Interview with Pastor Chung Jia Yih
Our Chinese language congregation (CC) recently welcomed a new pastor, Chung Jia Yih. Here, he shares with us about himself, his faith journey and ministry, and how we can be keeping him in prayer.
1. Could you introduce yourself to help our members know you more?
Hello, EC members! My name is Chung Jia Yih, and I'm originally from Sabah, Malaysia. I was raised in a Christian family and have attended church with my family since I was young.
I spent the first 20 years of my life in Sabah, living in a small town called Tuaran. I also spent a significant amount of time studying and visiting the capital of Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, which is near my hometown.
At the age of 21, in 2008, I decided to further my studies in New Zealand, where I studied for about four years. After that, I returned to Sabah and was involved in teaching and the church’s youth ministry for a few years.
In 2014, my church in Sabah decided to send me to study abroad at China Reformed Theological Seminary (CRTS) in Taiwan. After three years of theological studies, I returned to Sabah to pastor the church I grew up in for about seven years.
As a pastor and believer, I’m convinced that Scripture is powerful, sufficient, and the final authority for believers and the church in all matters of faith. Thus, I strive to emphasise the ministry of the Word and to teach sound biblical doctrines, knowing that it is the Word that saves, transforms, and equips individuals to be mature followers of Christ.
The God-given ordinary means of grace, such as the Word, prayer, and sacraments, are the instruments by which Christ blesses, grows, and matures His Church and saves unbelievers, and thus we should diligently and faithfully use them.
My hope in ministry is that, through the Word, I can faithfully preach Christ so that the congregation will come to know God and His Son better and better, producing in them a heart of worship and reverence.
2. How did God lead you to begin pastoring, and then to pastor at GBC?
When I was younger and up until my university studies, I had not given much thought to becoming a pastor or serving in a pastoral capacity. My time in New Zealand was a sort of a culture shock to me, as my faith was greatly challenged in my first few years there. My perspective shifted during my studies in New Zealand in 2008, exposing me to diverse thoughts, including atheism, agnosticism, socialism, and other ideologies. These ideas began to significantly impact me. I found myself compromising my Christian faith, influenced by friends hostile to God's existence and critical of religion.
Facing difficult questions about faith, especially concerning the apparent endorsements of genocide in the Bible, I struggled to respond. This led me to distance myself from my Christian identity, living a compromised life to avoid judgment from others. During my initial university years, I rarely attended church, feeling a lack of belonging. A crisis of identity pushed me to seek fulfilment in friendships and knowledge, temporarily satisfying my sense of belonging.
In my third year of university, I forced myself to attend church and found Dunedin Chinese Methodist Church. The pastor's emphasis on clear scripture teaching and thought-provoking sermons captivated me. Expository preaching, exploring books of the Bible, became a new experience. Despite this, I still grappled with relativist, atheist, and agnostic influences.
A “turning point” occurred in my fourth year when I stumbled upon a YouTube clip addressing the exclusivity of Jesus as the only way to salvation. The pastor's wise and satisfactory response reignited my interest in Christianity. This sparked a deep dive into studying Scripture, theology, and seeking answers to my lingering questions.
Returning to Malaysia after four years, I embraced opportunities to serve at my church. I began volunteering as a Sunday School teacher, focusing on teaching systematic theology to teenagers. Involved in youth fellowship, I sought to serve by getting to know the youths and teaching them Scripture and doctrine whenever there was an opportunity.
Encouraged by my pastor in New Zealand, I explored a passion for ministry. Back in Malaysia, I engaged in various church activities, recognising the importance of sound biblical teaching. My understanding of God's grace deepened, and I slowly shed away my previous worldviews, adopting a biblical worldview. The more I studied God’s Word, the more appreciative I became of what Jesus Christ has done for me in my life. I also gained a deeper understanding of God’s grace and that salvation is entirely the work of God through the perfect life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
With the endorsement of my church in Sabah, I went to pursue theological studies at China Reformed Theological Seminary in Taipei, preparing for pastoral ministry. In 2017, I successfully completed my pastoral training and returned to serve my home church as a pastor until today.
As I serve in pastoral ministry, I become increasingly convinced of the importance of faithfully teaching and preaching God’s Word. My appreciation and trust in the gospel are also growing, recognising that it alone holds God’s power to save and transform lives. May the Lord continue to nurture and instruct me in faithfully shepherding with love and truth, so that His name may be glorified, and the church edified.
3. What will your pastoral ministry mainly focus on at GBC? How can we be praying for you?
My pastoral ministry in GBC (CC) will be mainly focused on caring and ministering to the youths, as well the ministry of the Word.
Please pray that I will faithfully and joyfully fulfil my duties as a pastor and remain faithful to the gospel and the Lord’s Great Commission. Additionally, pray that the gospel and God’s Word will continually shape and affect me personally, so that I will grow in truth, love, and godliness.
Also, pray that God would give grace to GBC (both CC and EC), that we would continually grow in the knowledge and grace of Christ Jesus, be united in the precious gospel and biblical truths, and love and serve one another in unity and truth.