B.A., Lee University, 1986
M.Div., Church of God Theological Seminary, 1989
S.T.M., Yale University, the Divinity School, 1993
Ph.D., Emory University, 2004
Dr. Han’s vocation as a theological educator began in 1989 at Han-Young University located in Seoul, Korea. Returning to the United States in 1991, Dr. Han had been involved in various teaching capacities at Lee University, Emory University (Candler School of Theology), and Pentecostal Theological Seminary. Dr. Han returned to Han Young University in 1998 as a full-time professor in theology and later (2000) served as the school’s Dean of Graduate Studies. In 2002, Dr. Han was invited to join Pentecostal Theological Seminary (PTS) as a full-time faculty in theology. In 2011, at the transition of the previous VP for Academics, the seminary had appointed Dr. Han as the school’s fifth chief academic officer, assuming the position of the Vice-President for Academics and the Dean of the Faculty. In recognition of Dr. Han’s contributions as a Pentecostal scholar and educator, in 2021, the seminary honored him as the inaugural faculty to be appointed to the distinguished Ray H. Hughes Sr. Endowed Chair of Evangelism.
Dr. Han’s contribution in theological education is interwoven with various Church of God (COG) denominational appointments and ecumenical involvements. Dr. Han served on the COG School of Ministry Board (2000-02), General Board of Education (2002-12), Committee for the International Pentecostal Symposium (2002), World Missions Education Committee (2004-06), and Ethnic Diversity Leadership Committee (2004-06), and International Council for Asia and the Pacific (2009-10). Dr. Han’s current denominational involvement includes the appointment as the National Overseer for the Church of God in Korea (since 2006), Division of Education Certification Committee (since 2012), Doctrine and Polity Committee (since 2020), Global Board of Education (2024), as well as chairing the Christian Unity Committee (since 2021).
Dr. Han has been extensively involved in various ecumenical endeavors which includes: The Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA) and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Dialogue, the Pentecostal World Fellowship and the International Anglican Church Dialogue (IPAC), Church of God and the Mennonites in U.S.A. Dialogue, Christian Churches Together in the U.S.A., and the Global Christian Forum. Dr. Han currently serves on the central steering committee for the Global Christian Forum Committee.
During his vocational journey at PTS, Dr. Han has been involved in various projects and grants that are both ecumenical and educational in nature. The projects and grants Dr. Han led and received include: Race and Ethnicity in American Pentecostalism grant (Louisville Institute), Christian Hospitality and Pastoral Practices in a Multi-faith Context grant (ATS), Faculty Workshop and Deans Fellowship (Wabash) grants, ATS-Lilly Theological Scholars Award, Christian Hospitality grant (ATS), Multifaith Matter (Louisville Institute) grant, American Association for the Advancement of Science Dialogue on Science, Ethics, and Religion grant (AAAR), and ATS-Lilly Moving Forward in Mission grant. Most recently, Dr. Han has drafted and submitted the PTS proposal—Flourishing Congregational Life Project—to Lilly Endowment Inc. for its Thriving Congregations Initiative program and received an $1.25 million dollar grant. The grant seeks to help enhance congregational ministries in contemporary contexts and plans to reach 220 Pentecostal congregations (Church of God, Church of God of Prophecy, and Church of God in Christ) over the span of five years (2024-2029).
At the most recent biennial meeting (2024), the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) has distinctively honored Dr. Han by electing him to serve as a Commissioner on its Commission on Accrediting board. Having previously served in this capacity (2023-24), Dr. Han will serve in this capacity until the ATS biennial meeting in 2028.
Dr. Han has written extensively, including journal articles, chapters, and books. Some of the academic journals where he published include Journal of Pentecostal Theology, Pneuma, Spiritus, and Theological Education. He has also contributed chapters to several edited volumes, including Passover, Pentecost, and Parousia (CPT Press), Pentecostal Theology and Ecumenical Theology (Brill), and T & T Clark Handbook of Pneumatology. Dr. Han currently serves as a co-editor for the Studies in Holiness and Pentecostal Movements series by Penn State University Press. The series published its first edited volume, Holiness and Pentecostal Movements: Intertwined Pasts, Presents, and Futures (2022), which won the 2023 Marston Book Prize and the 2024 Wesleyan Theological Society’s Smith/Wynkoop Book Award. The publication of the series includes Oneness Pentecostalism (2023). The next co-edited volume, Social Engagement, is expected to be published in 2025. Dr. Han’s other forthcoming publications include: Flourishing Humanity: Intersections between Science and Pentecostal Theology, Christian Hospitality and Neighborliness: A Wesleyan-Pentecostal Perspective, Transforming Power, and Healing as Salvation.
