New Pastor at Saddleback South Bay

As part of our Daring Faith campaign, we want to grow our church family by filling God’s house with 40,000 worshipers at our weekend services by 2020. A key component to meeting this goal is our dedicated leadership and campus pastors who are committed to helping build God’s kingdom.

That’s why we’re excited to announce the new addition of campus pastor, Sam Yoon who is overseeing Saddleback South Bay. On March 26, he stepped into the new role and is already helping reach the community for Christ. On that inaugural Sunday, nearly 500 people attended the service as he shared his vision for the growing campus.

Ministry is nothing new to the experienced leader. As the son of a Southern Baptist preacher, Sam knew what it meant to be involved in the church. His parents also served as missionaries through International Mission Board in Taiwan where Sam spent several years as a child.

Admittedly, he never wanted to be a pastor but God called him to youth ministry in 2005. During those initial years, Sam studied The Purpose Driven Church, a book he used as a model and guide for his ministry. In addition to following the five purposes, Sam also attended conferences and workshops at Saddleback Church.

“I really wanted to learn and grow from Pastor Rick,” says Sam. “He always said ‘We don’t create the waves of God’s blessing, but we see the waves of where God is moving and we go there.’”

Little did Sam know that God would move him to Saddleback South Bay, under the leadership of the same pastor who mentored him from afar. The move wasn’t entirely easy, confesses Sam. For over 17 years, Sam and his family lived in Orange County and had just moved into a new home. They planned to lay down roots with friends and family in that area, and had enrolled their daughter in a new school.

So when God called them to South Bay, it was a huge step of faith to relocate to a place where they had no connections, no network, and no community. The same day Sam was offered the pastoral position, Pastor Rick shared a message about being led by God’s Word.

That’s when Sam and his wife, Grace, prayed and fasted together. “We read God’s Word and waited for him to speak to us. We each had two different verses that God shared with us but they had the same message, ‘Go to South Bay.’”

The couple was thrilled and excited because they knew God was calling them to the new role. Through the process, their marriage has grown stronger and more unified through communication centered on God’s Word. As a result, they want to lead the church with this same mindset of unity and love.

 “When I first stepped onto the campus, I fell in love with the people and the community,” says Sam. “My hope is that our church would be so unified with God and with each other that we can transform this city, and spread love to every part of the South Bay.”

 To connect with Pastor Sam at Saddleback South Bay, check out their service times HERE.