Email: [email protected]
First Year at Gordon-Conwell: 2017
Expertise: Bible Exposition, Preaching, Christian Leadership, Pastoral Ministry
Biography: Dr. David Ryoo (류응렬 교수) began his spiritual journey in his youth, growing up in a farming family near Ulsan, South Korea. His first encounter with the church was in 9th grade, and it was during his first year at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies that he embraced Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior through the University Bible Fellowship (UBF).
After graduation, he entered Chongshin Theological Seminary in South Korea with a commitment to dedicate at least three years of his life to the Lord, emulating Jesus, who spent three years in public ministry. He later moved to the United States and earned a Master of Theology in Old Testament from Gordon-Conwell and a Doctorate in homiletics from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. In 2003, at the age of 37, he was appointed as a professor of homiletics at Chongshin Theological Seminary. During his time on the faculty, he was elected Professor of the Year every year. He also preached in various countries, including China and South American countries, during breaks.
In 2013, an unexpected call came from the Korean Central Presbyterian Church (KCPC) in Virginia, founded in 1973. Dr. Ryoo’s transition from a professor to a pastor was a profound and weighty moment in his life. “It was not an easy calling,” he recalls. “But God gave me a shepherd’s heart in prayer, saying, ‘When I think about the cross of Jesus and my death, everything becomes simple.'” This calling led him to give up his professorship and pursue a ministry centered on serving others with the attitude of “I will always come whenever the church calls me.” When Dr. Ryoo was appointed, the church had over 4,500 attendees and 250 small groups. That number has now increased to over 6,000. Dr. Ryoo explained, “I have been involved in Korean-American immigrant ministry for the past twelve years with the principle of interpreting the culture through the truth, not allowing the culture to shake the truth.” The church plans to focus on training and sending disciples of Christ worldwide who have experienced a complete transformation of their souls in response to the Word. Reflecting on the past twelve years of ministry, he says, “The ten years I spent teaching in seminary were an indescribably honorable and happy time, but they pale in comparison to my time as a pastor.”
Dr. Ryoo’s life is also enriched by his marriage to Dr. Hei Jin Chung, a vascular surgeon who has been practicing for considerable years in Pennsylvania. Their partnership is a testament to the strength and support they provide each other in their respective callings for the Kingdom of God.
Degrees
- PhD (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary)
- ThM (Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)
- MDiv (Chongshin Theological Seminary)
- MA, BA (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies)