Born in South Korea, Pastor Jihoon Lee first encountered Christ in a small Methodist church planted by an American missionary. Trained first as an architect, his life was redirected by God’s Word in Isaiah 50:4—calling him to build lives of faith instead. His journey carried him from Seoul to New Jersey and California, where he combined pastoral service with advanced study, earning an STM in Church History at Drew University and a Ph.D. at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley.

He was ordained in 2012 and moved to Iowa in 2018, where he found joy in serving communities rooted in deep faith and hospitality. In 2024, he became a full member of the Iowa Annual Conference. Pastor Lee serves alongside his wife, Esther, and together they celebrate the lives of their two sons, Joseph and Justin, who are now pursuing their own paths in college and beyond.

“The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary.”
— Isaiah 50:4