It was just a few weeks ago I was accredited as a Baptist pastor. It was an incredible moment that I will never forget in my life. My emotion was mixed with great joy and a sense of awe of God because I recalled the journey of study, ministry and family for the past 8 years. There were so many things that challenged me while I was juggling between these three roles. I always felt that I was exceeding the limit of my abilities to be occupied in full for many years. One thing I could think of was that “God led me and His faithfulness and grace put me on the stage on that day.” I started to study when my daughter was four years old and I was a single parent. I imagine I’m a bit of a special case as an ordained/accredited pastor, a single parent, first generation immigrant with English as a second language. I am also the first Korean  ordained/accredited woman pastor in the Baptist Churches of NSW & ACT.

So how did I get here? Well, I was saved 15 years year ago in Australia as the first Christian in my family after being brought up in a Buddhist family. After I became a Christian, I was on fire for God and the Gospel. I have tasted the richness of God’s Words since I was saved. I loved meditating on and reading the Bible. I have experienced the depth of prayer when I experienced infertility problems , I received a gift of my daughter from God. When my daughter was one year old, God clearly called me to the pastoral ministry. In 2014, my church appointed me as a student pastoral worker but the pastoral training was limited as they held the complementarian view of woman’s leadership. I had been taught only this view of woman’s leadership when I studied the Reformed theology so I was struggling between my vocation and theology. I was also convicted that I was mission- focused and pastoral-focused and this conviction led me to believe that there was a call on my life to be a church planter. In the view of the reformed circle, I couldn’t find my position with my gift and call. So I wrestled with God about my calling and finally, I moved to Morling College and to the Baptist church and I was clearly reconfirmed my call as a pastor and a church planter.

My church and college were open wide, welcoming for me to enter the Baptist world. I could see many woman lecturers and pastors who were encouraging my leadership and vision of call. The process of accreditation was rigorous however I could gain the confidence of my call as I had been accepted. My leadership as a woman was strengthened more and more in confidence and competence in the church ministry. Yet, as an Asian woman, and as an English second language pastor in the English congregation, it was not an easy process for a local church to accept me as a pastor. Especially as I brought a new  vision for inter-cultural church. The whole package; a new ministry, an Asian woman in leadership and a new idea of integrating cultures in ministry, was not easy to implement into the existing church.

However, through patience, tears, prayers, communication and the support of mentors and friends, I finally had a pastoral role in the church and could gain accreditation. I was a woman, church planting with an Asian, and non-Baptist background. Facing barriers that could make the journey to accreditation tricky, but I was encouraged and affirmed.I have been patient and faithful to the vision that God gave me even though I could have found somewhere else where I could find it easier to get accredited. By His faithfulness and mercy, the Lord finally opened up the ministry and vision in the church at the last minute. I am grateful and honoured to be part of the Baptist Women who have been accredited.