From Professor to Student

Anyone who steps inside John Shin's classroom at Biola University, will see that the young, energetic professor loves his job, loves his students, and loves teaching the Bible. On the first day of class each semester, after a warm welcome and encouragement for the year ahead, John extends a unique invitation to visit his church––a small, family-friendly gathering in Brea, California.

"My students at Biola are usually looking for a church where they can get involved, so I have a great opportunity to invite them into our growing church family," John says.

On any given Sunday, City on a Hill Church welcomes nearly 20 of John's students and friends. "We have music, a message, and everyone just comes together at the beginning of the week to just spend time with each other."

But the journey to get to this point wasn't easy. John reflects on how growing up in a Korean-American church was a much different experience than the church he attends now. "The church I grew up in didn't place much value on evangelism, and everyone in the church was one ethnicity. God slowly gave me the desire to plant a multi-ethnic church," John says. "Every time I looked at the range of students in my classroom I thought, "Wow, I wish my church was like this.' I want my church of have color. When I look at my church I want to see a glimpse of heaven."

But as the months went on, multiple attempts at planting a church fell through. Promises were broken, plans were cancelled, and nothing seemed to be working. Finally, accepting that perhaps the timing wasn't right, John and his wife, Hannah, invited another couple to start a small group instead. "It was just the four of us meeting each week with our kids running around as we tried to study the Bible," John says with a laugh.

After the first month, a student in John's class caught his attention after John found out he was going to a Korean church. Having shared a similar church background, John hoped to share the vision for a multi-ethnic church. The two men shared the desire to move forward in creating a healthy, diverse church model. He pulled the student aside and asked if he would want to visit the small group. After coming with his wife the following week, the group had two new members.

When the new school year started, many of John's former students approached him after hearing that he had started a small group. More and more joined in, and soon enough, John's church dream was becoming a reality. Though there were only a handful of people in attendance, John knew this was the opportunity he had been waiting for.

As the church members gathered together each week, John realized he needed to learn as much as he could about church planting, evangelism, and growth––all things he could gain from Saddleback.

John reached out to an old friend who happened to be the pastor of Saddleback Irvine South, Kevin Nguyen. They had spent time in ministry together years prior, and John knew the chance to intern at Saddleback with Kevin would be a great opportunity as he set out to grow his own congregation. The pastor and professor became the student as he began his internship with Saddleback Church.

John got involved wherever he could at Saddleback—shadowing Kevin in meetings, learning from Saddleback staff members, and meeting for coffee with various ministry leaders. "I think I've managed to talk to everyone on staff," John laughs.

One of the most valuable lessons he has learned from these leaders is the importance of volunteers. "My first week here, I was introduced to so many volunteers and it just blew my mind. At least 30 of them were here to set up on a Sunday morning at 7AM. In the Korean church, the pastor does everything," John says. "I saw Ephesians 4:11-12 in action."

The verses read, "So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." John smiles as he recalls the memory of seeing volunteers in action for the first time.

Witnessing a healthy church model firsthand has given John the resources and encouragement he needed to spearhead the growth of his own church. Now, several months into his internship, John is more committed than ever to God's call for him to plant the church of his dreams.

This upcoming semester, you'll find John splitting his time between Saddleback, Biola University, and his own church each Sunday. As he continues to learn from the Saddleback church model, John continues to invite his Biola students to attend and serve with him.

City on a Hill Church now has a space to gather, a weekly Sunday service, a worship team, and nearly 20 people attending each week. "We are by no means a huge, booming church, but it's a start," John says.

If you are interested in learning more about the internship program, visit saddleback.com/interns.