About
LEAD PASTOR
Shawn Seiler (shawn@thegospelcity.org)
Shawn grew up living in both Seoul, Korea and Maryland, USA. He frequently moved back and forth every several years. Having spent a sum total of more than 15 years living in Korea, he has a heart for the country, the people, and the Korean church. Upon graduating college in the US in 2011, he came to Korea for work and after several years it the workforce, God called Shawn to ministry. Shawn graduated from Chongshin Theological Seminary in March 2020. Before coming to Gospel City, he served three years as a children’s pastor at a Korean church. He then came to Gospel City to serve as the education pastor and in November 2022, he was installed as Gospel City’s second lead pastor. Shawn and his wife Hannah married in June 2019 and their twins, Sophia and Andrew, were born in August 2022.
Pastor Shin and his wife Hana joined Gospel City Church in the fall of 2017. Since then, they have been faithfully serving our church as interns and ministry leaders. Pastor Shin recently graduated from Torch Trinity Graduate University with an M.Div. (Masters of Divinity). In April 2020, he joined the pastoral staff as the assistant pastor.
Shin Han (Assistant Pastor)
shin@thegospelcity.org
Grace grew up in Korea and was raised in the UK as a musician. She felt the call as a worship leader from a young age, and became a member of the Korea Gospel Song Association as a gospel singer in 2013. After moving back to Korea in recent years, she joined Gospel City Church in the spring of 2019. She has been serving as part of the worship team for some time and has joined the Staff from 2020. With a heart to draw the congregation together in one voice and heart in worship to God, she is now faithfully serving as the Music Director.
Grace Kim (Music Director)
music@thegospelcity.org
Yohan(Juan) joined Gospel City Church in the winter of 2020 right before starting his studies in theology at Torch Trinity Graduate University. Though he was uncertain about his calling to ministry, God slowly kindled a desire in his heart to be a herald of the Word and to faithfully share the good news God has entrusted us through the Scriptures. The pastoral team has taken him under their wings as an intern so that he could get a sense of what it is like to be in ministry and learn the responsibilities of a faithful herald of the Word.
Juan Kim (Intern)
OUR MISSION
To transform people, cultures, cities and nations through the gospel by raising disciples of Christ and planting healthy churches for the glory of God
OUR VISION
To help build God’s Kingdom by realizing the full beauty and power of the church that raises authentic Christ followers who carry the gospel forward until His mission of redemption is accomplished
OUR BELIEFS
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
We believe Jesus Christ is true God and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died on the Cross as a sacrifice for our sins, arose bodily from the dead, and ascended into Heaven. He is our High Priest and Advocate, seated at the right hand of God the Father.
We believe in the ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ by convicting and regenerating the sinner to believe. The Spirit indwells, guides, instructs, and empowers the believer for godly living and service.
We believe the Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired Word of God without error in the original manuscripts, the complete revelation of His will for the salvation of mankind, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life.
We believe man was created in the image of God but fell because of sin and is therefore totally lost, unable to save himself. And only through the regeneration by the Holy Spirit can he obtain salvation and eternal life.
We believe that the shed blood of Jesus Christ and His resurrection provide the only ground for justification and salvation for all who believe, and only those who receive Jesus Christ through faith and repentance become children of God.
We believe those whom God calls in His grace will express faith in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
We believe water baptism and the Lord’s Supper are ordinances to be observed by the church during this present age. They are, however, not to be regarded as means of salvation.
We believe the true Church is composed of all regenerated believers who are united together in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head.
We believe in the personal and imminent coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and this hope has a vital bearing on the present personal life and service of the believer.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the dead, of the believer to everlasting blessedness and joy with the Lord; of the non-believer to judgment and everlasting conscious punishment.
OUR VALUES
Gospel-centered WORSHIP
At Gospel City, it’s all about Jesus Christ and what He has done through His very life, death and resurrection. It’s a life-saving and life-changing message of grace, received through faith in the person and work of Christ. Our worship gatherings, and furthermore, our lives are all a response to the gospel. On Sundays, you will notice that from the songs that we sing, the prayers that we pray, and the sermons that are preached, we are uncompromisingly about Jesus. (Luke 24:27; Romans 1:16; 1 Corinthians 1:18, 15:3-4; Galatians 1:6; 2:14; Colossians 2:9)
Raising DISCIPLES
When you come to know Jesus and His teachings, you realize that He didn’t want fans. He wanted disciples. This was the last command He gave: make disciples. We are committed to raising and equipping disciples of Christ. We desire to see gospel-centered, spirit-filled disciples rightly handling His Word, maturing in faith, and faithfully living for Him. (Matthew 9:37-38, 28:18-20; Luke 9:23; Acts 6:3; 2 Timothy 2:15)
Embracing DIVERSITY
The kingdom of God is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural. We have the privilege of doing church in one of the most diverse corners of the world. In order to build a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural church, we all must be willing to step out of our cultural comfort zones and proactively embrace people of other ethnicities and cultures. (Genesis 11:1-9; Luke 10:25-37; John 17:20-23; Acts 11:19-26; 13:1ff.; Galatians 3:28)
Engaging CULTURE
Culture is a byproduct of human dwelling. To truly know and love a people group is to genuinely know their culture. Effective gospel witness understands the culture—its worldview, beliefs, values, and idols. In order to successfully minister to a people group or generation, we must know how the gospel specifically addresses and redeems that culture. We want to equip our church members to understand how families, work, entertainment, and the arts all intersect with faith. This also means being countercultural. In the areas we see God’s ways conflicting with the world’s, we will follow God’s ways and form a kingdom culture that will be a bright light in the city. (Genesis 1:26-28, 2:15; Acts 17; 1 John 2:15)
Planting CHURCHES
In order to finish God’s mission, churches must be planting new churches. Churches are a vital means in furthering God’s mission. It’s the model we see the disciples use in order to disciple believers and reach nations. We are committed to planting new churches and helping other churches grow healthier. (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41-47; Titus 1:5)
Authentic COMMUNITY
When Jesus left the Earth, He gave his disciples the authority to establish the church. The church is not a building, nor is it even a service we attend, but it the gathering of His followers coming together to worship Him and to do life together. At Gospel City, because of the gospel, we highly value authenticity as we try to love God and love each other. We are a community in Christ, on mission for Christ, helping each other run to Christ. (Romans 12:1; Ephesians 2:19-21; Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:23-25)
Helping the HURTING
Throughout scripture, the hurting were always at the center of God’s heart. Jesus often went out of His way to help the outcast, the sick, the oppressed, and the poor. In fact, this is the reason Jesus came. We realize we are the beneficiaries of Jesus’ compassions. The ministry of the disciples was no different. The church was to carry on this ministry of mercy and justice. Because of the gospel, we are compelled to go out of our way to love as Christ did. (Proverbs 29:7; Matthew 14:14; Luke 10:25-37; Acts 6:1-3; James 1:27)
Loving the CITY
As Gospel City is located in one of the most densely populated cities in the world, the need for healthy gospel ministry is great! Cities play a very important role both in today’s society and in God’s kingdom. When a city is able to flourish, many more are benefited. In order to love our neighbors well, we need to love the city well by seeking the welfare of this city. Apostle Paul understood the importance of reaching cities. In fact, Paul’s ministry was strategically focused on cities. There are people from over 60 countries living within a small two-mile radius of Gospel City. We want to improve the quality of life in the city by sharing the hope we have in the gospel and by meeting its needs. (Jeremiah 29:6-7; Jonah 4:10-11; Acts 16-19)
Finishing the MISSION
When Jesus left the earth, He left the church a mission. It was the same mission that God started with Abraham in Genesis 12 - to bless all the nations. God is on a mission to create a new city, void of sin, brokenness and pain. Gospel City is fully committed to keeping the mission of God at the center, not being sidetracked with other lesser things. We are committed to reaching the next generation and reaching the unreached. (Genesis 12:1-3; Mark 13:10; Matthew 24:14, 28:18-20; Revelations 7:9)
THE CORE LAUNCH TEAM
Gospel City started off in Pastor Joel & Sharon’s apartment. We met to worship, study the Bible, and pray as we prepared to launch in January 2016. We are so thankful for the hard work and prayers that laid down the foundation of this church. Most of them have moved on to other parts of the world, but to us, they will always be a part of our church community.
