FOUNDERS
Rev Kong Hee
Founder and Senior Pastor, City Harvest Church (Singapore)
Kong Hee co-founded City Harvest Church (CHC) with his wife Sun in 1989. Married since 1992, they have a 19-year-old son, Dayan. CHC has an average weekly attendance of 23,868, with a collective membership of approximately 45,000, including all branch and affiliate churches. In 2012, CHC was one of the 10 global churches larger than America’s largest.[1]
In the late 1980s, Kong did church-planting work and served at the mission agency Christ for Asia in the Philippines. In 1994, Kong founded the School of Theology, which has since trained 8,284 individuals, empowering them, and releasing them in the power of the Spirit, into the mission fields of their schools, workplaces, and nations of the world.
Kong is a passionate follower of Christ and a man of the Spirit. His belief and practices are deeply Pentecostal. He teaches that a believer’s ultimate goal in life is to enjoy a loving communion with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and through that union, be transformed into the image and likeness of Christ.
Kong also teaches that every authentic disciple of Jesus must be willing to deny themselves in willing obedience, and if necessary, to suffer for Him and the gospel. To him, ministry must be to lovingly serve others, especially the poor and needy, the weak and marginalised. Soul-winning, making disciples, building the local church, and doing overseas missions, are Kong’s passion.
Kong is a spiritual son of the late Dr David Yonggi Cho, who pastored the world’s largest congregation. He earned his BSc in computer science and information systems from the National University of Singapore. He holds an MA in Theology from Vanguard University in the US and is currently working on his PhD under the supervision of Professor Frank Macchia. In 2008, he was conferred an honorary doctoral degree by Hansei University in South Korea.
Sun Ho
Co-Founder, CEO and Executive Pastor, City Harvest Church (Singapore)
Sun Ho co-founded City Harvest Church (CHC) with Kong Hee in 1989. Married since 1992, they have a 19-year-old son, Dayan.
Together with Kong, they co-founded the “Church Without Walls” initiatives (1996) and City Harvest Community Services Association (1997), both of which assisted 11,594 individuals in need in 2023. In recognition of Sun’s humanitarian work among the poor and needy, particularly children, she received the “Outstanding Young Person of the World” Award from Junior Chamber International in 2003.
In addition to her humanitarian work, Sun was a pop singer, using music as a tool for evangelism in countries such as Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Haiti, and Honduras. In 2004, she was named “Ambassador of Love” by the Children and Youth Foundation of China for establishing schools among underprivileged kids. Additionally, she was appointed “Charity Ambassador of Love” for the Special Olympic World Summer Games in Shanghai in 2007 and served as the “Music Ambassador” for the 2008 Beijing Olympics Songfest.
Sun was ordained into the ministry by Dr David Yonggi Cho. Since 2010, she has been the chief executive officer of CHC, overseeing a congregation of 23,868 members and a collective membership of approximately 45,000, including all branch and affiliate churches. In 2012, CHC was one of the 10 global churches larger than America’s largest.1
LECTURERS
Prof Douglas Petersen
Distinguished Professor of Social Theology, USA
Douglas Petersen was the Margaret S. Smith Distinguished Professor of world missions and intercultural studies at Vanguard University in California. He is one of the foremost ethicists and Pentecostal leaders in the world today. Doug and his wife Myrna founded non-profit organisation Latin America Childcare (currently known as ChildHope) to give hope and a future to poverty-stricken children. Under his leadership, ChildHope has since expanded to 22 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, providing education, food, and medical programmes to 100,000 children in 300 schools.
Doug received his PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. As a Pentecostal thought leader, he has written books, published many journal articles and book reviews, and given lectures and public addresses in seminaries, Bible colleges and conferences, including the World Vision Leadership Symposium.
In 2022, Doug was honoured for 50 years in ministry by the SoCal Network of the Assemblies of God in San Diego. In 2016, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Society for Pentecostal Studies. His book Not By Might Nor By Power: A Pentecostal Theology of Social Concern (1996) was selected as one of the Outstanding Books of 1996, as well as the Outstanding Book of the Decade (1990 to 2000). He also received Outstanding Book of the Year in 1999 for The Globalization of Pentecostalism: A Religion Made to Travel (1999).
Doug’s recent teachings include theological themes in the New Testament, the Corinthian letters, organisational business ethics, current issues in mission studies, leadership and global issues, mission and culture in theological perspective, contemporary moral issues, research methodology/leadership studies, entrepreneurship, as well as conflict and change.
Prof Bill Dogterom
Professor of Pastoral Ministries and Spiritual Formation, Vanguard University, USA
Bill Dogterom, PhD, professor of pastoral ministries and spiritual formation, teaches courses in pastoral ministry, spirituality, and practical theology at Vanguard University. Having served in several pastoral roles for over 35 years, including 22 as lead pastor, Bill cares deeply about the local church as the primary expression and leading edge of the mission of God and, by extension, the health and wholeness of those women and men called and gifted by God to serve the church as pastors. This has led him to focus on the care of souls and spiritual direction as the basis of disciple making with the goal of spiritual formation towards Christlikeness for the sake of mission in the world.
The courses he teaches allow for the introduction and practice of essential skills needed for pastoral practice in the context of whole soul health.
Prof Roger Heuser
Professor of Leadership Studies, Vanguard University, USA
Roger Heuser is professor of leadership studies at Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, California, since 1983. His life-long, vocational interests are to explore leadership through the multi-disciplinary interplay of theology, social sciences, and spirituality.
Whether working with students in the classroom, coaching leaders in self-development, consulting organisations in becoming healthy and productive, or facilitating spiritual life retreats, Roger brings a generous hospitality along with a strong academic background and leadership practice.
He has taught at Fuller Theological Seminary, Northwest University, the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, as well as programmes in Asia, Central America, and Europe. He is founding faculty member of the Integrated Missional Leadership certificate programme designed for mission agency executives, sponsored by Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. Roger has co-authored several texts on religious leadership that continue to be widely used in seminaries and colleges. He has served in a variety of academic leadership positions including Divisional Chair of Religion, Director of Graduate Studies in Religion, and dean of the graduate school at Vanguard University.
Roger holds a Ph.D. from New York University and completed his masters’ and undergraduate degrees from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Illinois.
Before his journey in the academy, he pastored for 12 years in the Chicago, Illinois area, and is an ordained Assemblies of God minister. A cancer survivor of Stage IV lymphoma, Roger and his wife, Gayle (hospice chaplain, spiritual director, and professional opera singer), reside in San Clemente, California.
Prof Byron Klaus
Past President, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, USA
Byron Klaus was formerly the president of the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (AGTS). Prior to that, he served for 20 years on the faculty and administration of Vanguard University in California. During that time, he was the vice president of Latin America Childcare (currently known as ChildHope), a child development ministry which, at that time, helped over 80,000 children in 21 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean. He has also served in the churches of California, Texas, and Illinois.
Byron received his BSc from Bethany Bible College, MRE from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and DMin from Fuller Theological Seminary. His commitment to leadership development in growing churches around the world has taken him to over 50 nations in the world, where he preaches and develops leaders. Among his wide spectrum of scholarly works are Called and Empowered: Pentecostal Mission in Global Perspective (1991) and The Globalization of Pentecostalism: A Religion Made to Travel (1999), which he co-edited.
After his retirement from the presidency of AGTS, Byron continued to teach courses at seminary and returned to ChildHope to be its vice president. He received the Distinguished Educator Award from the Alliance for Assemblies of God Higher Education in 2009, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Pentecostal Studies in 2016.
Prof Frank Macchia
Professor of Systematic Theology, Vanguard University, USA
Frank Macchia is the associate director of the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies at Bangor University in Wales, and he is also a professor of Christian Theology at Vanguard University in California. He holds an MDiv from Union Theological Seminary at Columbia University in New York and DTh from the University of Basel in Switzerland. He received his doctorate with distinction and won the Jacob Burckhardt Prize for his dissertation on the message of the Blumhardts.
Frank was formerly the president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS) and the editor of its Pneuma journal. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the SPS in 2015. He was also awarded an honorary DDiv from the Pentecostal Theological Seminary in Tennessee, which is the leading seminary for the Church of God.
As an ecumenical theologian, Frank engages in broad conversations, serving six years on the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches in America, as well as in other conversations, such as the Reformed and Pentecostal Dialogue. He has participated in numerous ecumenical consultations, including the World Council of Churches/Evangelical Dialogue, and the Consultation on Christian Unity held at Princeton Theological Seminary.
Prof April Westbrook
Professor of Old Testament, Vanguard University, USA
April Westbrook brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the field of Biblical/Old Testament Studies, with an extensive formal education and over 25 years of teaching at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Her commitment to excellence in teaching is evident through institutional recognition, special awards, and consistently high evaluations from students in her classes. She has published and presented scholarly works in the field and is currently working on the Book of 2 Samuel volume for the Pentecostal Commentary Series (Deo/Brill).
April has served in various roles within local church ministry and spoken at many conferences, retreats, and chapel services, having been an ordained minister for over 35 years.
Dr Ivan Satyavrata
Chairman, World Vision International, India
Ivan Satyavrata holds a BTh from Southern Asia Bible College in India, BDiv from Union Biblical Seminary in India, ThM from Regent College in Canada, and PhD from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. He taught full-time for 21 years and served as president at the Southern Asia Bible College (now Centre for Global Leadership Development) in Bangalore. His key publications include Holy Spirit, Lord, and Life Giver (2009), God Has Not Left Himself Without Witness (2011), and Pentecostalism and the Poor (2017).
Ivan was a member of the World Vision India Board before being elected as chairman of World Vision International in November 2022. He was also the senior pastor of Assembly of God Church Kolkata for 16 years.
Rev Dr Bobby Chaw
Executive Pastor, Missions Director, Principal of School of Theology
Bobby Chaw is a founding member of City Harvest Church (CHC) and was ordained in 2013. In 2018, together with Sun Ho, he founded The Harvest Network (THN), which is a fellowship of like-minded congregations spanning 11 countries globally. THN churches share CHC’s vision of loving God wholeheartedly and loving people fervently.
Known to be a prolific and passionate Bible teacher who preaches effectively in both English and Mandarin, Bobby also oversees the Chinese-speaking congregation and provides pastoral oversight to a zone of members in the English-speaking congregation. As the missions director, he strategises, provides direction, and oversees all overseas missions work. As principal, he also provides leadership and pastoral oversight to the staff and students in SOT.
Bobby currently heads the Management Board of CHC as its president and is part of the 3-member Senior Management Team of CHC, tasked with all executive responsibilities of the church.
Rev Aries Zulkarnain
Executive Pastor
Aries Zulkarnain is a founding member of City Harvest Church (CHC) and was ordained in 2004. He was the director of a successful family-owned business in Indonesia from 1990 to 1995 before he answered the call to serve God full-time in Singapore.
Aries is actively involved in leadership training and discipleship in the church. He provides pastoral oversight for a division of pastoral staff that oversees members from the English-speaking congregation. Aries also ministers to the Bahasa Indonesia-speaking congregation in CHC and heads the Indonesian Service that meets twice a month.
He currently serves as the vice-president on the Management Board of CHC and is part of the 3-member Senior Management Team of CHC, tasked with all executive responsibilities of the church. Presently, Aries is pursuing his Bachelor of Arts in Theology in Vanguard University, USA.
Rev Daniel Lim
Pastor, President of City Harvest Community Services Association
Ordained in 2023, Daniel Lim oversees a zone of members from the English-speaking congregation. He heads the CityWorship music team at City Harvest Church (CHC) and provides pastoral oversight for both the CityWorship and Audio & Lighting ministries. Daniel is also part of the CityFamilies committee which serves to support and empower singles, married couples, and parents to flourish through the different seasons of life. As president of City Harvest Community Services Association, Daniel heads the social service arm of CHC that reaches and assists the needy and marginalised, regardless of race or religion. Presently, Daniel is pursuing his Master of Arts in Theology in Vanguard University, USA.
Rev Wu Yuzhuang
Pastor (Division)
Wu Yuzhuang is a founding member of City Harvest Church (CHC) and was ordained in 2008. He currently provides pastoral oversight for a division of pastoral staff that oversees members from the English-speaking congregation. Zhuang heads the Marketplace Ministry in CHC, providing spiritual mentoring and discipleship to business owners and working professionals.
Rev Choong Tsih-Ming
Pastor
Choong Tsih-Ming is a founding member of City Harvest Church (CHC) and was ordained in 2008. He oversees a zone of members in the English-speaking congregation. Together with Daniel Lim, he provides pastoral oversight to the Audio & Lighting ministries in CHC. Ming teaches regularly in the School of Theology, as well as in the church’s modular Bible studies classes. Known for moving in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Ming’s classes and sermons are perennial favourites among students and church members alike.
Rev Audrey Ng
Pastor
Audrey Ng is a founding member of City Harvest Church (CHC) and was ordained in 2013. She oversees a zone of members from the English-speaking congregation. She is part of the Emerge committee, CHC’s youth movement that seeks to inspire and empower young people to fulfil God’s purpose for their lives. Audrey is a trained counsellor and heads both the Counselling department and Liberty ministry which provides Christian counsel, prayer, and deliverance to members of the church. Audrey also heads CHC’s Usher ministry.
Rev Eileen Toh
Pastor (HarvestKidz)
Eileen Toh is a pioneering member of City Harvest Church (CHC) and was ordained in 2013. She heads HarvestKidz, which is CHC’s children’s church and one of the region’s largest children’s ministries. She also oversees CHC’s Dialect Service and JAMs Service, which is CHC’s ministry to persons with special needs. Eileen and her team of staff and volunteers run the church’s 17 “Church Without Walls” initiatives, reaching out to cancer patients, migrant workers, single mothers, and other marginalised groups in Singapore. Eileen previously served as the president of City Harvest Community Services Association, CHC’s social service arm, for 14 years until 2021. Aside from the above, Eileen currently sits on the Board of CHC and heads the church’s Intercessory ministry. Presently, Eileen is pursuing her Master of Arts in Leadership in Vanguard University, USA.
Jeremy Choy
Pastor
Jeremy Choy was licensed as a pastor with City Harvest Church in 2010 and leads a zone of members from the English-speaking congregation. He oversees the CityFamilies committee which supports and empowers singles, married couples, and parents to flourish through the different seasons of life. Jeremy is one of the trained counsellors in the church’s Counselling department and heads the Prison ministry.
Lee Yilun
Pastor
Lee Yilun began her ministry as one of City Harvest Church’s (CHC) youngest pastoral supervisors and was licensed as a pastor in 2015. She presently oversees a zone of members from the English-speaking congregation. She also manages the tuition outreach of CHC’s “Church Without Walls” initiative, reaching out to students from low-income families by providing free tuition programmes led by church volunteers. Yilun is part of the Emerge committee, CHC’s youth movement that seeks to inspire and empower young people to fulfil God’s purpose for their lives. She is also part of the Young Adults committee, which focuses on the needs of the young adults and young families in CHC. Yilun heads the church’s Visual Communications ministry, as well as the Boy’s Brigade and Girl’s Brigade ministries.
Johann Jasman Sim
Pastor
Johann Sim was licensed as a pastor in 2023 and oversees a zone of members from the English-speaking congregation. He provides pastoral oversight for a number of ministries in City Harvest Church, namely Greeters, Dance, and Translation & Interpretation. He also leads My Fellow Workers, one of the “Church Without Walls” outreach to migrant workers in Singapore. Pastor Johann is a certified marriage mentor and is part of the CityFamilies committee which supports and empowers singles, married couples, and parents to flourish through the different seasons of life. He is also a certified grief recovery specialist. Presently, Johann is pursuing his Master of Arts in Theology in Vanguard University, USA.
Edmund Tay
Pastor
Edmund Tay was licensed as a pastor with City Harvest Church (CHC) in 2010 and currently oversees a zone of members from the English-speaking congregation. He is part of the Young Adults committee in CHC, which focuses on the needs of the young adults and young families in the church. He also teaches parenting and marriage workshops conducted by the church. Edmund currently leads the “Church Without Walls” initiative known as Cancer Care which offers help and support to cancer patients and their caregivers. He also oversees The Ink Room, CHC’s bookstore operations and provides pastoral oversight to the volunteers in CHC’s Drama ministry. Presently, Edmund is pursuing his Master of Arts in Leadership in Vanguard University, USA.
Kelvin Tan
Pastoral Supervisor
Kelvin Tan is a pastoral supervisor in City Harvest Church (CHC), overseeing a zone of members from the English-speaking congregation. He is part of the Emerge committee, CHC’s youth movement that seeks to inspire and empower young people to fulfil God’s purpose for their lives. Kelvin also heads the church’s Security ministry. Presently, Kelvin is pursuing his Master of Arts in Theology in Vanguard University, USA.
Cindy Ng
Dean of Students of the School of Theology
Cindy Ng is the Dean of Students of the School of Theology and one of the trained counsellors in City Harvest Church’s (CHC) Counselling department. She also heads CHC’s Make-up ministry and provides pastoral care to members from both the English and Chinese congregations.
Chiong Xiao Ting
Senior Chinese Translator
Chiong Xiao Ting is a dynamic Chinese Translator and a volunteer cell group leader in City Harvest Church (CHC). She currently heads the Translation & Interpretation ministry. Xiao Ting does live on-stage Mandarin interpretation during CHC’s bilingual church services and events, as well as during School of Theology lessons, she conducts group Bible study and interpretation training in the course of her work. Presently, Xiao Ting is pursuing her Master of Arts in Theology in Vanguard University, USA.
Teo Poh Heng
Music Supervisor
Teo Poh Heng is City Harvest Church’s first music director and was instrumental in setting up the worship team in the early days of the church. He oversees the Guitar ministry and serves as a mentor to the worship teams in the Chinese Service and in the School of Theology where he teaches the art of worship leading. Poh is also a known figure in the local music arena and has been a contributing songwriter and producer to more than 15 albums as a professional musician. He has worked with luminaries in the film-making industry, producing movie soundtracks for popular local films, such as Kelvin Tong’s Rule Number 1 and Wee Li Lin’s Forever.
Songs written by Poh, such as, “Make a Difference”, “Wholly Follow You” and “Saturate”, have impacted the Christian world over the years. Another one of Poh’s song, titled “Miracle”, was written in 2016 to encourage CHC in its toughest season. “Miracle” was translated into six other languages and went on to bless many in Asia, particularly Japan, in the aftermath of the Kumamoto earthquake in April 2016.
[1] https://gcnw.tv/2012/01/18/10-global-churches-larger-than-americas-largest/.