Meet the New Lead Pastor at State College Chinese Alliance Church
Qimin Li received and accepted the call to serve as pastor of State College Chinese Alliance Church in March 2026. We asked if he could share his story and his call into ministry with you.
Today’s post is written by Qimin Li. The name Qimin can mean "vessel" in Chinese.
Growing up in a remote village in China, I always believed there must be a God.
I went up to Mount Tai, the famous Taoism site, to fulfill my vows after major “blessings” in my life, one of which was becoming the first to attend college in my 2000-person village. Though I had a sense that God existed, I did not know who He truly was.
At the end of 1997, I came to the US for graduate study at the University of Arizona. Getting the visa to come was truly a miracle around those days. After my arrival, I joined my wife in attending the Navigators’ International Student Fellowship, where I learned many were praying for my visa! Through the Bible studies, God gradually opened my heart.
I came to realize that He is the one true God who cares for me personally and who knew me even while I was in my mother’s womb. The Scripture helped me to understand the world around me and the condition of human heart. As C. S. Lewis famously argued, if Jesus was not who He claimed to be, He would be either a liar or a lunatic. I knew he was neither; Jesus is exactly who He claimed to be.
In the summer of 1998, during a trip to Las Vegas, my wife and I, knowing nothing about anything other than the slot machines, used a few nickels to win a large amount of money. That day, our emotions went from fear (the first time gaining without pain), to shame (others watched us play to win), to emptiness (losing everything we had won as quickly as we had earned it). God confronted us deeply with the sinful nature in our hearts—we are no better than others—and we need salvation! Around that time, the Jesus film also played a meaningful role in breaking down my defenses. Nearly every time I watched it, I was moved to tears as I encountered the love and sacrifice of Christ.
That same summer, both of us humbled before the Lord, acknowledged Jesus as our Savior and Lord.
In September of 1998, I was baptized into Christ. From that moment on, the Lord began shaping new desires in my heart.
As a new believer, one question kept returning to me: “If God is truly so good, why are so few willing to leave their career to serve Him full-time?” It was not until much later that I realized this was more than a passing thought. It was the Holy Spirit planting a seed for ministry and mission in my heart.
In 2012, God uprooted us from Indiana where we were for 14 years and brought us to State College Chinese Alliance Church (SCCAC), where we grew deeply in our faith. Over the years, we have witnessed the Lord’s faithfulness and grace over and over, not only in seasons of blessing but also in many challenges through which He molded us into more humble servants. He granted salvation to my parents and my in-laws. He gave me a deep love for His Word and the privilege of teaching and sharing it with others. He also placed in my heart a passion to help people come to Christ.
After years of prompting, the Lord made His calling clear to me in 2016. I sensed that He was asking me to lay down my 16-year career as an engineer and pursue theological training. God confirmed this calling not only to me but also to my wife through multiple signs. I began the C&MA Ministerial Studies Program (now called Alliance Center of Leadership Development) in 2017, completed my training in January 2021, and became an official worker in 2022. Since then, the Lord has opened doors for services. I first served as the Missions pastor at SCCAC beginning in August 2022, then as interim English and Youth pastor starting in January 2024, and now as the lead pastor. SCCAC is precious to me, and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to serve here.
My prayer is that God will continue to grow His work among us by transforming lives and equipping believers to share gospel with the multi-cultural communities around us. Together, may we proclaim His Word, lead others to the Savior who transformed our lives, and make disciples as we faithfully await Christ’s imminent return.