Interview with Rev David Ho

Loaves+Fishes chats with Rev David Ho, who joined the CCMC pastoral team on 1 July 2025, to get to know him better.

Rev David Ho with his wife, Margaret and son, Jeremiah

Q: Do introduce yourself and your family.

A:  I’m married to Margaret, a faithful partner in life and ministry, and we are blessed with a young adult son, Jeremiah, who is currently studying Social Work at university. My wife serves full-time at the Oasis Barker Road Methodist Church (BRMC) Mission in Bukit Batok, and we first met during our university days at NUS while volunteering with children with special needs.

Rev Ho with his son on a post-poly graduation trip

When we married in 1998, neither of us imagined we would one day be called into full-time ministry. I grew up in a non-Christian family, and my wife was raised in a nominal Catholic home – but the Lord had other plans. Rooted in BRMC, we responded in faith to a call to join a church-planting team in Bukit Batok. That simple step of obedience became the start of a grace-filled journey – first for me as a Pastoral Team Staff, helping to establish a preaching point, and later for my wife, who left the Civil Service to serve in ministry while training as a counsellor.

In this season, I am especially grateful to witness our son’s renewed walk with God.

After a time of spiritual dryness in his teen years, I am so thankful that he is now growing in faith, maturity, and ministry. God’s grace continues to write our family story in ways we never expected.

Q: How did you come to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour?

A: As I look back on my life, I see God’s quiet hand of grace weaving threads I could never have planned. One such thread appeared after my PSLE, when I narrowly missed the cut-off for the school my parents had hoped for. That closed door led me unexpectedly to Anglo-Chinese School (ACS) at Barker Road – a redirection that would change my life.

It was at ACS, at 13, that I first encountered the Christian faith. Through Chapel services and the gentle witness of Christian friends, my eyes were opened to a new way of seeing life – one centred on Jesus Christ. Their faith stirred something deep within me during those formative adolescent years, while navigating questions of identity, belonging and purpose.

In that season of searching, I encountered a truth that pierced and healed me: that God loved me – not because of anything I had done, but simply because He made me and longed to redeem me. At 15, during a Chapel service, I responded in faith and received Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I began attending services and a small group at BRMC, which soon became my spiritual home.

Left: Oasis Youth Ministry outing

Right: Oasis Mission @ St Luke's Hospital Chapel

Q: What was your occupation before becoming a minister? When and how did you realise your calling to full-time ministry?

A: Coming from a non-Christian family, I had no concept of life as a calling until I came to faith as a teenager. In university, the question of calling began to stir more deeply, though without clear direction. I took the “responsible” path – pursuing a marketplace career aligned with my training, while actively serving in church and seeking to live out the conviction that all of life is ministry. Yet, the sense of a call to full-time ministry continued to resurface.

Around the 10-year mark of my career, the stirrings grew stronger. I began to wrestle with a possible call to a church planting initiative by BRMC – facing fears of inadequacy, identity and the loss of stability. The sudden death of a close friend became a turning point, awakening me to life’s fragility and the urgency of surrender. I could no longer turn away from what God was gently yet persistently laying on my heart. Saying "yes" wasn’t easy. Church planting felt unfamiliar, and I often felt unqualified. But in that place of risk, I discovered God’s faithfulness – not in spite of my weakness, but through it. After a decade of church planting and completing my MDiv part-time, I was invited to consider pastoral ministry. Through prayer, wise counsel, and the support of my wife, I found peace in saying yes once more.

Looking back, I don’t see a single defining moment, but a quiet thread of God’s providence – shaping my calling through seasons of service, loss and grace-filled obedience.

Q: Where did you receive your theological training, and what personal lessons (as opposed to knowledge) did you learn from it?

Left: Rev Ho and wife at Biola University

Right: Facilitating group spiritual direction

A: I received my MDiv from Trinity Theological College in 2014 while serving in church planting, and later took study leave to pursue an M.A. in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care at Talbot School of Theology (Biola University). I was drawn to Talbot for its integration of theological depth with personal and spiritual formation.

Over time, I had sensed a disconnect – much knowledge and activity in ministry, but often little deep inner transformation. Talbot provided space to slow down and listen – to God and to my own heart. Through courses in spiritual theology and direction, I began to confront the hidden fears and patterns that shaped my leadership and inner life.

One of the most sobering insights was realising how much of my drive – even in ministry – was fuelled by anxiety and driven by a need for affirmation and external success. God, in His grace, began gently dismantling those inner scaffolds.

3-week silent retreat at Fox Island, Washington State

I came away with a renewed vision of the church – not as a system of productivity, but as a spiritual family gathered around Christ’s presence, where people are formed from the inside out. Ministry, I learnt afresh, is not about achieving outcomes but cultivating space for grace, surrender and authentic growth.

More than knowledge, my training reshaped my posture: true ministry flows not from striving, but from an abiding in Christ (John 15:5).

Q: Who are your spiritual/ministry mentors? What valuable lessons did you learn from them?

Peter Tan (1st from left, with his wife, Stacey) was one of several male mentors to Rev Ho at BRMC

A: Coming from a non-Christian family, my spiritual mentors have come from within the church – the family of God. As a youth in ACS and BRMC, I was deeply shaped by the witness of peers and older men who became spiritual brothers and fathers. Their lives taught me what it meant to walk with wisdom, integrity and purpose.

The Emmaus Walk Men’s Fellowship was especially formative as I entered working life. In a season marked by pressure and high expectations, these men came alongside me with prayer, encouragement, and a quiet reminder to abide in Christ rather than strive in my own strength.

Later, in pastoral ministry, God provided mentors among fellow pastors and senior leaders whose faithfulness, prayerfulness and gentle strength deeply impacted me. More than their wisdom or leadership, it was their Spirit-led kindness that revealed God’s love to me – not just as truth to be known, but as grace to be received.

Through their presence and care, I encountered the love of Christ – not merely taught, but embodied.

Q: Where have you served and in what capacities? What ministries have you been or are you involved in?

A: Growing up at Barker Road Methodist Church (BRMC), I was blessed to serve in various lay roles – librarian, usher, LCEC member, and Associate Lay Leader – before joining the Pastoral Team Staff for 10 years, during which I was involved in planting a preaching point in Bukit Batok.

With Wesley Methodist Church Pastors (2021)

My first pastoral appointment was at BRMC, serving as Chaplain to the ACS schools and Oldham Hall, alongside general pastoral duties. I was then appointed to Wesley Methodist Church, where I served for over 5 years – first overseeing the Children’s Ministry, Baptism and Membership, and later the Outreach ministries, including Evangelism, Social Concerns and Missions.

While I’m thankful for the many ministries I’ve served in, I’m even more grateful for the people I’ve served with – and walked alongside. Ministry, at its heart, is not simply about roles or responsibilities, but about growing together in Christ as His people.

Q: What are your priorities and prayers for CCMC?

A: One of the sacred joys of pastoral ministry is being invited into the tender and hidden places of people’s lives – their wounds, struggles, and longings shared in trust. It’s a humbling reminder that true ministry flows not from my strength, but from Christ’s love working through me. I see myself as a fellow pilgrim – being formed to walk alongside the weary and the searching as a faithful companion. Often, in these very moments, I too am ministered to as I witness Christ’s healing presence at work.

My hope and prayer for CCMC is that we grow into our identity as God’s family – a covenant community rooted in love, formed by grace, and shaped by spiritual maturity and mutual care. May CCMC be more than a place of worship – it is my longing that it would become a true spiritual home: a community where hearts are shepherded with grace and truth, and where God’s presence is encountered not only on Sundays, but in the shared rhythms of everyday life.

Q: You’ve just delivered your first sermon to the CCMC congregation on Sunday 20 July. How did you feel addressing the church body for the first time?

Rev Ho at CCMC on 20 July 2025 (photos courtesy of Jonas Chua)

A: Stepping into the pulpit at CCMC for the first time was both humbling and deeply meaningful. I felt a mix of gratitude, anticipation, and reverence – aware that preaching is a sacred trust, not a platform. Behind every face was a story, a longing, a journey – and I felt the weight of speaking God’s Word into that space.

What encouraged me most was the warmth and attentiveness of the congregation. There was a genuine openness and hunger for God that made me feel welcomed – not merely as a preacher, but as a fellow pilgrim in Christ.

My prayer is that this first sermon marks the beginning of a shared journey – becoming, together, the church God has called us to be.

Q: Feel free to share anything else that might be of interest to the CCMC community so that we can get to know you better.

A: I’ve always enjoyed sports – growing up with racket games like badminton, table tennis, and tennis, along with football. While in the US, I picked up pickleball (a fun blend of all three). These days, I try to stay active with the occasional gym session at SAFRA – whenever pastoral life allows.

I still hope to return to extended cycling rides along East Coast Parkway, where I used to connect with God through nature during the pandemic season.

Cycling with a former pastor-colleague

As an introvert, I also appreciate quiet moments – reading, watching a good film, and spending time with family and friends. Still, I enjoy good conversations over coffee or kaya toast; a shared meal is always a welcome way to connect.

As for football… I began as a loyal Spurs fan in the ’80s before switching allegiances to Manchester United – only to find myself in a long season of suffering. At this point, I’m a “backslidden Man U fan,” holding out hope for revival – on and off the pitch!

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Photos courtesy of Rev David Ho, except where noted.