Shawn Cui | Ministry Portfolio
Personal Ministerial Statement
God has called me to serve His church by shepherding His people through the faithful preaching of His Word, Christ-centered discipleship, and pastoral care rooted in Scripture. As a pastor, my passion is to proclaim the whole counsel of God, nurture believers toward maturity in Christ, and equip the next generation to live faithfully for His glory.
Over the past decade, I have served in various pastoral roles, including preaching from the pulpit, leading church ministries, mentoring small groups, discipling families, and developing biblical curricula. My ministry has spanned both China and the United States, in English and Chinese contexts, and it has been shaped by seminary training as well as extensive hands-on pastoral experience in local church and online settings.
Together with my wife, I co-lead Seeds of Truth Family Ministry, which we have re-envisioned under the broader vision of Whole Pastor. This vision arises from a conviction that while seminaries can provide theological instruction, they do not fully form pastors. Many laboring in the field—especially indigenous pastors and ministry leaders—remain underserved in vital areas such as soul care and family life. In response, our ministry exists to come alongside them with a threefold, concentric-circle approach:
Pastor’s Soul Care — nurturing spiritual vitality, personal holiness, and deep communion with Christ as the foundation for all ministry.
Pastor’s Home & Family Strengthening — equipping pastors to shepherd their marriages and children biblically, recognizing that gospel-shaped homes are essential to long-term faithfulness in ministry.
Pastor’s Ministry Equipping — walking with pastors in the field to provide mentoring, biblical resources, and practical encouragement for enduring, gospel-centered leadership.
Currently, I am pursuing a Doctor of Ministry at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, concentrating in Christian Ministry with a focus on biblical hermeneutics. My deepest desire is to pastor a local church and faithfully live out the whole pastor discipleship model within that context—cultivating a culture of soul care, family rootedness, and ministry integrity. If the Lord wills, I also hope to come alongside fellow pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders—helping them to love Christ above all, rightly handle the Word of truth, and shepherd God’s people with humility, wisdom, faithfulness, and endurance.
Ultimately, my calling is to embody the whole pastor—in soul, in home, and in ministry—so that Christ’s church may be built up, families firmly grounded in the gospel, and the glory of God displayed among the nations.
Education
Ministerial Experience
- Taught biweekly Sunday school lessons, presenting the gospel and guiding children in understanding biblical truths.
- Cast and led the development of Seeds of Truth Family Ministry, now re-envisioned under the Whole Pastor framework, to promote authentic Christianity and strengthen indigenous pastors, missionaries, and ministry leaders in three concentric areas: personal soul care, home and family life, and ministry equipping. Rooted in Luke 1:17, the ministry prepares households for the Lord and calls families and churches to live under the lordship of Christ.
- Taught and mentored Christian parents and church leaders as disciple-makers through interactive courses, coaching programs, and home-based catechesis. Led online cohorts, workshops, and webinars that complemented and supported local church ministry across both rural and urban China.
- Provided pastoral care and biblical counseling to turn the hearts of parents toward gospel-shaped family living, addressing spiritual formation, parenting, and education through a Christ-centered, Scripture-saturated lens.
- Equipped Christian fathers and mothers to embrace their callings as godly men and women by cultivating grace-filled marriages and discipling children to follow Christ with wisdom, courage, and faithfulness.
- Co-developed biblically grounded curricula and discipleship frameworks that integrate theology, pedagogy, and family life within a robust, covenantal worldview—resources now serving hundreds of indigenous pastors, missionaries, and ministry families through the Whole Pastor vision.
- Led Scripture-saturated, Christ-centered Sunday worship services.
- Preached God’s Word from a gospel-oriented, Christ-centered, and redemptive-historically expository perspective.
- Led small groups and counseled engaged couples and families facing marital, educational, or other family difficulties.
- Cared for and supported fellow elders and deacons through one-on-one encouragement and prayer.
- Organized and facilitated five biblical leadership conferences and six Christian education conferences.
- Managed cross-organizational workflows for two earthquake relief programs.
- Translated three manuscripts on biblical worldview and Christian education philosophy for Dr. John E. Fennema and Dr. Stephen R. Kaufmann, emeritus professors of education at Covenant College.
Other Experience
Core Ministry Skills & Strengths
Statement of Faith
- The Gospel is the Power of God
My understanding of the Gospel begins with Romans 1:16. The Gospel is not merely a record of historical events—the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ—nor simply an abstract exposition of juristic implications, as though it were only a matter to be intellectually studied or morally applied for a refined life or a ticket to heaven. Rather, it is “the power of God for salvation.” - The Gospel is God Revealed in Christ
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the revelation of the holy, transcendent, yet personal God of Scripture (Lev 11:44–45; Deut 10:12–22; John 1:14; Heb 8:8–12; Rev 21:3), revealed climactically in the Person and Work of His Son (Heb 1:1–3; 2 Cor 4:3–7; 2 Tim 1:9–10). Across redemptive history, God sovereignly calls, regenerates, and redeems His people by His Spirit, transforming them into the likeness of Christ and securing them in His saving purpose (Titus 3:5–7; Col 3:10; 2 Cor 6:2; Heb 7:25). - The Gospel is Union with Christ and Spirit-Wrought New Life
By grace through faith, believers are united to Christ, justified, adopted, and given a new heart and Spirit-wrought life (Rom 5:1–2; Gal 2:20; Ezek 36:26–27; 2 Cor 5:17). Out of this union flows a life of covenantal obedience, marked by love for God and His people, and lived in the continual presence and empowering of the indwelling Spirit (John 17:6–26; 1 John 2:5; 5:2–3; Heb 13:20–21; Rom 8:2–30). - The Gospel is a Living Relationship, Not a Human System
The Gospel is not a human-devised system, but the living Christ Himself; not a method, but a covenantal relationship with the Son of God. It is not a tool for solving earthly problems or a means to secure temporal blessings. Rather, it is the life of God in His people—the true and godly life—recreated, received, and rejoiced in through Christ Jesus. In Him alone is salvation found, for “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). - The Gospel is a Confessing, Persevering Faith
To believe the Gospel is to confess and embrace Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, and thus to receive eternal life in His name (John 20:31). As Romans 1:17 declares, “The righteous shall live by faith.” This faith is not self-generated but Spirit-wrought, covenantal, and persevering, anchoring believers in the finished work of Christ and in the hope of the new creation.
Sample Sermons
Books That Shaped My Faith
Apart from Scripture, these works have most impacted my life and ministry
Mentors & Co-laborers Who Shaped My Faith
Pastors, missionaries, and spiritual mentors from whom I have learned and with whom I have served—whose example in Christ and faithful guidance have profoundly shaped my life and ministry.
Bread of Life
Led me in baptism, nurtured my first steps in Christ, and has walked with me as a trusted friend for over 20 years.
Gospel Ministry in Australia & Africa
Longtime personal mentor and family shepherd, faithfully walking with us for over 20 years through major life decisions and spiritual challenges.
Professor of Education
Personal mentor for more than 15 years, shaped my thinking on scholarship, educational philosophy, and the calling of biblical fatherhood.