OUR STORY

San Francisco Bay Christian Fellowship emerged out of our deep passion and conviction to see the church, as the bride of Christ, blossom, flourish, and grow to her fullest potential and purpose in Christ for the communities and cities we serve, as well as the world we come to influence. Out of this sense of purpose came a call to plant a new church for the city that would impact, influence, and initiate the causes of Christ for many generations to come.

And this purpose of God was interwoven into a life of someone who had never thought he’d be involved into anything close. Having grown up in what would be considered a unchurched or “non-religious” home, Joon, the founding pastor, had very little, if any knowledge of God or any tangible experience with any local church until he was in his mid-teens. Through the friendly invitation of his two close friends during high school, he eventually came to learn of God, Christian faith, and the church. After about a year or so, Joon went through what he believes to be a spiritual conversion experience at a summer retreat he attended, whereby he heard the gospel. He was 17  and was baptized shortly after. And this marked the genesis of his initial spiritual journey more than 33+ years ago. He was then subsequently called into ministry at age 19 while he was in college. 

After graduating from college, though he briefly planned or thought that he’d move to a new place (or state) to start his career, he ended up returning to the SF Bay Area where he grew up. He started his work at Samsung as a field sales engineer in San Jose, CA, which began his long career in the technology industry, at least longer than what he had initially expected. While he was busy at work serving the marketplace God had placed him, he had never forgotten the call God had placed in him during the earlier years of college. He was actively and always involved in the local church ministries as a laity. However, he slowly began to notice that most (local) churches were existing in “silos” - compared to everything else we see in our society or culture. While he was actively engaged and serving the local church to the best of his ability, but he realized that something was missing. That is, most local churches weren’t fully or effectively engaged in transformative missions outside her four walls. They were worshipping and discipling faithfully and to the best of their abilities and availabilities. However, they weren’t impacting the surrounding communities, cities, and cultures the way they should or could. 

The desire to see this manifest or develop, slowly but surely, began to take root in Joon’s heart during the 90s. Time has a way of getting a hold of our fast passing lives. Just when he thought he was too busy or involved in the other “priorities” of life, God began to nudge Joon to start preparing for his ministry during a season that was found to be one of the most busiest times in his life. He didn’t think he could afford to put another “project or priority” on his plate. After about a year of prayer and preparation, he started his formal preparation and training by enrolling in the seminary in 2006. While he was happily working toward his graduation requirements in the evenings, the bigger (and unexpected) revelation came in late 2009, which was to go or move to San Francisco for his ministry or mission upon the completion of training from seminary. This was a much larger stake to swallow and more difficult. Because Joon had been planning to move to a new state or region once he completes his seminary training for church planting mission. Very much caught off guard, he had to go through some tough decisions and “reverse” transition process.

By God’s grace and through His divine guidance, he was ordained into pastoral ministry in 2010. However, even after long years of marketplace and ministerial preparation, Joon soon came to realize that he wasn’t adequately prepared for all the spiritual warfares in the mission field. The magnitude of what he was about to go through and experience was far greater and infinitely more challenging than anything he’d ever faced with or endeavored for. Good thing, God didn’t reveal this up front during the earlier part of his ministry. After 12+ years of arduous, extremely challenging labor in the mission field, as well as the ministry challenges inside the churches, God has shown him what He was doing and where He was working. Much of it involved spiritual warfares - both implicit and explicit, and removing strongholds that the enemies had taken roots for a very long time. It also gave Joon many insights and opportunities to observe, learn, and develop where he needed with and among all sorts of people and problems across all types of cultures, spectrums, and backgrounds.

Through many setbacks, sufferings, and struggles God has brought forth before our own path over the years, we had come to see that San Francisco was a place (or city), despite all the beauties and blessings inherited, that suffers from much sins, as a whole, caused by the problems and pains of our fallen humanity. And yet, God has shown us His incredible inner workings through a series of experiences and events that ONLY He could do. And we believe He’s only starting what He has always intended to do all along according to His sovereign plan. Rising out of all the chaos, confusions, and crises over the years, including the recent global pandemic, we’ve first hand experienced God’s sovereignty and His power practically in every aspect of our lives, communities, and even the country at large. 

As we continue in our spiritual journey, after what was probably divinely ordained and even orchestrated reset for the world, we are once again reminded of God’s sovereignty as can be seen throughout the Bible. We’ve clearly seen how God brings out what He purposes even through what was intended for evil and harm. We’ve also seen how God can work in and from multiple layers and levels that we can’t even fathom. It is in this sense of awe that we continue to march “onward to what matters” - hoping that the local churches can embrace and return to what it matters in our existence, and as an entity. That is, to worship God, with one another, and for the world.