Announcing Our new Senior Director of Enrollment—Rev. John chung
Covenant Theological Seminary is pleased to announce that Covenant alumnus Rev. John Chung (MDiv ’09) will join the Seminary staff as Senior Director of Enrollment in April 2022. In this capacity, he will oversee and coordinate the functions of the Admissions, Financial Aid, and Institutional Retention teams, and provide strategic leadership and direction for all the Seminary’s initiatives related to student recruitment, enrollment, and retention.
Rev. Chung is an experienced pastor and highly skilled leader with expertise in areas of team leadership and staff development. His history of working with nonprofit organizations and his extensive relationships in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) and beyond bring additional strengths to his new role.
Prior to coming to Covenant, John served in a variety of ministry capacities over many years. He worked with Mission to the World, the PCA’s missions organization, and as Institute Director for Next (formerly known as Global Youth and Family Institute). He has served as a pastor in a variety of churches: as a Youth Minister and Pastor with the Korean Presbyterian Church of St. Louis (PCA); as Executive Pastor of Christ Central Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Centreville, Virginia; and, most recently, as an Associate Pastor at The Journey–Tower Grove (Acts 29) in St. Louis. During some of this time, he also served as a Visiting or Adjunct Professor here at Covenant.
In each of these roles John’s ability to communicate across generational, cultural, and language boundaries was instrumental in strengthening and advancing the missions of the organizations he worked for. John holds a BA in speech communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MDiv from Covenant Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Saras, have two children.
Of his appointment, Rev. Chung said, “The Lord used Covenant Seminary to shape me during my time as a student. Here I learned the depths of God’s grace and the beauty of Reformed theology. I am excited to join the faculty and staff at Covenant to continue fostering a place where men and women can be equipped for the work of ministry. In particular, I am excited to help future students engage with the Lord through biblical, theological, and practical ministry studies for the building up of the body of Christ.”
Dr. Robert Kim, Assistant Professor of Applied Theology and Church Planting at Covenant and a long-time friend and colleague of Rev. Chung, noted, “We are grateful for God’s provision in bringing John to Covenant Seminary. He has an infectious love for Jesus and people that will make an indelible contribution to the campus and those with whom he works. His global background with Mission to the World, love for the Seminary, and pastoral experience are intangible qualities that make him an ideal choice for Senior Director of Enrollment. I am excited to see the ways the Lord will use John’s work to carry out the mission of Covenant Seminary to equip the next generation of pastors, counselors, and ministry leaders.”
Dr. Tom Gibbs, President of Covenant Seminary, is excited about the appointment as well: “John is a gifted leader with an excellent track record of ministry revitalization and management in cross-cultural settings. He is also a wonderful pastor and shepherd with a real heart for God’s people and an amazing ability to build relationships with and communicate between different audiences. We are thrilled to have him in this position and grateful for the Lord’s timing in bringing John to us in this season of the Seminary’s life. We look forward to seeing how God will work through John and his staff to strengthen and grow us as we prepare new pastors and leaders for the church.”
