About Us | Barnabas & Co.

Our mission

To resource Asian American faith leaders to flourish, be fruitful, and remain faithful.

Flourishing

We champion holistic well-being—spiritual, emotional/mental, physical, relational, and vocational. When leaders flourish, so do their ministries.

Fruitfulness

Flourishing leaders are fruitful leaders. Their fruitfulness extends beyond ministry, impacting their families, relationships, and character.

Faithful

With many leaders leaving ministry, the sustainability of congregations and ministries hinges on leader faithfulness. We help strengthen leaders for resilience and steadfastness in their God-given calling.

Our approach

Built on four core pillars

Asian American
Focused

We cultivate a space where Asian American faith leaders can fully lean into their identity and address the distinct challenges within their cultural ministry contexts.

Holistic in
Approach

We offer a comprehensive approach addressing spiritual, emotional/mental, physical, relational, and vocational flourishing.

Partner-
Supported

Through the generosity of our partners, we provide retreats and cohorts at minimal cost, embodying gospel grace and challenging transactional cultural expectations.

Praxis-
Oriented

We emphasize the integration of truth into daily life, moving beyond mere knowledge to see it become a lived reality in leaders’ lives and ministries.

Our Story

The Story of Barnabas & Co.

Coming out of a challenging season, our founder, Jeff, felt a divine calling from Luke 22:31-32 to “strengthen his brothers and sisters.” As God began to move Jeff's soul towards flourishing and renewal, he sensed a calling to do the same for fellow Asian American faith leaders. This led to Barnabas & Co., named after the Biblical encourager, with a mission to come alongside leaders. The COVID-19 era further emphasized the critical need for well-supported faith leaders, reinforcing our commitment to cultivating flourishing, fruitful, and faithful Asian American leaders through one-to-one care, customized retreats, and soul-enriching cohorts.

Our TEAM

Meet the people behind our mission

Jeff Hyun

President/Founder

Jeff founded Barnabas & Co. to support and encourage Asian American faith leaders. A pastor at heart who has served the local church for nearly two decades, he has a deep love for both congregations and their leaders.

Rema Cheng

Managing Director / Spiritual Director

A certified spiritual director, Rema walks alongside others on their journey with Jesus. Having served in Asian immigrant churches, she deeply understands the unique challenges faced by Asian American faith leaders and creates safe spaces for authentic connection with God.

Sam Lee

Director of Church Engagement / Cohort Director (Be Free) / Shepherd

Having navigated the highs and lows of pastoral ministry, Sam has a special heart for pastors battling burnout, stress, and anxiety. He helps leaders discover their true identity in Christ, the subject of his book, “Be Free.”

Kris Won

Cohort Director (P23)

Kris is passionate about fanning the flames of leaders’ vision and calling. An international teacher, she loves equipping the Body of Christ for an authentic and thriving life with God.

Sam Chae

Shepherd

A shepherd at heart with over two decades as a local church pastor, Sam provides ongoing support and discernment for those in transition. He also companions those healing from church hurt and abuse. Bilingual: English and Korean.

Susanna Shon

Support Staff

With over a decade in children’s and youth ministry, Susanna currently serves in young adult ministry. Holding an M. Div, she's an operations whiz who loves helping others find purpose, travel, and explore new cafes.

“Our soul is like an inner stream of water, which gives strength, direction, and harmony to every other element of our life. When that stream is as it should be, we are constantly refreshed and exuberant in all we do, because our soul itself is then profusely rooted in the vastness of God and his Kingdom, including nature; and all else within us is enlivened and directed by that stream.”

To resource Asian American faith leaders to flourish, be fruitful, and remain faithful.

Built on four core pillars

– Dallas Willard, The Great Omission