Korean House of Study

Rev. Dr. Young Bong Kim is a New Testament scholar, pastor-preacher, and writer. He has studied theology in South Korea (M. Div. at Methodist Theological Seminary in Seoul), the United States (STM at Perkins School of Theology at SMU), and Canada (Ph.D. at McMaster University), and has served as a New Testament professor at Hyup Sung University for ten years. During this time, he also served as a Korean cohort advisor for Doctor of Ministry studies at the University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. After having a sabbatical as a visiting scholar at Drew University in 2002, he moved to pastoral ministry, which he considers his original calling. Since then, he has served local churches in New Jersey and Virginia.

He has published several books on spiritual life and pastoral leadership in South Korea, some of which are steady-sellers. He has been involved in continuing education for pastors and is a highly sought-out speaker for revival meetings and pastoral conferences. His main interests in writing and speaking are spiritual disciplines, stewardship, discipleship, and the church as a faith community.

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After Methodist Theological University in Seoul (B.A. and Th.M.), Dr. ShinAe Kim finished her master’s degree at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem majoring in Jewish Studies and Ph.D. in the Hebrew Bible, especially the Wisdom Literature under Prof. Edward L. Greenstein at the Bar Ilan University.

Dr. ShinAe Kim’s experience as a missionary in Israel for 15 years was a time to learn a lot through fellowship with local people, believers of various languages, and cultural backgrounds from all over the world. Each time was an opportunity for her to find something that God wanted her to know and taste. She could broaden her connections with other spiritual leaders and find better ways to make those services, missions, and events more effective, fruitful, and excellent. Dr. Kim believes that she can use those experiences in the ministry wherever God sends her.

Since returning to Korea, she has lectured on the Old Testament, the Dead Sea Scrolls, Biblical Hebrew, and Hebrew Thought which are the roots of the Christian faith to seminarians and college students. She has been invited by many churches of different denominations and institutes for preaching and teaching Bible studies in Korea and abroad as well.

She enjoys cooking and inviting people to share.

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Dr. Yung Sim Kim was born in Haenam, Jeollanam-do. She was born into a strict Confucianist household that didn’t practice Christianity. Although she didn’t believe in Christianity, she believed in the existence of God and dreamed of becoming an archaeologist.

After marriage, she had a difficult time with financial and familial problems. Even in the darkest times, God led her to go to church with her 7 year old daughter. In 1988, she started her faith in Daejeon First Presbyterian Church. God gave her a message from Hebrew 6:13-15 “ Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you”. Dr. Yung Sim Kim started her ministry that focused on healing of physical sickness and spiritual renewal. In 2004, she planted Daejeon Mustard Seed Church. Currently, the Mustard Seed Church has 3 associate pastors, 2 missional pastors, 1 medical missional pastor, 1 missionary, 1 retired elder, and 8 active elders.

The Mustard Seed Church focuses on being a missionary church. The church has three core values. First, the church focuses on the family ministry. Essentially, family is part of the Church. The church focuses on solving family problems and leading families to purpose-driven life. Second, the church focuses on building the next generation. Dr. Yung Sim Kim has a heart for building the next generation and raising the students as people of God.

In 2009, she established Rivertree School that seeks to educate students to become next-world leaders. Third, the church focuses on missional ministry. After Dr. Kim received a calling from God, she continued the missional ministry in Bolivia, Thailand, and Burma. In 2022, the church focuses on treatment of AIDS patients and building missional centers. The church also works with the local church in the area.

Dr. Yung Sim Kim has a husband who currently serves as an active elder of Mustard Seed Church and has four daughters. Her children work as pastors, teachers, and missionaries to create the kingdom of God. Dr. Kim also teaches at Jeonju University and Hoseo University part-time. Her and her church hopes to expand God’s world, spread the gospel through mission, and glorify God for every work.

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After studying philosophy and theology, Professor Changhoon Park ministered a local church in Asan, Chungcheong Nam-Do, and taught church history at Korean Nazareth University, Hoseo University, and Seoul Theological University. He lectured “Theology of John Wesley,” “World Church History,” “History of Evangelical Movement,” and “Trend of World Christianity.” After receiving a doctorate at John Wesley’s theology, he continues to study Wesley’s revival movement and focuses on examining post-Wesley revival and evangelical movements. Recently, he participated in the Korea Research Foundation’s Key Research Institute Support Project as a joint researcher, revealing the contributions of Christianity to the formation of modern Korean society. He served as chairman of the Church History Society in Korea and the Korea Evangelical Historical-Theological Society, and is currently the editor-in-chief of Korean Journal of Christian Society and vice chairman of the Korean Wesley Society, and is an editor of Wesley and Methodist Studies published by the Manchester Wesley Research Centre(MWRC).

He graduated from Department of Philosophy in Seoul National University (B.A.) and Divinity School of Seoul Theological University(M.Div.) and studied at Duke Divinity School(Th.M.) and Drew University(M.Phil./Ph.D.) in the United States. He published John Wesley, Social Critical Reading (2014), 80 Year-History Woman’s Pastor Society of KEHC(2014), John Wesley, Historical-Critical Reading(2007). He translated Donald Dayton’s Fourfold Gospel and Evangelicalism(2020), Eugene De Faye’s Origen and His Work, and Kenneth Collins’ A Real Christian: The Life of John Wesley, and so on.

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Pastor Grace Oh immigrated to Chicago with her family in the early 1970s and experienced painful impairments such as cultural conflicts, language barriers, and family destruction. She did not have hope and desire for life during her adolescence until she heard the voice of God. Since then, she has been deeply involved in various ministries at the Korean American churches, such as planting churches, sending and supporting missionaries, and educating 2nd generation. She went on a mission to Jamaica with the hope of becoming a missionary, but God led her to a different path, to minister to underprivileged people.

She received her undergraduate degree from Elmhurst University, her Master of Ministry from Garrett Theological Seminary, and her Doctor of Ministry from United Theological Seminary. She was particularly passionate about the sick, so he received multiple units of clinical pastoral education and served as a hospital pastor and nursing home pastor for eight years. She is now certified in Life Coaching and Energy Leadership Index Assessment & Debrief and giving workshops to spread the importance of inner healing. She is a Full Elder in the Northern Illinois Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. Currently, she serves Englewood-Rust UMC in the southside of Chicago, and Thornton UMC.

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Dr. Seungyoun Jeong received God’s calling in her teens and entered the seminary. In her twenties, she experienced the extraordinary grace of God in worship filled with the Holy Spirit and decided to devote her life entirely to worship and preaching. Since then, she has conducted research on worship and preaching for American and Korean (immigrant) churches and taught students at the seminaries for years. Along with teaching academically, she aims to create student-centered classes and build a sense of community by sharing and encouraging each other’s lives and vocations.

As a person majoring in Christian education and Homiletics, she has a great passion for educating the next generations and a vision for the Holy Spirit-filled and healthy church ministry in cooperation with local pastors. She is the author of Preaching to Korean Immigrants: A Psalmic-Theological Homiletic (2022), and her next writing topic is “Women Leadership in the Church.”

Born in Korea, she is a pastor’s wife and a child’s parent. She completed her B.A., M.Div., and Th.M. at Presbyterian University and Theological Seminary in Seoul. She obtained a master’s degree from Candler School of Theology, Emory University, and a doctoral degree from School of Theology, Boston University.

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Rev. Dr. Sang Hun Han is the senior pastor serving at Salem Korean United Methodist Church in Schaumburg, IL. He has studied theology, philosophy, and practical ministry in both Korea and the United States. In Korea, he graduated from the Methodist Theological University and the Methodist Theological Graduate School. He also finished his Master of Education at Yonsei Educational Graduate School. In the United States he holds a Master of Divinity degree from Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, D.C. and a Master of Theological Studies from Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX. He completed his Ph. D in Philosophical Theology and Systematic Theology at Chicago Theological Seminary.

He started his ordination process in the United Methodist Church. He began as a Commissioned Elder in the Northern Illinois Annual Conference in 2008 and became a Full Elder in 2012. He has served in both cross-cultural and cross-racial churches. His first appointment was as associate pastor at Kingswood UMC in Buffalo Grove, IL. Next he served a second appointment as senior pastor at Ashton UMC in Ashton, IL. Ashton is a small town surrounded by corn fields with a population of about 800. His bishop then appointed him to Good Samaritan UMC in Addison, IL, where he was very happy to serve among his parishioners. As a pastor he strives to demonstrate theological sensitivity. It is his conviction that theology serves the church. Rev. Dr. Sang Hun Han is a pastor as well as a theologian.

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Dr. Henry H. Whang is currently the President of Korean Association of Bibliodrama. He holds a PhD in Psychology of Religion and Pastoral Counseling, and has been in counseling practice as a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Illinois, since 1999. He was ordained Minister in the Northern Illinois Conference, UMC (Deacon 1998, Elder 2000) and has served many cross-racial churches, both in rural and urban areas. Dr. Whang has been active also in the academic field of pastoral counseling, and taught at several universities such as Korea Nazarene University, Handong Global University and Seoul Theological Seminary in South Korea. He concentrates his practice and research in the area of drama therapy, and trains many directors of Bibliodrama and Psychodrama who want to utilize the Scripture as a tool for guiding people in spiritual encounter with the Bible through group counseling techniques. He was born in South Korea, and immigrated to the US in 1985. He is married to a Korean-American woman with two daughters. He graduated from Seoul Theological University (BA), University of Central Texas (MS in Counseling Psychology), Southern Methodist University (MDiv), and the Chicago Theological Seminary (PhD in Region and Personality).

Some of his published books include:

• 이상한 드라마의 앨리스 (저서)
• 성경이 살아나는 비블리오드라마 (저서)
• Who calls the tune?: A Psychodramatic Approach to Child Therapy (2008, Translated Korean)
• 누가 아이의 마음을 조율하는가 (역서)
• Listen for God’s Leading: A Workbook for Corporate Spiritual Discernment (2010, Translated Korean)

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