Lead Pastor Transition
Ps. Stephanus Elia was first drawn to pastoral ministry as a young boy. As Advent was approaching, he watched a typical Christmas musical that told the story of Jesus’ birth. Of all the usual characters, his eyes were drawn to the shepherds. He watched the shepherds as they leaned on their staffs and looked in awe at their newborn king. Something about them caught his attention. Little did he know that God was planting the seed of his pastoral calling and that one day he himself would be a shepherd.
This sacred calling reached a new level of fruition on Sunday, December 6, 2020, when he was installed as the new Lead Pastor of IFGF Los Angeles. After 25 years of fruitful ministry, founder and Senior Pastor, Daniel Hanafi, knew that it was time to empower the next generation and promote Ps. Stephanus to the role of Lead Pastor. Commenting on what he saw in Ps. Stephanus, Ps. Daniel had this to say, “He genuinely loves God, loves his wife, and cares for the church. He has a real pastor’s heart.” In other words, he met all the qualifications necessary for a lead pastor.
Ps Daniel Hanafi 
Ps Stephanus Elia
Ps. Stephanus also had the right track record. He was ordained as an IFGF pastor in 2011 and joined the staff full-time in 2013 as the Executive Pastor. In the following years, he successfully led the church through a difficult transition that included a merge between two churches with different cultural backgrounds. More recently, he gave clear direction during the COVID-19 pandemic and the contentious US election. Ps. Stephanus was never one to pursue promotion or titles, and yet it was clear that he was the right person to lead the church into a new chapter of ministry, and he humbly accepted the responsibility.
Ps. Stephanus’ vision is to cultivate a vibrant discipleship culture that will result in every member following Jesus and fishing for people. He plans to accomplish this vision by making sure that his members are grounded in the Word, rooted in prayer, and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”
– Matthew 4:19 –
Next: THE TRUE FORGIVENESS
