The Rev. Dr. Hyung Jae Lee, or Jae as he wishes to be called, has been a lifelong Methodist, as he was born to a Korean Methodist pastor’s family. Jae completed his undergraduate and master’s degrees at Hanyang University in Seoul, South Korea. In the pursuit of a doctorate in English literature, with a focus on poetry, Jae realized that he needed to enhance his proficiency in the English language through interaction with native speakers. To accomplish this, he came to the U.S.A. in 1997 where he took a position at Brevard College. While at Brevard, he became involved with helping less privileged students. This led him to reconsider entering the ministry, which he had avoided, having seen firsthand the demands placed on family life. Before following this course, Jae consulted his wife, Kim, who had remained in Korea during Jae’s “short” sojourn in the U.S.A. After prayerful consideration, they agreed that this was the path to be travelled.
Jae earned a Master of Divinity and a Master of Theology from the Candler
School of Theology at Emory University and a Doctor of Ministry at Duke Divinity School. Subsequently, he served at First UMC, Brevard (Associate) (2002-2005), Thrift UMC, Charlotte (2005-2008); Wesley UMC, Charlotte (2008-2013); and Calvary UMC, Charlotte (2013-2021). In 2021, he was appointed as the District Superintendent of the Smoky Mountain District of the Western North Carolina Conference. As a District Superintendent, in addition to his duties of overseeing the churches in his district, Jae was the Director of the Connectional Ministries, focusing on building relationships among diverse people and groups in the conference. Jae will continue as District Superintendent while also serving as the pastor at Maple Grove.
The Rev. Dr. Lee is married to Kim, a registered pharmacist in North and South Carolina. Jae and Kim have three children, Jung Woo, Joanna, and James. Their children have graduated from universities in North Carolina. Jae and Kim live in Waynesville.