James and Jeri Choi with their family
By Shannon Baker
James Choi, an elder at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., has been named church planting catalyst for the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, where he will assist with coaching and training church planters. He began August 16. Like his predecessor, Robert Kim, who retired in 2016, Choi also seeks to develop strong relationships with the convention’s Asian churches.
Choi has been a member at Capitol Hill Baptist Church since 2015, when he participated in a pastoral internship under Dr. Mark Dever, president of 9Marks Ministry. Through it, he gained a “robust ecclesiology” and an appreciation for building healthy biblical churches and raising up leaders for the next generation, particularly in the Asian-American church.
For over 7 years, Choi served as an associate pastor, primarily ministering to English-speaking second generation Korean-Americans at Global Mission Church in Silver Spring, Md., after serving churches in Texas in worship and youth ministry.
Ordained as Southern Baptist minister in November 2011 at Global Mission Church, Choi holds a master of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and a bachelor of arts degree in political science from the University of Florida, Gainesville. He is pursuing a doctor of ministry degree at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, focused on researching and developing a helpful resource for next generation pastors to help establish healthy churches.
He and his wife, Jeri, have two children.