The Oceania House Church Ministry Network includes 13 regions and about 60 churches. Most of these churches are small and face many challenges. Even the churches led by the regional shepherds are not in comfortable circumstances, yet they are working very hard to help and revive other churches. Some regional shepherds have fewer than three house churches and have therefore lost their full membership status, yet they continue to serve faithfully as “acting regional shepherds”.
Because of this situation, the responsibility I carry as the director of the House Church ministry feels heavy. I must oversee ongoing House Church joint events, lead gatherings of regional shepherds across Oceania, and also guide meetings in the Sydney region and village meetings. In addition, I help pastors who want to learn about House Church Ministry, meet and encourage fellow workers who are struggling, respond to requests from the international House Church network, assist mission fields in need, and write columns as well.
At the same time, I cannot neglect my role as the senior pastor of this church. Church ministry must come first, and there is much to do. With 50 house churches, I often feel sorry that I cannot spend enough personal time with each shepherd and shepherd’s partner, though they are always in my thoughts and prayers. Each week I must prepare sermons for the corporate worship services, prepare for Life Bible Study classes, and exercise leadership for many different ministries.
I also cannot ignore the difficult and exhausting realities faced by our church members. Last week, Shepherd Sungmoon Jung, who serves as a village leader and head of the Missions department, was hospitalised with acute leukemia. Another village leader, Shepherd Ilha Lee, has been suffering from Ménière’s disease and is unable to do anything because of severe vertigo. My heart is heavy because of these situations.
These days, a strong realisation fills my heart: pastoral ministry is impossible without God’s help and the work of the Holy Spirit. Quiet meditation alone is not enough to break through. Unless I cry out, “Holy Spirit, please help! Please save us!” I cannot bear the weight of it all.
Perhaps it is the same for you. In your house church or in your family, if the Holy Spirit is not at work, all that will come out are words of frustration, and the problems will only appear bigger. What we need is a breakthrough, and the power for breakthrough comes only through prayer. A house church is not built by human wisdom or ability.
The same is true for your family and workplace. They are not established by your plans alone. God must help, and the Holy Spirit must work. If you find yourself feeling the same way I do right now, it means that the restoration of prayer is needed. We must return to a place of prayer that is not formal or routine, but earnest and honest before God.
Word of the week
Faith shines even more brightly in times of difficulty. As we overcome hardships through prayer, we come to experience God. However, if we do not pray, only words of frustration come out and the problems appear even bigger. A living faith prays to God, who is greater than any problem.
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이동주 2026.03.14 09:31
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The Oceania House Church Ministry Network includes 13 regions and about 60 churches. Most of these churches are small and face many challenges. Even the churches led by the regional shepherds are not in comfortable circumstances, yet they are working very hard to help and revive other churches. Some regional shepherds have fewer than three house churches and have therefore lost their full membership status, yet they continue to serve faithfully as “acting regional shepherds”.
Because of this situation, the responsibility I carry as the director of the House Church ministry feels heavy. I must oversee ongoing House Church joint events, lead gatherings of regional shepherds across Oceania, and also guide meetings in the Sydney region and village meetings. In addition, I help pastors who want to learn about House Church Ministry, meet and encourage fellow workers who are struggling, respond to requests from the international House Church network, assist mission fields in need, and write columns as well.
At the same time, I cannot neglect my role as the senior pastor of this church. Church ministry must come first, and there is much to do. With 50 house churches, I often feel sorry that I cannot spend enough personal time with each shepherd and shepherd’s partner, though they are always in my thoughts and prayers. Each week I must prepare sermons for the corporate worship services, prepare for Life Bible Study classes, and exercise leadership for many different ministries.
I also cannot ignore the difficult and exhausting realities faced by our church members. Last week, Shepherd Sungmoon Jung, who serves as a village leader and head of the Missions department, was hospitalised with acute leukemia. Another village leader, Shepherd Ilha Lee, has been suffering from Ménière’s disease and is unable to do anything because of severe vertigo. My heart is heavy because of these situations.
These days, a strong realisation fills my heart: pastoral ministry is impossible without God’s help and the work of the Holy Spirit. Quiet meditation alone is not enough to break through. Unless I cry out, “Holy Spirit, please help! Please save us!” I cannot bear the weight of it all.
Perhaps it is the same for you. In your house church or in your family, if the Holy Spirit is not at work, all that will come out are words of frustration, and the problems will only appear bigger. What we need is a breakthrough, and the power for breakthrough comes only through prayer. A house church is not built by human wisdom or ability.
The same is true for your family and workplace. They are not established by your plans alone. God must help, and the Holy Spirit must work. If you find yourself feeling the same way I do right now, it means that the restoration of prayer is needed. We must return to a place of prayer that is not formal or routine, but earnest and honest before God.
Word of the week
Faith shines even more brightly in times of difficulty. As we overcome hardships through prayer, we come to experience God. However, if we do not pray, only words of frustration come out and the problems appear even bigger. A living faith prays to God, who is greater than any problem.