Eli holds a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Faith and Culture. At the University of Maryland at College Park, he first received his BA in Psychology, hoping to become a high school guidance counselor. However, God had other plans and since 2006, he has been a pastor in various contexts. He has pastored and counseled youth, young adults, singles, married, and empty nesters throughout the past 20 years. In 2017, his family planted a church in a residential recovery center for men recovering from addiction. Currently, he is also working on a certificate in Biblical Counseling through Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation.

Throughout all these contexts, Eli has learned that asking the right questions is so important when it comes to counseling. He is a firm believer that the better you know someone, the more you can help. He loves to hear people's stories and help bring to light all the ways that God could heal and restore. Growing up as a child of immigrants from South Korea, he especially enjoys seeking to understand how culture has influenced someone's life and then connecting it to their relationship with God. 

In his free time, Eli loves being a homebody with his wife and four children, eating homemade Korean food, rooting for the Orioles and Commanders, and learning about different cultures.