RESUME
kyle r. allen
Husband to In Hye | Father to Ye Jin and Ye Dam | Professionally serving God for 21 years
God has graciously used me to shepherd His people in ministries from New York to Thailand, Los Angeles and Cleveland, from the Bay Area of California to the country of New Hampshire and Vermont. Across all of these places, He's blessed me through all types of ministry, from mercy to para-church, church planting, cross-cultural service, youth and families, young adults and lead pastor.
God has called me into the pastorate to feed, care, and love His flock. I, too, am called to lead the church to seek the lost, show mercy, and love our neighbors.
I look forward to sharing that vision and my ministry philosophy and experience with you.
For speaking engagements or any questions, just ask in the CONTACT.
MINISTRY EXPERIENCE
LEAD PASTOR
Preacher, Elder, and Leader at 70 member ABC church, with weekly attendance of 100. I've spent the past 6 years in a truly blessed time of revamping, solidifying, and creating Christ-centered ministries that are sustainable, flourishing, future-forward, and godly by developing our excellent core of leaders, Elders and Deacons. I manage our staff, lead weekly worship, write curriculum, pioneer community and social media engagement, give spiritual counsel (marital, grief, tragedy, discernment, and theological doctrine), as well as spearhead discipleship initiatives, including forming and leading Men's, Young Adult, Family, and Community Group ministries. I invite you to look over two websites, www.mygraceriver.life and
www.graceriver.life to discover more of what we're all about.
SILICON VALLEY CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY
SANTA CLARA, CA
JUNE 2014-AUG. 2018
PASTOR
Preacher, Shepherd, and Planeter at 500 member church. God's blessed me with the opportunity to grow across the spectrum of pastoral ministry, develop my leadership style, preaching voice, and shepherding heart with the support of a godly elders, staff and lay leadership. God's good work here has included using me to build up Christ-centered community, establish healthy service teams, counsel and shepherd, develop leaders and disciplers, develop and oversee the creation of large building projects and brand new small groups, teams, leaders, and programs. It's also been amazing to lead the church to grow in baptized believers, vision, strategy, and retention while transitioning it from a fledgling youth-focused ministry into a viable multi-generational church with young adults and families (and the young couples and children's ministries that had to be built).
Responsible for co-leading across church ministries and all senior-level ministry direction and operations for the English Ministry: from vision to budget, implementation to review, spiritual leadership and formation to daily spiritual shepherding / ministry team creation and equipping / weekly sermons preaching and series development / discipleship training / baptisms / branding, attraction, assimilation and retention strategies / Bible teacher equipping / conference & retreat, and curriculum development / local and overseas mission and evangelism / Sunday worship planning, leading / leadership of core team / social media and marketing / work with elders and deacons for wider church ministry, vision, direction and programming and development / planning, designing construction of new sanctuary, youth center, children's room, welcome areas, classrooms
BRECKSVILLE
UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
Brecksville, OH
MAY 2012-DEC. 2013
DIRECTOR OF YOUTH MINISTRIES
Pastor, Teacher, Shepherd for middle and high school ministries of 300 member church. Served and developed interactive weekday youth worship, fellowship and social events as well as planning and preaching in overall church ministry, programs and leadership / created and led weekly Sunday School / led core team of parent and youth leaders / preached in Sunday and holiday services / developed and led Cleveland and out-of-state missions and retreats / discipleship / developed innovative middle school VBS program / social media, graphics, and marketing / managed budget
REASON FOR LEAVING MINISTRY / I was fired quite suddenly for apologetically sharing theological disagreements with the church's decision to become a "reconciling church" which breaks from Methodist law by affirming and celebrating same-sex relationships, bisexuality, transgenderism, and other unbiblical sexual orientations and lifestyles. While I stood up for God's truth, I have always done so in love and respect, never disparaging the same-sex attracted or any member of the LGBTQI+ community (In fact, I've had friends and congregants from this community for many, many years)
YOUNG ADULT, YOUTH & CHILDREN'S PASTOR
Shepherd, Preacher, Friend to the College/Young Adult, Youth and Children's ministries at this great Korean UMC. Worked with the senior pastor to implement church programs and create meaningful, engaging, and theologically rich ways to disciple, teach, and lead the next generation and reach out to non-Christians, including in the surrounding Latino neighborhood.
Weekly sermons, worship liturgy and team leading & building for two services - Children's worship and Youth/Young Adult service / shepherding and teaching weekly small groups / successful neighborhood evangelism to youth and young adults / church retreat planning, leading and teaching / social media and promotion / mentoring and discipleship / service teams and leadership development
VAN NUYS
UNITED METHODIST
CHURCH
Van Nuys, CA
JUNE 2010- MAY 2012
THAI CHRISTIAN
FELLOWSHIP
North Hollywood, CA
AUG 2005-JAN 2010
PASTOR
Founding member, teacher, co-leader for Evangelical Lutheran Church in America church plant to reach Thais in the greater LA area with the Gospel. Starting as a small group, we grew into weekly Sunday worship and Friday meetings and had the great opportunity to work with advocacy groups helping Thai immigrants, trafficked victims, and reaching the Thai community in Thaitown and the San Fernando Valley. Though we were also blessed to help prepare Americans going to missions in Thailand and reach many through looking for Christ and ministry in Thai through our website, we eventually had to stop the ministry after losing our building and funding when we disagreed theologically with the ELCA's passage of pro-homosexual agenda. Our small ministry of mostly restaurant workers sadly was not yet able to be self-sufficient.
Shared preaching and translating with co-pastor, a Thai missionary to America / led vision casting and church programming / oversaw children ministry / developed and led small groups / website and promotion / local outreach / retreat creation and coordination / reports, budget and communication with Bishop / fundraising / community outreach
PARA-CHURCH MINISTER
Leader, Teacher, Friend to at risk youth in Los Angeles. This was such a beautiful and life-changing opportunity to reach and work with God's little ones in some of LA's most troubled areas. Our mobile ministry connected with and proclaimed Christ to Latino youth in Hollywood and African-American children in South LA through after school programs of interactive worship and teaching, acting, games, mentoring, and even puppets! I also started and led a weekly tutoring program for kids struggling in school and ESL classes for Latino moms. Fridays we hosted a popular drop-in for 100 youth to get off the streets and hear God's good news.
Creative approaches to sharing the Gospel / team-led curriculum development and rehearsal / teaching / evangelism / community-building and leading / outreach / mentoring / Kids Klub
OASIS of HOLLYWOOD
Hollywood, CA
2007-2009
AMERICAN BAPTIST CHURCH/ SAMMUK
CHRISTIAN ACADEMY
Bang Saen and
Mae Sot, Thailand
2003-2005
MISSIONARY
Shepherd, Teacher, Leader at Sammuk Christian Academy, a blessed Thai boarding school consisting of 400 mostly non-Christian students whom we taught, mentored, and evangelized all day, every day through school, sport, outreaches, and a lot of long, often funny conversations. On months where I had breaks from school, I volunteered at Karen refugee camps along the Burma border to lead classes in a local seminary, teach English, preach, and lead sports and community projects to these impoverish, broken, but Christ-filled dear brothers and sisters. Truly the kind of mission where you feel God blessed you more than you were a blessing to others.
Caring, teaching, preaching, discipleship and mentoring in 24/7 leading / teacher training / wrote for Bridge Thai Christian outreach magazine / developed and led urban mission trip in Bangkok / Baptist missionary meetings and training / local outreach to Thais / Sunday sermons / weekly Bible classes for Thai students, teaching staff and English community at the school / sport and social activity outreach / Student Christian group leadership / curriculum development
lay ministry
REDEEMER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
New York, NY
2001-2003
So many cherished lessons, opportunities, and such a privilege indeed to learn under Tim Keller. Was a small group Bible teacher. Through Redeemer's Hope for New York, I served the poor and gave my first sermon at the Bowery Mission, worked with outreach in Harlem, and joined my first mission to weekly teach and mentor at-risk teen immigrants in Chinatown.
REMNANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
New York, NY
1996-1999
I joined this wonderful Korean and Korean-American church in college and was well fed. Led and taught college and young adult small groups as well as serving in the welcoming/newcomer care and ushering ministries.
education
Ashland, OH
Transferred to complete M.Div.
Van Nuys, CA
M.Div program
New York, NY
Majored in English Literature with Philosophy minor
Newtown Sqaure, PA