“If I could summarize this journey, it’s simply about gratitude,” said Pastor Isaac Lee. “God and His people have affirmed this calling, and I don’t take that lightly.”
Lee was ordained to the gospel ministry at Yorba Linda Seventh-day Adventist Church in late March. He currently serves as executive and associate pastor, working with every department and focusing specifically on youth, collegiate, and young adult ministries. He began serving at Yorba Linda in November 2023.
His ministry began in 2009 as a part-time pastor at Fort Lee SDA Church in New Jersey. But the calling started even earlier — before he even knew it.
“My parents dedicated me to God to be a pastor,” he shared. “But they didn’t tell me that until I had already made the decision on my own.”
That quiet thread of providence has woven itself throughout his ministry journey. After seminary at Andrews University — where he earned both his undergraduate and Master of Divinity degrees — he received his first full-time call and served churches across the country.
One of the most defining chapters came after leaving Loma Linda Korean SDA Church. As he sought God’s direction for his next step, he received offers from 8 to 10 churches across North America. But one offer stood out, not because it made sense, but because it moved his heart.
“Queens, New York, offered the lowest pay, no service credit, no insurance. It made no logical sense,” he said. “But I was moved with compassion for my people.”
What happened next stunned even him. Despite the Greater New York Conference’s typical policy against granting service credit for local hires, he was given four years of credit — double what he would have earned elsewhere.
“When I told the church members, they wept with me,” he recalled. “It was impossible. But God had a plan.”
Fifteen years since his first pastoral assignment, Pastor Lee says his ordination is not a marker of his worth, but of God’s faithfulness.
“There’s nothing about me that I can boast in,” he said. “Only that Christ chose to use a sinner like me. If anyone sees anything good, it’s just Him working through me.”
Now, settled into his ministry in Orange County, he’s prayerful for what’s ahead: “This is a new chapter — a balance between work and personal life, maybe even preparing for family. But as always, I’m just waiting and listening upon the Lord.”
Congratulations to Pastor Lee!