Prior to coming to International Community Church, Paul served four years as pastor of the English congregation at the Korean Presbyterian Church, ministering to the spiritual needs of second-generation Asian-Americans. Paul also spent two years as the English pastor in the St. Louis Chinese Gospel Church, a church composed of Chinese and other Asians from Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mainland China, Indonesia, as well as American-Born-Chinese.

Paul received his B.A. in International Relations from the University of California, Davis and his Master of Divinity from Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis.

Paul and Sandy have been married for nineteen years and have a nine-year-old daughter, Elizabeth. Sandy is experienced as an ESL teacher and currently teaches ESL in a family literacy program for immigrant families.