opportunity to properly wrap up this year and renew our minds for the new year during the New Year’s Eve (NYE) service, rather than just rushing into the new year. Join the New Year’s service, and enter the new year with new promises from God. For “with God, nothing will be impossible.”(Luke 1:37)

Caleb

Lead Pastor

January 1, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
451. Importance of Having a Clear Goal
The new year is here. As the festive Christmas vibe wears off, many people start planning for the new year and set some goals. But many times, the goals we make are rather abstract than concrete. Goals that are not clear rarely get accomplished. One way to create a clear goal is to replace “more” or “a lot” with numbers. For example, instead of “I will read more this year,” it’s better to write “I will read 24 books this year.” Instead of “I will lose a lot of weight”, it is better to write “I will lose 10 lb”. Numbers help us track our progress, empowering us to continue in the direction we’re going. Just because we set goals doesn’t mean they will be accomplished. But it is much better than not having any goals. From my experience, having a measurable goal helps us to get closer to it, even if we don’t accomplish all of them. I usually have a reading goal for any given year, but I rarely hit it. But the year that I read the most was the year my reading goal was the highest. A goal is a clear finishing line that serves as a directional guide. For example, even if we don’t finish a half-marathon, reaching the finish line gives us an accurate measure of progress we can use for improvement next time. We shouldn’t overestimate our ability to accomplish things. But we shouldn’t underestimate it either. God created us so that we would be motivated by a goal. Apostle Paul had a goal of winning the prize of heaven. (Phil 3:14) That is why the ultimate goal in Christian life is not to become someone around us who has great faith but to be like Christ. We will never be like Christ in our lifetime, but as we keep that as our goal, we will make progress toward it. Of course, it won’t happen through our self-effort but through partnering with the Holy Spirit through faith. I usually write 6-8 main goals I want to accomplish in a year. (Most of them are projects) I rarely accomplish all of them. But it helps me to direct my thinking and my effort in the right direction. The goal is never about achieving a goal. It is about taking the journey into the unknown with courage and carrying the confidence that we are on the right track. When we don’t direct our lives, someone else will, and they don’t always have our best interests at heart.

Caleb

Lead Pastor

January 8, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
452. Study Month
As I wrote in an earlier blog, starting this year, I plan to have at least one study month a year. I will be present at church and lead NFC and GPS, but I won’t be preaching in February (Pastor Anthony will preach), so I can focus on studying and researching a topic or working on big projects. As a lead pastor, I wear many hats. But my primary duty is “preaching”, which is to communicate God’s words to my congregation on a regular basis. Thankfully, I love preaching, and I cherish it as a wonderful privilege. To do it well, I usually read 3-4 commentaries on the selected passage and distill key details in my sermon study notes so I can quickly reference them as I prepare a message. Then, throughout the week, I let it simmer in my head until I fully write it out for Sunday. As the weekend approaches, my mind is usually fully occupied with sermon preparation. Because of it, my mind doesn’t have enough bandwidth for focused reading or research, on top of the regular readings and studies I do. That’s why the study month is necessary. Unlike a sabbatical, which is meant for full rest, this is meant for focused work, an extension of my current work. Other pastors often take a study month (or months) to write a book, but for me, it is to create a “course”: a parenting course. God had been putting on my heart to create a Life Bible study series for “parents. I did teach a version of it to KSC parents years ago. I received the teaching material from a youth pastor in NLF created by a Korean pastor. The parents who took it said it was helpful, but I personally felt the material was lacking and its style was too Korean. Also, I was an inexperienced parent then. But now that I have some years of parenting under my belt and am applying some gospel-centred principles and boundaries in my own parenting, I have become convinced that they could be helpful to other parents. I taught bits and pieces of the principles to our youth parents in the annual Parents Conference and received good feedback. I doubt I will be able to finish the course, but my goal is to create a framework and overall key outlines after some focused readings. I won’t be recording TOTW (thought of the week) or writing the pastor blog during the study month to focus on the study.

Caleb

Lead Pastor

January 15, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
453. A Sound Message – Not Just One That Sounds Good
We are now living in a world increasingly polarized by politics. And it is no longer an exaggeration to say that politics has invaded the territory of morality and sacredness, which is the domain of religion. That is why we shouldn’t be political in the church, but we should be aware of what is communicated in the political world and discern their agenda. We can no longer assume politics is just interested in creating civil and economic policies. The devil always targets those with power. The way he exerts power in this world is by spreading messages that sound good but promote his agenda and distort the truth. Scripture tells us that the devil disguises himself as an angel of light. (2 Cor 11:14) This does not mean literal appearance, but through “messages”. Because he is a crafty liar, his messages may sound good, but they may be so evil beneath the surface. For example, communism’s main message of “equality” based on the Marxist view sounds good on the surface. But in practice, it does not bring equality by bringing up the marginalized, but by crushing the group they label as “oppressor”, or “the haves”. The real problem is that proponents of this ideology don’t have a value of their own. Their value is “opposition”. The goal is to oppose, not to make things better. DEI is a good example. Their value can only find ground when there is a recognizable “oppressor”, which happens to be white males now. So, in this system, minority races become the new merit and a ground for reverse discrimination, creating a new “oppressor”. On the other hand, in Christianity, our only merit is Christ. He is the only reason why God accepts us because we are all “equally” sinful. Christ and what he has done for us become the moral basis of why we must accept each other. And in this belief, “the haves” are challenged to be generous, and the “have-nots” are encouraged to find hope in eternity, without hating “the haves”. That is why genuine loving fellowship was possible in the early church, as they gathered in house churches, knowing that, in Christ, they were all equally in need of his grace. Political agencies will not save the world. Only Jesus can. As long as we have “self-centredness” in us, the perfect world will not be realized until Jesus comes. So, we must discern and pray that traditional values and sound policies that make people’s lives less miserable will be upheld, rather than policies that promise a utopian dream.

Caleb

Lead Pastor

January 22, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
454. Request or Thankfulness
I read somewhere that our dialogue falls into one of two categories: Request or Thankfulness. At first, I thought it was too simplistic an approach, given the dynamic nature of human emotions and expression. But after some thinking, it might be mostly true, if not helpful. If your child says, “Dad, you never spend time with me!” before you react, see whether it is a request or thankfulness. It is a request. Request to spend more time. Your parent says, “Hey, son, you didn’t have to buy such an expensive bag for me! Request or thankfulness? Thankfulness. But many times, we interpret such responses as either “attack” or “ungratefulness”, which sours relationships. We are so prone to interpret conversations based on our feelings, but if we can correctly identify the intention behind someone’s speech, we will have fewer fights and more connections. And having only two filters makes it easier for us to discern others’ true intentions. I think our dialogue with God mostly falls into one of these two categories as well. Either we are making a request to God (even if it sounds like a complaint), or giving thanks to him. Thankfully, God has no problem discerning our true intentions. And I believe if we can just do these two well in our prayer, our relationship with God can stay meaningful. While I was guest preaching at LA, I did a major revision to the first session message. But many ideas were tangled up, so I said, “God, why does preparing this message feel so agonizing!” It was a request for him to intervene. Thankfully, the first session with the new message was well received. And I said after, “God, why can’t the message come out easier if I am doing it for you!” It was me giving thanks for helping me finish the first message, even through agony. I’m sure that God heard correctly what I really said.

Caleb

Lead Pastor

March 5, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
455. Food Challenge
One thing I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older is that food affects my weight much more than it did before. When I was in my 20s, I struggled to gain weight. I tried eating something heavy and going straight to sleep, just to add a few more pounds. And yet, I would wake up with lower body weight. But once I hit 40, I realized my metabolism had changed, and I had to start watching what I eat and keep an exercise routine just to maintain my weight. But when Christmas comes around, there are plenty of snacks on our counter, and many of them are gifts or leftovers from the house church. I don’t eat many snacks, but adding just one or two a day seems to impact my weight in the wrong direction. It only gets harder to lose weight, and it sometimes stresses me out. That’s why, when the Daniel Fast comes around, though I dread having to cut some of my favourite foods, I also get excited because I have the opportunity to return to my optimal weight and reset my body. Fasting is ultimately about food because food is so essential to human survival. Even though the media feels like an absolute necessity these days, our lives are not endangered by fasting from it. But limiting food choices in our lives pains us so deeply because much of our life enjoyment comes from the food we love. But that’s also the precise reason why fasting helps prayer, because prayer is relying on God for our survival and enjoyment, instead of food. I am glad that many of our members participate in the Daniel Fast every year, in varying capacities. Many people participate doing “Media Fast”. But I would like to encourage our members to consider doing a “Full fast” once in a while. If that is too much, then “Fast only during Passion week” is a great option too. A media fast is very helpful in carving out time to spend with God, but abstaining from certain foods is what challenges us the most and stirs up a real hunger for God. I know that doing a full fast every year can be unrealistic for some. But if you have always been doing media fast or automatically assume you can only do media fast, consider changing things up once in a while to challenge yourself. Just like anything meaningful in life, it must feel challenging enough to produce growth.

Caleb

Lead Pastor

March 12, 2026 • 2 Minute Read
456. Join the Mission Ecuador Team
We’ve been going to Ecuador for the last 2 years for short-term missions, and we are going again this year. I remember the first time we went, and we were all feeling nervous and anxious, as we didn’t know what to expect from the new mission field. We had only one prayer request: “God, show us what you are doing here so we can participate in it.” We went there not as pioneers but participants, and God has done many things beyond our expectations. We still feel like we don’t have much to offer, but God has shown us why we are needed there through the welcome and gratitude people express to us. Last year, 16 people signed up in total. As the numbers grew, we had to reorganize our team structure, which allowed us to create more ministries and empower more people to lead them. Number is not everything, but there was a special strength when there were more people in the team. The mission trip is not just about doing ministries in the mission field. I believe a good team does a good ministry. And to become a good team, it requires enough time to train together. So the mission training runs for about 13 weeks, with an emphasis on becoming a united team and on experiencing the training missionaries undergo. So each team member goes through the same training: Physical, spiritual, and language training. I was worried that some older members from KSC would find it challenging, but last year, 2 members shared that the training really helped them prepare for the mission. Though it is a joint mission with KSC, I believe there are ministries that only ESC members can do effectively. And all we require of members is a willing heart to participate in what God is already doing. So, if you have not gone to the mission yet, consider going, even out of obligation for once. I shared many times that I go on the mission trip out of obedience, not excitement. But I always come back excited, having witnessed what God has done through us. Having gone on a mission trip at least once helps you become a better supporter and intercessor for the team, even if you are not going.

Caleb

Lead Pastor

March 19, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
457. This Is How Mokmin Church Got Its Name
This is quoted from our senior pastor’s blog written on 2023.03.19 -- Some people ask why our church is named "Mokmin Church." Just a few weeks ago, I had a meal with the singles from our English-speaking congregation, and some of them were curious about what the church name means and who came up with it. The name was inspired by the Mokmin Simseo (Manual for Governing the People), written by Dasan Jeong Yak-yong, a Silhak scholar of the late Joseon Dynasty. I have always struggled with making decisions. That is why both of our daughters' names were chosen by my wife. As the due dates were approaching, I kept agonizing without being able to settle on names, so my wife went ahead and named them. The name of MokMin Church, however, was one I named myself. After deciding to plant a church, I visited a prayer retreat center. On a piece of paper sitting on the dining table, these words were written: "When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd. So he began teaching them many things" (Mark 6:34). When I had said I couldn't plant a church, the Lord spoke to me: "I will do it — you just follow Me." It was not my ministry but the Lord's, and I felt that all I needed to do was carry the heart of Jesus shown in that verse and simply follow Him. As I rose from the table, I noticed a copy of the Mokmin Simseo on the nearby bookshelf. With a desire to shepherd God's people well with the heart of the Lord, I named our church "MokMin Church." In the preface of the Mokmin Simseo, Dasan Jeong Yak-yong writes that he called it a "simseo" — meaning "a writing of the heart" — because he had the heart to govern the people but was unable to carry it out in person. It seems to express his grief at being unable to serve the people while living in exile. I began with the resolve to pastor with the heart of Mokmin, yet as time passes, I feel more and more the lack of that heart — the heart that truly loves and serves the people. Whenever I feel that way, I return to Mark 6:34 and to a passage from the Mokmin Simseo: "Look with a critical eye, and every blade of grass becomes a weed. Look with a kind eye, and every person becomes a flower — so choose to see others as flowers. Shake anyone hard enough, and dust will fall from them all; cover with grace, and there is no fault that cannot be forgiven. Though it is hard to win someone's favor, losing it can happen in an instant. One with thin ears has a mouth as light as a dry leaf; one with thick ears has a mouth as heavy as a rock. O you of deep thought — you will speak of others' words as carefully as your own. Humility makes people stay; praise draws people near; breadth of heart makes people follow; depth of heart moves people deeply. O you of beautiful heart — the world is made beautiful by your fragrance." A name carries the values and spirit of an individual or a community. To change a name is therefore to change an identity. The heart of Mokmin is the heart of Jesus. MokMin Church is a church that, with this very heart of Jesus, saves souls and makes disciples.

Caleb

Lead Pastor

March 27, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
458. Faithful in the Everyday
This is quoted from our senior pastor’s blog, written on 2025.11.30 — People are generally drawn to lives that appear impressive, or to remarkable faith and ministry. By contrast, they tend to pay relatively little attention to simply living well in the everyday — and it is easy to neglect it. Yet what is truly necessary and important in life is living daily life well. It means treasuring each day as it is given and giving it your best. Rather than chasing something grand, faithfully carrying out the seemingly small tasks that must be done each day — at home and at work — is the path to a life well lived. Living a good life of faith is not a matter of having some special method or secret. It is meeting God in the rhythms of daily life and steadily walking with Him. Keeping a place of prayer each day and remaining in the Word can feel tedious. Yet without staying in that place of prayer and the Word day by day, a sound and healthy faith cannot be built. In the life of faith, the goal is not to seek out the extraordinary. Rather than chasing after something special, it is about living the ordinary, everyday life of faith well — consistently drawing near to God each morning, wrestling with and holding fast to His Word, and not neglecting the daily life lived before Him. This is the way to a life of faith that is truly well lived. It means taking an interest in the people we encounter in daily life who need care, and building relationships with them. It means consistently offering love and prayer to VIPs. As that interest and love continues, relationship is formed. And through that, an invitation to a house church or church happens naturally. Evangelism is not something done through special methods or events — it happens naturally out of the fabric of daily life. It is the life of holding one person in our heart, loving them, serving them, and praying for them in the everyday. Evangelism is the fruit of that kind of serving life in the ordinary. In ministry as well, it is important to faithfully and steadily carry out the ministry entrusted to us in daily life. It means structuring our day with a set schedule, not wasting time, and being diligent. Even when there is no visible change or fruit through serving and seeking to win souls, it means not losing heart but continuing to serve faithfully and wholeheartedly as before. Even in the face of difficulty, it means not giving up but pressing on with the ministry that must be done. Continuing steadily and faithfully even in ministry that seems small or insignificant — that is the mark of truly valuable ministry. In ministry, it means not setting goals that are too ambitious or fixing our eyes on something grandiose. It means not becoming anxious or driven in pursuit of great accomplishments. Instead, it is about faithfully carrying out the given ministry, day after day, without wavering. In life, faith, and ministry alike — being faithful to what each day brings, and doing what God has entrusted to you steadily, consistently, and diligently without being shaken. This is what a life, a faith, and a ministry truly worth admiring look like.

Caleb

Lead Pastor

April 1, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
459. Why I Don’t Sanitize Sunday Messages For The Youth - Anthony
There are topics inappropriate to discuss with children because of their life stage. However for youth, there is no need to censor or hide anything when it comes to the Bible. Often well-meaning Christians try to omit difficult passages for others to experience. I agree that we should highlight first in the Bible what is clear and let newer and younger Christians digest that material first, we should not bring about a culture of Biblical censorship. The Bible is not just writings about God. The Bible is writings about God in history. Therefore, it includes all the descriptions of what happened throughout that history, good and bad. There are descriptions of violence, sexual violence, slavery, war, betrayal, crime, and exploitation not because God condones it, but because these things really happened. This is the fallen world we live in, and the Bible is not shy to tell us so. Yet, often people worry that youth cannot handle such content so they censor it. However, youth are in public environments, such as school, where difficult topics are already brought up all the time. Sex, money, politics, violence, and crime to name a few. They understand and discuss the challenges and brokenness of the world. However, if in their church and Bible all that’s presented is a sanitized view of life, it will turn them off from accepting it as the truth. The irony of sanitizing Christianity from sin is that it ends up having the opposite effect on youth. This is because youth already understand the world is messed up and they are messed up. They are looking for the best worldview that explains why and how to overcome it—the truth that works. When interfacing with youth I try not to be afraid to share the truth and get vulnerable. We are not protecting them by censorship. Youth seek authentic voices, people willing to say the truth even when its difficult. They don’t like facades. I’ve found youth start to really listen and engage, when we explain God’s faithfulness in the midst of our failures, not when we say feel good messages. They don’t need censored self-esteem boosters. They need the courage to admit they are sinful, which comes from someone else first acknowledging how broken they are. When we view the youth as emerging adults, it becomes clear. We need to treat and trust them as people soon to bear adult responsibilities. So, I don’t tone down the messages to a youth-level hoping adults understand. I preach to adults, and hope youth are able to understand. Even for youth retreats, I set the content level of my preaching to young adults or grade twelve. And when the temptation comes to avoid a topic or avoid a passage in the Bible, instead of explaining it away that, “they are too young for this,” I challenge myself to think, “I don’t have enough courage or wisdom to explain this.” And I turn to God for help.

Anthony

Youth Pastor

April 9, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
460. Fourth Multiplication
There is a multiplication ceremony of Jakarta House Church (HC) this Sunday, and Esther Sung will be appointed as the new Shepherd for the multiplying HC. This is the 4th multiplication of HC at The Seed, and it is also significant that it is the 1st multiplication of a house church that is not Chiang Rai HC. Jakarta HC was multiplied from Chiang Rai HC as Every Nation HC in 2019, and later changed its name to Jakarta HC. Pastor Anthony eventually took over as the shepherd in 2021 during the Pandemic. As a single, Pastor Anthony has served the members well over 5 years as their shepherd, and glad to see the fruit of that service and commitment. (And lots of cooking!) I have decided to remind our members of the meaning and importance of multiplication through the blog whenever multiplication occurs, so that all of us are on the same page about this big event. According to the HC guide, once a house church has close to 12 people, it needs to multiply. Jakarta HC had an average of 15 people for many years, sometimes even more. A large number of people can bring a lot of energy at first, but at some point, it becomes difficult to share deeply. And the biggest problem is that people instinctively become reluctant to invite new people because they feel it is too crowded. So, the main reason for multiplication is to regain a sense of urgency of God’s mission. One pastor said the default mode of any organization is “_complacency_”, not urgency. A house church is a missional community first, not just a healing community. People do need care and support, but if the church loses its sense of urgency in the mission of God, it becomes complacent and becomes another social club, full of cliques. Though multiplication brings temporary sadness, it puts house church back in “urgent mode,” and its members begin to look for VIPs to bring them back into the loving arms of their heavenly Father. After the multiplication, the meeting might feel a little awkward with fewer people, but it is good for both house churches. Since our church is made up of house churches, and we view each house church as a church, multiplication is the new church plant, appointing a new shepherd as the lay-pastor of that house church. That is why it is a big occasion for celebration, focused prayer, and support for the new shepherd.

Caleb

Lead Pastor