AAWOL Writers' Feedback Gathering - Oct. 26, 2007

Writers’ Feedback Gathering
Friday, October 26, 2007
4:00 – 8:00 pm
Catalyst, Fuller Theological Seminary

Unlike our male counterparts, Asian American Evangelical Women (AAEW) of each generation often find ourselves lacking a safe space and role models, causing us to resort to a perpetual pioneering state. Internalizing extreme belief systems of the East and the West, and integrating them with Christianity, many AAEW leaders face extreme pressure, stress, and alienation leading to burn out and depression. Feeling trapped by the triple pressure of familial, ecclesial, and social expectations, AAEW leaders often experience exhaustion. The challenges from male hierarchy and, due to internalized sexism, even women in our congregations oblige AAEW to function like modern day Bible women.*

As a response to such needs, Asian American Women on Leadership (AAWOL) was organized in 2005 as an initiative of the Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity. The central purposes of AAWOL are to nurture and support AAEW in various ministries (see attached brochure). AAWOL’s main objective is to empower AAEW leaders through a nurturing community, promoting wellness (i.e. spiritual, emotional, and physical health) and holistic development of women leaders. As a way to encourage and empower other AAEW leaders, AAWOL’s core women decided to tell our stories, highlighting the connectedness we have experienced with specific biblical women. We invite your honest and critical feedback as we seek to portray the collective experiences of AAEW leaders. The following is a brief description of each chapter that we hope to share with you on October 26th. We look forward to a wonderful time of connecting and mutual sharing with you.

Yours in Christ,
AAWOL sisters

* Young Lee Hertig, “Without a Face: The Nineteenth Century Bible Woman and Tweintieth-Century Female Jeondosa,” In Gospel Bearers, Gender Barriers. Ed., Dana L.Robert, Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2002, Pp. 185-199.

For more information, contact Young Lee Hertig.


The Yin and Yang of Leadership: Biblical Characters According to Asian American Women

Introduction: Rev. Young Lee Hertig, PhD, The First Presbyterian Church, Altadena

Chapter One: “Subversive Banquets of Vashti and Esther: Bucking and Milking the System” (Rev. Hertig). By examining two Queens, Vashti, and Esther, this chapter will explore how Asian American women’s narratives converge with both Vashti and Esther. Examining one without the other will not do justice in understanding the systems they faced and to which they responded. There is a time to say “no.” and a time to say, “yes,” not one or the other. “Yes,” will not be meaningful when women are forced to be constantly obedient. Similarly, many contemporary AAEW women feel silenced and they need to break the silence for their own well being so that they can serve the community better.

Chapter Two: “Bathsheba: Breaking the Silence” (Chloe Sun, Ph.D.) I see myself on the way to transformation. That’s why the character of Bathsheba appeals to me. Bathsheba is a passive, voiceless figure in 2 Samuel 11, but turns into a more active character in 1 Kings 1. Her character transformation can be traced through these following movements: passive to active, silence to voice, maintaining the status quo to challenging it and from being on the margin to becoming influential. I hope through this in depth look at her process of transformation, it will help other AA women shine.

Chapter Three: "Casting My Lot: Can My Soul Look Back?" (Rev. Kirsten Oh, M.Div.) In Lot’s wife I see loss, compassion, heart, feminine quality, struggle and anger. Recalling my own departure from Korea at age nine, I looked back at my grandmother whom we left behind. I wonder when is looking back not good, or healthy? I will explore why God turned Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt.

Chapter Four: “Hannah: I Will Never Be The Same Again.” (Grace Choi Kim, Ph.D. candidate). Hannah displays patience and strengths through intense prayer as many Korean American women do. Her story resonates with our mothers and grandmothers who carry tremendous “HAN” from societal pressures and burdens, but demonstrates tremendous courage, faith, and devotion to God.

Chapter Five: “Living in the Tension of Mary and Martha” (Beverly Chen, M.S.W.). I identify with both the biblical characters of Mary and Martha. They represent different pulls that I often find myself in personally, professionally and spiritually. These pulls involve the call to serve and perform versus to receive and rest in God, the expectations of meeting cultural and familial roles/demands versus acknowledging my own individual needs and desires and the tendency to focus on outward ministry versus inwards spiritual formation. These tensions can also be in seen in the church context. It is in the midst of living within the tension that I am experiencing more of the grace of God who shows me the spiritual rhythm that allows for a balanced and abundant life.

Chapter Six: “Woman At The Well: Fill My Cup, Lord” (Rev. Tita Valeriano, M.Div.). Jesus’ strength of radically breaking down the walls of racism, sexism, classism, regionalism, and religion was done in a yin-ish manner of vulnerability. His vulnerability comes not from the ego but from the depth of a living well within. The Samaritan woman’s life transformed radically through the dialogical encounter with Jesus at the well who offered living water. She becomes the woman she is created to be when she ran into town and testified. I desire to bring the living water to the many Asian American women leaders whose potential have been buried and yet need to be reclaimed.

Chapter Seven: “Priscilla: Free From Labels or Titles” (Rev. Melanie Mar Chow, M.Div.). I relate to the testimony of the ministry couple Priscilla and, husband, Aquila, who served freely without titles. Both have the affirmation of the Apostle Paul, calling them co-laborers. Their unique testimony recognizes God’s provision in their service as tentmakers that enabled them to do ministry and empowered them to take risks for the sake of the gospel, without the burden of needing provisions.

Chapter Eight: Ruth: “Widening the Margins: A Woman's Passage to Identity" (Deborah Gin, M.Div. M.Mus.). Those who are born and live outside of mainstream culture typically cope with marginalization either by narrowing the margins (i.e., fully adapting to the dominant group's values, norms, and prescribed roles) or by maintaining the margins (i.e., passively interacting only within one's own culture without engaging the dominant group). Another option involves widening the margins, finding one's voice and getting those in the mainstream to make room for new values, norms, and roles and making the space in the margin count for more. Through the Ruth narrative, this chapter describes the journey to identity she experienced as well as a model of leadership she demonstrated for those in the margins.

Chapter Nine: “Elizabeth and Mary: Working In Harmony” (Joy Hwang, M.Div. student) Internalized sexism plagues women’s relationship with each other. Often in church setting, women challenge other women in leadership. Elizabeth and Mary’s beautiful relationship models how women can empower each other. I want to highlight the forging of sisterhood among AAEW church women.

SIP 07 Resource: "Against Overwhelming Odds: Chinese Women in Ministry"

Professor Chloe Sun teaches Old Testament at Logos Evangelical Seminary in Southern California. She was a panelist during ISAAC's Summer Immersion Program 2007 visit to the contemporary Chinese Christian context. Here is her presentation, an impassioned call for the Chinese church to more publicly affirm women in ministerial leadership. - Tim Tseng

Against Overwhelming Odds: Chinese Women in Ministry
Dr. Chloe Sun, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of OT
Logos Evangelical Seminary

Looking back at my journey as a Chinese woman in ministry, I can summarize it in one word: challenging. So, I entitle this presentation “Against Overwhelming Odds: Chinese Women in Ministry.” I will be speaking primarily from my own personal experience, but I hope my experience will serve as a mirror reflecting other Chinese and Asian American women’s experience in ministry.

Cultural Identity

Let me start by sharing my social location and the struggles that I face as a Chinese woman, both in academia and at church. I am an ethnic Chinese. But since my grandmother is half Vietnamese and half Chinese and my parents were both born and raised in Vietnam, I have some Vietnamese heritage, although I’ve never been to Vietnam nor speak the language. I lived in both China and Hong Kong before I came to the U.S. and I am fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese. So, the term “Chinese” itself encompasses a diverse background.

Because of this diversity, I struggle with my cultural identity. I am no longer a first generation immigrant because I have embraced the American way of life, but I am not quite an American because the Americans always see me as a “Chinese girl.” Within the Chinese context, I am closer to the second generation culture yet not totally belonging to that culture. I am always in the state of “in-between-ness” wherever I go, but I am not a 1.5. I think the acculturation process depends on many factors and not just the age we come to the U.S.

It’s been a struggle to teach at a first generation setting during the week and minister to the second generation at church on weekends. On Sundays, I worship God with contemporary music and on Monday mornings, I sing traditional hymns at our prayer meeting at the seminary. I am shifting cultural gear every week, going back and forth, not feeling like I totally belong to either the first or the second generation culture. Although I can read and write in Chinese and English, neither of them is perfect. This state of “in-between-ness” has been disconcerting.

Ministry Identity

I received the call to ministry during my sophomore year in college, so, I went straight to seminary right after college to pursue an M.Div. In several classes, I was the only Chinese woman. However, when I was single, there seemed to be plenty ministry opportunities. I could serve at a local Chinese church as a woman minister (of course that depended on many factors), or work in a para-church ministry on campus, or as a missionary overseas. But then after I got married to another seminarian, things became different. I was no longer perceived as a minister in my own right, but as a spouse of a seminarian and later as a pastor’s wife. I remember when my husband and I were at Dallas Theological Seminary, whenever we visited different churches, people always paid attention to him, asking him, “what year are you in seminary?” “Have you worked with the youth?” And they simply ignored my presence.

The idea of pursuing a Ph.D. arose not only because of my interest in theological education, but also because of the dilemma I was facing: If I wanted to retain my own ministry identity, then I needed to have a different ministry than my husband’s. If I wanted to stay with my husband at one church, then I would become a buy-one-get-one-free pastor’s wife, since it is very rare for a Chinese church to be willing to have both husband and wife on staff, paying two salaries. Pursuing a Ph.D. seemed like the best possible option to have my own ministry and to stay at the same church with my husband. Another drawback of marrying someone who is also in ministry is that the wife tends to follow the geographical location of her husband’s ministry and not the other way around whereas a single woman can go anywhere she wants.

Not all Chinese women who are called to ministry are interested in pursuing a Ph.D., considering the time it takes, the cost it involves and the turmoil it brings. Some of my married Chinese woman students who graduated with an M.Div. who felt called to their own ministries, ended up serving alongside their husbands as spouses only and taking care of kids at home. Some still cannot find a ministry position at Chinese churches after years of graduation. Some are doing clerical work at Christian organizations. The ministry paths for Chinese women are very limited.

In general, Chinese churches prefer hiring male pastors. Many denominations such as Southern Baptist and Chinese Missionary Alliance still hold conservative views about the roles of women in ministry. Even though my own denomination (EFC) supports women in ministry and approves of women’s ordination (we even have a few women who function as senior pastors), the reservation for women as pastors still persists among pastors and church members. The lack of positions at church open to Chinese women is disempowering.

The lack of support for women as pastors can come not only from the church but also from parents. My parents never approve of my seminary education or my ministry at church. In fact, it wasn’t until I started teaching as a professor that my dad told me “finally, you are more ‘normal.’”

Race/Gender/Age Issues

Ministry and theological education are largely male-dominated. When I was at American seminaries, both my race and my gender stood out because there weren’t many Chinese women around. Naturally, finding role models was difficult as well, which often resulted in loneliness. At the American seminaries (excluding DTS), race is more of an issue then gender. People always asked me where I came from. Some minority students were treated differently from the white students. At the Chinese seminary, gender seems more of an issue than race.
In regard to gender, most of my male colleagues keep a friendly distance from me – reminding me of my “potential danger” to men as a woman. In terms of temperament, as a Chinese woman, if I were tough and outspoken, I would be perceived as a roaring, defensive “lioness.” If I remained silent and gentle, I would be considered a “cute little lamb” but would have less credibility to influence. I am yet to find a Chinese woman in ministry who has the toughness of a lioness and the softness of a lamb.

Age is another issue. Grey hair is still a symbol of wisdom in the Chinese culture. When an older Chinese pastor or professor speaks, he seems to gain instant respect. But for a younger female, I have to make extra effort to earn my respect. In Chinese culture as in most Asian cultures, it seems “safer” to be an older woman in ministry. One of the Chinese pastors once told me, “If I want to hire a woman on staff, I will hire an older woman so no one would say anything.” It is also “safer” for Chinese women to serve as a children’s director or a Christian Education director as opposed to senior pastor. But then not all women have the calling or gifts to work with children or youth. Again, the ministry path for Chinese women is very limited.

Balancing between Ministry and Family

Another struggle that I face as a Chinese woman in ministry is the juggling between multiple roles, particularly between family and ministry. I think this is true for most working women. When Tim Tseng asked me to be on the panel tonight, the first thought that came to mind was “I need to find child care for my son. I need to check with my husband’s schedule and with my in-law’s schedule.” Only then could I consider the possibility of accepting this engagement. And there is always a guilty feeling whenever I leave my child to another care-taker. Men can have both family and ministry at the same time, but it is often difficult for most women in ministry.

For single women in ministry, many of my Chinese women students are in their 40s and still single. What are the chances for them to be married? Very few Chinese men would want to marry women in ministry, especially when these women are over 40.

Physical limitation is another issue. Pregnancy, taking care of young children, menopause and decreasing energy level affect our effectiveness during certain seasons of our ministry experience.

Conclusion:

To conclude, as Chinese women in ministry, the odds are against us – from outside factors and from within.

Regarding outside factors, Paul’s statements that women should not preach or women should not have authority over men are still etched deeply into the minds of Chinese Christians. The predominant preference for male pastors, the judgmental attitude from those who hold conservative view against women in ministry, the lack of ministry opportunities for Chinese women at church, the lack of role models, the lack of parental support, all contribute to the odds from outside.

From within, our own struggles with cultural and ministry identities, with multiple roles, with balancing between family and ministry, between being a “lioness” and a “lamb,” our physical limitations and the sense of loneliness that we are on our own all add to the challenge as Chinese women in ministry.

I can’t help but ask God, “Why are you calling us, the marginalized of the marginalized, into ministry?” I think God is doing something unconventional by calling Chinese women into ministry against the cultural norms and traditional expectations. Perhaps God is challenging all of us to break our own stereotypes for Chinese women in ministry and to seek for a better alternative to welcome and to support them for the common good.

Consultation for Chinese churches (San Francisco, San Mateo, and Marin Counties)

You are cordially invited to a

Consultation for Chinese Churches
Covering San Francisco, San Mateo County, and Marin County

on Saturday, October 27. 2007, 9:30- 3:30

at the Sunset Church
3635 Lawton Street, San Francisco

Download:

• Dr. James Chuck's cover letter to pastors
• Consultation flyer
• Registration form

During the Consultation, we will
• Share with you what we have learned in our survey of Chinese churches, and
• We want you to tell the research team the issues and challenges your congregation is currently facing.

Contact your church pastor for registration information.

For individual registrations, send the following information to James Chuck, 33 Linda Ave., Oakland, California, 94611: Name, address (include zip code), telephone number, and e-mail address, and your church affiliation, together with a registration fee of $10.00 per person ($15.00 after October 1, 2007).

We will hold a consultation for churches in the East Bay on January 12, 2008 at the Bay Area Chinese Bible Church and on April 26, 2008 in the San Jose area (location to be determined). More information will be forthcoming.

THE CHINESE CHURCHES RESEARCH PROJECT is a program initiative of ISAAC (Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity), Dr. Timothy Tseng, Executive Director

Summer Immersion Project 2007 Wows Participants

August 19, 2007

“Wow, wow, wow!! That's all I can say! I can't stop talking to everyone about the experience we had last week. It's like I've been reintroduced to the REAL Good News!!” That’s how Debbie Gin, Director of Diversity Studies at Azusa Pacific University, described ISAAC’s Summer Immersion Project that took place in Los Angeles this past July 25-28.

Margaret Yu of Epic Movement, the Asian American focused ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ concurred, “I really think it was a fantastic experience and would recommend this to any Asian American who wants to grow and is open to learning about our communities...It stimulated my faith!”

DJ Chuang, Executive Director of L2 Foundation said that SIP is “an excellent program to provide meaningful site visits to a wide range of Asian American communities.”

Okay, not everything went so well - so let’s get real here. We probably visited too many sites and did not have adequate time for reflection. But for the 15 invited participants, SIP was a very satisfying exposure to the diversity of Asian American organizations in Southern California. Our visits to Little Tokyo, Chinatown, and San Gabriel Valley provided a glimpse of the past and present issues facing Japanese and Chinese Christian communities. In our Mid-Wilshire visit, we learned about the work of Koreatown Immigrants Workers Association, Asian American health service programs, and grassroots Filipino organizations. We then visited the emerging Vietnamese community in Orange County and were blessed with an afternoon with David Gibbons of NewSong Church in Irvine. On Saturday, SIP concluded with a debriefing meeting and experimental contextualized worship service at the Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society’s office in Little Tokyo (a more detailed overview will be posted on-line shortly).

In some church circles, “Asian American” means English speaking or second generation. In other circles, it is used subconsciously to generalize one ethnic group’s experiences. For example, a Chinese American may talk about being Asian American without ever meeting or learning about the Cambodian American experience. If anything, SIP demonstrated that the complexity and diversity of Asian America deserves much deeper engagement than is currently available in churches, seminaries, and other organizations.

The deeper engagement that SIP provided was based, in part, on the way Jesus built up leaders. Motivational speakers, insightful lectures and seminars, and inspirational sermons are not enough. Jesus knew this and brought his disciples along with him to walk among people, to eat with them, and to learn about their circumstances. SIP’s experience-based inter-generational and cross-cultural approach to understanding Asian American communities does not merely inform the mind, it also captures the heart. It confronts our prejudices and explodes our stereotypes. It forces us to recognize how truly human Asian Americans are and how much they, too, rely on God’s grace and love.

By providing breadth and depth, SIP adds value to any organization’s leadership development program. Indeed, after this experience, I am more fully convinced that the path to effective leadership in the Global Church will require a walk through Asian America!

Our local planning team, our hosts, and our co-sponsors (Logos Evangelical Seminary, Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society, and Tozer Theological Seminary) made SIP a powerful experience. I am grateful for all of them!

Planning for SIP 2008 will begin soon. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, comments, suggestions - or if you are interested in being a co-sponsor next year! - Tim Tseng

Asian American Reader resource to be co-published by PAACCE

ISAAC is delighted to announce that the Pacific Asian American and Canadian Christian Education ministry (PAACCE) will be co-publishing ISAAC's Asian American Christian Reader. PAACCE, an inter-denominational network of Asian American Christian education specialists, will provide $5,000 to underwrite part of the expenses for compiling, editing, and publishing the Reader. This resource can be used for courses or classes that introduce issues in Asian American Christianity. ISAAC Board member, Dr. Viji Nakka-Cammauf, is the chief editor of the Reader. More information about the Reader will be posted soon.


Other ISAAC Board members are also involved with developing resources in partnership with PAACCE. Dr. Russell Yee is working on an Asian American worship resource. Dr. Young Lee Hertig is editing an Asian American women in ministry reader. If you'd like to learn more about PAACCE, contact Rev. David Chai.

ISAAC Resource Team Activities - Spring and Summer 2007

Here is an update of ISAAC Resource Team activities:

ISAAC Board member, Ms. Grace Choi-Kim and her husband, Brian, spent much of the Spring developing their international business in Mongolia, China, and South Korea. She hopes to develop a Family and Marriage program for ISAAC. Brian dreams of creating a discipleship and capacity building program for Asian American Christian business leaders.

Dr. James Chuck, Senior Consultant for ISAAC, continues to steadily develop the Bay Area Chinese Churches Research Project (Phase II). He is currently compiling data on Chinese congregations in the San Francisco Peninsula, which will lead to a consultation to be held at Sunset Baptist Church on Oct. 27. Over the summer, he will gather and analyze data from Chinese churches in the South Bay and East Bay. Timothy Tseng, Russell Moy, Russell Yee, and Russell Jeung serve on the Project Planning Team.

Rev. Mark Hearn has been appointed the Director of ISAAC's Summer Immersion Program (July 25-28 in Los Angeles). Resource team members Young Lee Hertig, Andrew Lee, Russell Moy, Tim Tseng, and Russell Yee are scheduled to participate in SIP, a program designed to better equip educational, church, para-church, and professional organizations to understand and work in Asian American Christian settings.

Dr. Young Lee Hertig, ISAAC Vice-President and Southern California Regional Director, also chairs Asian American Women on Leadership (AAWOL), a network affiliate of ISAAC. She participated in the 2007 Luce Conference of Korean Christianity at UCLA on April 27. She taught a course on Asian American Pastoral Care and Theologies at Logos Evangelical Seminary (May 21-25) and will participate in the National Korean Presbyterian Council Annual Meeting in South Korea (June 13-23). She is also involved with The Spirit of Wholeness in Christ: A Racial Ethnic Multicultural Event (Los Angeles, CA, July 10-14). On July 19-23, she will participate in the 50th Anniversary celebration of the National Council of Churches in Christ’s Faith & Order Commission (Oberlin, Ohio).

Dr. Andrew Lee, ISAAC Eastern Regional Director, taught three courses at New Brunswick Theological Seminary this Spring (Biblical Exegesis for Preaching in Lent; 1 Corinthians and Today's Church; Jeremiah and the Call to Ministry). He spoke at Penn State Asian American Christian Fellowship Retreat (College Park, PA ) on March 30-April 1, led a workshop on Asian American ministry at Metropolitan NY (Southern) Baptist Association mid-year meeting (Greenwich, CT) on Apr 14, and spoke at the Atlanta Chinese Christian Church (Atlanta, GA) on May 18-20. He attended the Asian Summer Theological Institute in Philadelphia, PA on May 30. He has preached at the Chinese Conservative Baptist Church Sunrise Service (New York, NY) and Trust in God Baptist Church, NJ Mission (East Brunswick, NJ) on Apr 8. He preached at Oversea Chinese Mission Vision Church (New York, NY, Apr 22), Grace Faith Church Outreach event (New York, NY, Apr 27), the Mid-Hudson Chinese Christian Church (Wappinger Falls, NY, Apr 29), the Brooklyn Chinese Christian Church (Brooklyn, NY, May 6), and the Staten Island Chinese Christian Church (Staten Island, NY, May 27) this spring. Dr. Lee will participate the New York Theological Seminary's Faculty Development Institute (theme: "When Urban is Global" (New York, NY) on June 14-24 and lead a consultation with the Mid-Hudson Chinese Christian Church (Wappinger Falls, NY) on June 5 and 11. He will be the retreat speaker for Oversea Chinese Missions Jireh Church (June 29-July 1) and the Staten Island Chinese Christian Church (July 5-8). Over the summer, Dr. Lee will preach at various Chinese churches in the New York City area.

Dr. Russell Moy, ISAAC Secretary, is chairing the Association of Theological School’s Committee on Race and Ethnicity’s Asian and Asian North American seminary faculty consultation planning team.

ISAAC Board member, Dr. Viji Nakka-Cammauf, also serves on the Board for the William Carey Heritage Foundation, Perspectives Northern California and the World Christian Fellowship. She preached at Immanuel Presbyterian Church (Fremont, CA) on May 6 and co-taught with Dr. Russell Yee a course entitled "Asian American Evangelism, Ministry, and Worship" at Logos Evangelical Seminary (Los Angeles, CA) on May 16-18. She will speak at Redwood Chapel’s Children in Crises Lunch (Castro Valley, CA) on June 3 and then lead a mission team to Chennai, India to support the Little Flock Children's Homes (June 29-Aug 20)

ISAAC Board member, Dr. Wing Ning Pang, is the Executive Director of Christian Leadership Exchange. CLE co-sponsored a China Forum on Theological Education at Fuller Seminary (March 7-8) and will co-sponsor a Conference on China (Asilomar, CA) on July 6-8.

Dr. Tim Tseng, ISAAC President, preached at Grace Community Covenant Church (Mountain View, CA) on April 1 and at Immanuel Presbyterian Church (Fremont, CA) on May 13. He participated in the Chinese Entrepreneurial Association forum (Burlingame, CA) on May 5. This July 11-17 he will present a paper entitled “Evangelical Reconstruction of Chinese American Protestantism” at the Symposium on Religion in China at Shanghai University (Shanghai, China).

Dr. Russell Yee, ISAAC's Treasurer, has been developing ISAAC's operations. He is currently writing a resource on Asian American worship for Pacific Asian American and Canadian Christian Education ministry (PAACCE) and has received some attention for his article "The Search for Asian American Worship" on the Next Gener.Asian Church blog. He received a grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship which focuses on Southeast Asian Christian worship, which has resulted in two New Urban Voices conferences (Long Beach and Richmond, CA).

Your support is much needed! Please pray for us and consider giving to ISAAC's mission!

Summer Immersion Program (SIP) 2007

When? July 25-28, 2007
Where? Los Angeles, California
Who? Seminary and college administrators, denominational, parachurch organization, business, and professional network leaders.
Program? A cross-cultural immersion experience into diverse Asian Christian communities in the Los Angeles area (i.e. Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, others)
Why?
1. To develop a curriculum or program that helps your organization become better equipped to teach about and work with Asian American Christians.
2. Observe how the church and Christian social agencies ministers in Asian American communities.
2. Learn about the history and contemporary experiences of Asian Christians in the Southern California and U.S. contexts.

SIP'S GOAL:
We would like your organization to partner with ISAAC to develop innovative curriculum and programs that enhance your organization’s capacity to teach about and work with Asian American Christians

POSSIBLE OUTCOMES:
1. Collaborating with ISAAC to design an experiential course for seminarians interested in understanding and ministering to Asian Americans.
2. Collaborating with ISAAC to design staff training programs and/or resources that provide cultural sensitivity and deepened knowledge of issues that Asian American Christians face.

SCHEDULE:
For site locations contact Mark Hearn

Wednesday, July 25, 2007
11 AM Registration at Japanese American Cultural and Community Center (JACCC)
12 Noon Catered Lunch at JACCC
12:45 PM Welcome, Introduction, Overview
1:00 PM The Contemporary Japanese American Christian Community with Cyril Nishimoto (Iwa)
1:30 PM Session 1: Asian American History (Chinatown) with Bob Linthicum (vans transport participants to Union Station)
3:00 PM Session 2: Asian American History (Little Tokyo) with Bill Watanabe (vans from Union Station to JACCC)
4:30 PM Debriefing at JACCC
5:00 PM Break: Hotel Check-in for out-of-town guests
5:45 PM Depart from New Otani for dinner in Chinatown
6:00 PM Dinner at Empress Pavilion
7:00 PM Depart for Session 3
7:30 PM Session 3: The Contemporary Chinese Congregation: First Evangelical Church of San Gabriel Valley; panelists (Dr. Wing Ning Pang, Dr. Chloe Sun; Rev. James Yu; Rev. Wayland Wong)
9:00 PM Return to hotel/home

Thursday, July 26, 2007
8:30 AM Depart for KIWA
9:00 AM Breakfast and overview at KIWA; commuters can park at Immanuel Presbyterian and shuttle over to KIWA
9:30 AM Session 4: KIWA
10:30 AM Take subway to Session 5
10:45 AM Session 5: Contemporary Korean Congregation @ Immanuel Presbyterian
12 Noon Catered lunch at Immanuel Presbyterian Church
1:00 PM Depart for Session 6 in two vehicles
1:30 PM Session 6: The Pilippino Context and Advocacy Organizations
- Group A: Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (1:30-2:30pm)
- Group A: Asian Pacific Health Care Venture (3:00-4:00pm)
- Group B: Asian Pacific Counseling and Treatment Center (1:30-2:30pm)
- Group B: Pilipino Workers’ Center (3:00-4:00pm)
5:00 PM Debriefing at First Baptist Church of LA (Mid-Wilshire)
5:45 PM Depart for K-town Dinner
7:30 PM Return to hotel/home

Friday, July 27, 2007
8:30 AM Depart for Session 6: Little Saigon and Union College of California/sack continental breakfast
9:45 AM Session 7: Vietnamese immersion in Little Saigon
12 Noon Lunch at restaurant in Little Saigon
1:30 PM Depart for session 8
2:00 PM Session 8: Newsong-Irvine
3:30 PM Debrief at Newsong
4:30 PM Depart for Dinner at Caspian in Irvine
6:30 PM Return to hotel/home

Saturday, July 28, 2007
8:30AM Check out of hotel/check bags in with concierge.
9:00 AM Continental breakfast and overview at Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society (JEMS)
9:45 AM Session 9: Plenary session: Critical, theological and social analysis and reflection
12 Noon Lunch (TBD)
1:30 PM Session 10: Affinity group reflection: Integrating this learning experience with our respective contexts, institutions, and organizations
3:30 PM Feedback and Evaluation
4:00 PM Contextual liturgy and communion
4:45 PM Closing remarks
5:00 PM SIP ends

REGISTRATION FEE: $250 (this fee is waived if you represent a sponsoring organization). Please write your checks to "ISAAC" (memo - SIP) and send it to:
Dr. Russell Yee
Treasurer, ISAAC
4044 La Cresta Avenue
Oakland, CA 94602-1731

Contact Tim Tseng if your seminary, denomination, parachurch organization, professional network, or congregation would like to be a sponsor!

If you need housing, ISAAC has made arrangements with the
New Otani Hotel & Garden in Little Tokyo
120 South Los Angeles St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
800.639.6826 or 213.629.1200
213.622-0980 (fax)
http://www.newotani.com/
$125/night for double queen or single king

Please identify the group name: Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity" [ISAAC]

AIRPORT SHUTTLE to/from LAX to the New Otani

SUPER SHUTTLE (door to door airport service)
(800) BLUE-VAN
Price: LAX to New Otani Hotel ($16.00)
Directions: Wait for dark blue shuttle outside the Luggage Claim area at LAX.
Seats are first come for serve, or individuals can reserve a seat online at: www.supershuttle.com

FLY AWAY (Union Station airport bus)
Price: LAX to Union Station (only $3.00)
Directions: Wait for the big turquoise FlyAway charter bus outside of LAX luggage claim area. Arrives every 30 min and drops passengers off at Union Station.
Upon arrival at Union Station, call the New Otani Hotel and they will send a complementary hotel driver to pick up the pasenger (213.629.1200).

PARKING FOR HOTEL GUESTS:
The New Otani Hotel will give a discounted rate of $8.80 per car per day for hotel parking. (regular parking is $15.00). SIP hotel guests must tell the front desk at check-in that they need parking at a discounted group rate.

COMMUTER PARKING
Joe's Parking on southeast corner of Los Angeles and 2nd Street (please hold on to the parking receipt for reimbursment).

• REGISTER FOR SIP HERE (Note: you must be invited to participate)
• DOWNLOAD SIP BULLETIN INSERT
  

SIP Planning Team
• Mark Hearn, Coordinator, Ph.D. student, Claremont School of Theology
• Kenneth Kho, Pastor, Atwater Baptist Church
• Young Lee Hertig, ISAAC Southern California Regional Director and Azusa Pacific University
• Jonathan Lew, Ph.D. student, Claremont Graduate University
• Russell Moy, ISAAC Board
• Timothy Tseng, ISAAC President
• Karen Yonemoto, Ph.D. candidate, University of Southern California

SIP Co-Sponsors
Logos Evangelical Seminary
Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society (JEMS)
A.W. Tozer Theological Seminary

ISAAC resource team offers courses at Logos Seminary and APU

Logos Evangelical Seminary is offering two courses led by ISAAC Board members:

• "Asian American Evangelism, Ministry, and Worship" (May 14-18, 2007) taught by Viji Nakka-Cammauf and Russell Yee.
• "Asian American Pastoral Care and Theologies" (May 21-25, 2007) taught by Young Lee Hertig

Azusa Pacific University is offering a Seminar in Ministry entitled

• "Asian American Christian Education" (June 19-July 26) taught by Mark Hearn, ISAAC's Summer Immersion Project director.

Mark Hearn to coordinate SIP and teach course on Asian American Christian Education

ISAAC has appointed Mark Chung Hearn, a 2nd generation Korean American to be the local coordinator of ISAAC’s Summer Immersion Project (SIP) to be held in Los Angeles on July 25-28, 2007.

SIP is a pilot project that provides a deeper understanding of Asian Pacific North American Christianity and its contexts by “immersing” leaders in the church, the academy, and the public into APNA Christian communities. This year’s participants will either help ISAAC design a broader SIP program in 2008 or develop their own APNA immersion program. SIP is an “invitation only” event - for more information, contact Tim Tseng.

Pastor Mark Hearn is a Ph.D. student in Practical Theology (Religious Education emphasis) at Claremont School of Theology. His wife, Jeney, is also a Ph.D. student in Pastoral Care and Counseling at CST. They attend a Korean American United Methodist Church in southern California after having served as co-pastors of a 2nd generation English ministry in south suburban Chicago. In addition to the church and academic settings, Mark has coached women's collegiate volleyball for over 7 years. His current interests include 2nd generation Korean Americans, Korean American male identity, Transformative and critical pedagogies, and Sports and religious education. Mark and Jeney are expecting their first child in September

Mark is also teaching a course on Asian American Christian Education at the Haggard School of Theology (Graduate School at Azusa Pacific University). Here is a description:

GMIN 628 Seminar in Ministry: Asian American Christian Education
Summer II: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9am-1pm: Azusa West Campus (June 19-July 26).
Mark Chung Hearn

Course Description

This seminar addresses Christian education in an Asian American context through several disciplines including history and theology. The class will explore how these disciplines can inform Christian education in current Asian American ministries. Emphasis will be placed upon contextualizing one's learning for the purpose of creating a paradigm of Christian education for his or her context.

IMPORTANT! For non-APU students, you must submit the following:

1. Application for admission as a non-degree seeking student (one page, front and back)

2. Application fee of $45

3. Official or unofficial transcript with proof of cumulative gpa above 2.5, and regionally accredited bachelor's or master's degree, or ABHE accredited bachelor's degree.

4. Class Registration form

For registration information, contact Enrollment Counselor, Andrew Gilbert at (626) 815-4565 (Ph.), (626) 815-4571 (FAX), or agilbert_AT_apu_DOT_edu

Guest blogger: Anne Lau Choy on prison ministry

May 2, 2007

I volunteered as a chaplain at the Santa Clara County Elmwood jail’s Correctional Center for Women in Milpitas for a year and a half. I led a weekly Bible study and prayer group and then would go door to door, praying with whoever wanted. I was in a medium security section with individual cells housing 1 or 2 women.

Initially it scared me to interact with them and broke my heart to see people being treated like animals. About 98% of women in jail come from abusive childhoods and are on drugs. There is no pretense about needing God when you are in jail. The most basic message of the gospel, that Jesus loves you and offers forgivingness, is life and life changing. Somehow the gospel doesn’t always seem as powerful in our local churches. At the jail, I got to witness the power of God. I was deeply blessed!

We need to do hands on ministry, not just out of obedience, but to see Jesus and the power of the gospel. Jesus says when we feed the hungry, we do it to him.

I have new questions and concerns about our society and the church. How do we care for those in need? Do followers of Jesus Christ make a difference in our communities for the better or is there little change? What happens to the mentally ill? Many inmates are but prisons are not equipped to offer them help. How can we care for the mentally ill in appropriate and loving ways? What happens to the mentally ill in Asian communities and how does the church play a part in that or not? In this season of Eastertide, how is the body of Christ offering the hope of the resurrection to those in need?

I met a few Asian American women in jail and some of their family. Several were Christians who did not want their church or communities to know. I am saddened and yet know the reality that in the midst of this great need, the Asian American Christian community is the last place people would turn to for help. Reaching out to the church would lead to shame and greater isolation.

May our churches truly become the body of Christ led by our Lord.

Rev. Anne Lau Choy
Asbury United Methodist Church, Livermore CA

ISAAC to implement ATS Asian & Asian N. American faculty consultation

ISAAC has been invited by the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada to implement the next Asian and Asian North American seminary faculty consultation. This event will take place in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 7-9, 2007. "The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is a membership organization of more than 250 graduate schools that conduct post-baccalaureate professional and academic degree programs to educate persons for the practice of ministry and for teaching and research in the theological disciplines. The Commission on Accrediting of ATS accredits the schools and approves the degree programs they offer."

ISAAC response to Virginia Tech tragedy

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away.
- Psalm 31:9-10 (NRSV)

April 19, 2007

Dear friends,

Like many of you, those of us at the Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity have been overwhelmed by the shocking and horrific tragedy at Virginia Tech University. The pain and loss has touched the entire international community. We can barely express our grief. Our utmost desire is to embrace those who have suffered such unimaginable loss. We pray that God will be an abiding source of comfort for all.

As we learn more about Seung Hui Cho’s mental history and his social alienation, we realize that more attention must be given to the mental health needs of all Americans. Likewise, more thoughtful discussion about gun control and the socio-cultural impact of violence in the media may help prevent a repeat of this tragedy.

But we are particularly concerned about the growing fear of backlash in Asian American communities. We therefore urge our nation’s leaders to speak out against and seek to prevent racial profiling and acts of bigotry that target Korean and other Asian Americans. It is our hope that the Cho family and other Asian Americans will be treated fairly and allowed to live without fear.

Finally, we encourage the Christian community to be a healing presence during these difficult times. May our proclamation, in word and deed, of Christ’s gospel of love, peace, and righteousness contribute to the restoration of hope.

Timothy Tseng

But I trust in you, O Lord; I say, “You are my God.”
- Psalm 31:14 (NRSV)

Horrific Tragedy at Virginia Tech - NKPC response

No words are adequate to respond to the tragedy at Virginia Tech last Monday (April 16). I'll try to share some thoughts in a day or two. At the moment, I want to simply grieve with the victims' families and pray that there will be no backlash against Korean and Asian Americans.

Here is a letter to President Steger of Virginia Tech from Rev. Myong Bae Choi, the Moderator of the National Korean Presbyterian Council of the Presbyterian Church, USA. It was given to me by ISAAC Board member, Dr. Young Lee Hertig. - Tim Tseng

April 17, 2007

Dr. Charles W. Steger
President
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Blacksburg, VA

Dear Dr. Steger,

We, the believing Korean American community lost words how to express our deep sorrow for the tragic shootings and sufferings that had occurred in your university community. As we are moaning with heavy hearts, we wish to extend our sincere condolence to grieving families that have lost their loving sons and daughters and the grieving VT student body that has lost dear friends and clasmates.

In the midst of wailing in broken heart we cry out to our merciful God to stretch out God’s caring hand to comfort and heal all those who are afflicted by the unfathomable tragedy. We are calling all of our Korean American congregations to have a vigil service to remember the victims and their families and to pray for the deliverance of the VT community and the nation from anguish of heart and brokenness of spirit. We also pray with all our heart and soul that God may strengthen your loving VT community with faith and hope so that it can soar out of the tragedy to become a great learning institution that helps people live with caring and loving hearts more than ever.

We hope to join in your effort to recover from the tragedy through memorial fund or other means as much as we can.

Sincerely,
Myong Bae Choi, pastor
Moderator
National Korean Presbyterian Council
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Dr. Andrew Lee appointed ISAAC Eastern Regional Director

ISAAC is delighted to announce that the Reverend Dr. Andrew Y. Lee, Ph.D., has been appointed to be ISAAC’s Eastern Regional Director. A resident of New York City, Dr. Lee will form an Eastern Region resource team and develop regional programs for ISAAC. Furthermore, he will develop an ISAAC D.Min curriculum with an Asian American Ministry emphasis.

Dr. Lee received his B.A. in history at Nyack College, his M.Div. from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Baylor University with emphasis in Old Testament studies. Andrew has served as the Director of Theological Education at Northeastern Baptist School of Ministry and was Associate Professor of Old Testament Interpretation at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is currently an Adjunct Professor in Bible at New Brunswick Theological Seminary in New Jersey. Rev. Lee also served as English Pastor of Trust in God Baptist Church (NYC) and lead pastor of English Ministries at Oversea Chinese Mission (the largest Chinese church in New York City), combining for more than 21 years of pastoral ministry. He recently contributed a chapter, “Reading the Bible as an Asian American: Issues in Asian American Biblical Interpretation” to Ways of Being, Ways of Reading, edited by Mary Foskett and Jeffrey Kah-Jin Kuan (Chalice Press, 2006). His articles will also appear in forthcoming volumes of The New Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible (Abingdon Press, 2006). He is married to Penny and has 3 children, ages 26, 23 and 19.

Dr. Young Lee Hertig appointed ISAAC So Cal Regional Director

ISAAC is delighted to announce that the Reverend Young Lee Hertig, Ph.D., Vice President of ISAAC’s Board of Directors, has been appointed Southern California Regional Director. Dr. Hertig will form a Southern California Region resource team, develop regional programs, and oversee the growth of Asian American Women on Leadership for ISAAC.

Dr. Hertig teaches in the Global Studies and Sociology Department at Azusa Pacific University. She was formerly a Vera B. Blinn Associate Professor of World Christianity at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio (1998-2002), and has mentored United Theological Seminary's Doctor of Ministry Group, “Spirituality, Sustainability, and Interfaith Dialogue” (2004-2006). She was an Assistant Professor of Cross Cultural Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary (1992-1995) where she also earned a Ph.D. in intercultural studies. She is an ordained Presbyterian clergy and author of Cultural Tug of War: Korean Immigrant Family and Church in Transition (Abingdon Press, 2002). She has contributed chapters to Realizing the America of our Hearts: Theological Voices of Asian Americans, Resistance and Theological Ethics, Mission In Acts: Ancient Narratives for a Postmodern Context, Gospel Bearers, Gender Barriers: Missionary Women in the Twentieth Century, and People On The Way: Asian North Americans Discovering Christ, Culture, and Community. She also served on the study team that published "Asian American Religious Leadership Today: A Preliminary Inquiry" on behalf of the Pulpit and Pew Project at Duke Divinity School. Dr. Hertig is Presbyterian Commission Member to the Faith and Order, National Council of Churches USA. She is married to Dr. Paul Hertig and has one daughter.

San Jose Merc: Vietnam family's tale will break your heart

<- Jayvee Mai The Hiep, left, and Long Nguyen from a scene in the film "Journey From the Fall." (IMAGINASIAN Pictures)

Vietnam family's tale will break your heart
By Bruce Newman
San Jose Mercury News

The story of Vietnam's "boat people," who fled by the hundreds of thousands in the late 1970s and early '80s, has been told - and often oversimplified - in films as part of an ongoing immigrant fable about the American dream. In pictures as various as Timothy Bui's "Green Dragon" and "The Beautiful Country," the Vietnamese-American diaspora has been reassuringly pitched as a rising tide that lifted all boat people.

In the heartbreaking drama "Journey From the Fall" ("Vuot Song"), beginning its exclusive Bay Area engagement at the Camera 12 Cinemas in San Jose today, the story is reopened like an old wound. "Journey" starts as the Vietnam War ends, but unlike the Americans seen crowding onto helicopters during the fall of Saigon, no one in the film ever completely escapes Vietnam.

Though many of the refugees who took to the high seas on small fishing boats were seeking the prosperity that America seemed to offer, others were desperate to escape the re-education camps to which former South Vietnamese soldiers were being herded. "Journey From the Fall" begins with Long Nguyen (played by the actor Long Nguyen) refusing the desperate plea of his wife, Mai (Diem Lien), to evacuate with the Americans, and quickly descends into the hell that he faces in the camps.

Subjected to unspeakable acts of cruelty by his communist jailers for his refusal to be "re-educated," Long soon recognizes the hopelessness of his situation. He tells Mai to take their small son Lai (Nguyen Thai Nguyen) and his elderly mother Ba Noi (Kieu Chinh) and try to escape on one of the rickety boats setting sail for the United States. It seems almost unimaginable that they will succeed.

It's that pervasive sense of hopelessness, in fact, that sets writer-director Ham Tran's story apart, and makes most of the first hour of the film crushingly painful to watch. I know that doesn't sound like much of an endorsement ("Crushingly painful!" - the Mercury News), but the meaning of all that suffering - theirs and yours - becomes clear in the second half of the film.

That's when "Journey" arrives in Orange County, but even after the family resettles in America - scarred by weeks of drifting at sea, and a horrifying raid by Thai pirates - the movie carries on with Long's story in the camp. He begins to plot his own way out, refusing to give up on seeing his family again, even though the only possibility of escape is across an unexploded minefield.

"To get to life, you have to cross death," Long tells another prisoner. Sometimes it really is about the journey, not the destination.

Writer-director Ham Tran will answer questions from the audience following the 6:45 p.m. showing Sunday at the Camera 12.

Journey From the Fall

Rated R (some violence)

Cast Kieu Chinh, Long Nguyen, Diem Lien, Khanh Doan, Cat Ly, Nguyen Thai Nguyen

Writer-director Ham Tran

Running time 2 hours, 15 minutes

In Vietnamese and English with English subtitles.

Contact Bruce Newman or (408) 920-5004. Read his reviews online at www.mercurynews.com/brucenewman/, and listen to his weekly DVD podcasts at www.mercextra.com/listen.

Asian American pastor and/or priests — you’re invited to participate in this research project

March 15, 2007

Dear Pastor/Priest:

My name is Ellie Hsieh. I am an Asian American graduate student at Virginia Tech. I am conducting a research study on the responses and perspectives of Asian American Christian clergy to marital conflict within their church communities. The purpose of my study is to understand how cultural, religious, and demographic factors in Asian clergy affect their perceptions and responses to marital conflict. This information will ideally enable mental health workers and other professionals find culturally and spiritually sensitive ways to work with Asian churches and clergy on issues related to marital conflict. The questionnaire is estimated to take 25-30 minutes to complete. For more information, please click on the link or paste the following link into your web browser to reach the questionnaire: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1175271267542

I look forward to receiving your completed questionnaire. Please answer all the questions on the questionnaire and return it by April 15th. If you are interested in the research results, please contact me and I will be happy to send you a summary of the study when it is finished. Thank you in advance for your help and time. Your participation is greatly appreciated.

Sincerely,
Ellie Hsieh, Master’s candidate at Virginia Tech

Nice student video from Columbia University (Mar 2006)

Culture Shock - "Identity" - Unraveling "Asia America"

Directed and edited by Calvin Sun, "Identity" -Unraveling "Asian America" seeks to reveal what lies beneath the color of our skins for a new generation of Asian Americans.

This ten minute video by the Columbia University Asian American Alliance features selected interviews from 50+ undergraduate students representing over 20 different cultural and performance organizations at Columbia University. Topics range from the indeterminate nature of the Asian American identity to subtle cultural diversity/segregation challenges among undergraduate campuses and possible solutions to these issues.

Production began November 2005, and post production wrapped up March 2006.

APNA Summit - attendees

March 8, 2007

Connie Kang, staff writer of the Los Angles Times, wrote a story about the recent Asian and Pacific North American Seminary Centers Summit held at Fuller Seminary on February 17th. You can find the story here.

The summit was co-sponsored by ISAAC and the Korean Institute for Advanced Theological Studies (KIATS). Participants at this gathering included:

• David Bundy, Fuller Seminary
• David Chai, Pacific and Asian American Christian Education
• Grace Choi-Kim, ISAAC
• Virstan Choy, Asian American Ministry Program (McCormick Seminary)
• Jin Hwang, KIATS
• Young Lee Hertig, Azusa Pacific University and ISAAC
• Don Kim, Asian American Center (Garrett-Evangelical Seminary)
• Faith Kim, Kim Intercultural School (Golden Gate Baptist Seminary)
• Jae Hyun Kim, KIATS
• Jonathan Kim, Talbot Seminary
• Joo Hong Kim, Young Nak Presbyterian Church
• Sang Hyun Lee, Asian American Center (Princeton Seminary)
• Won Lee, Nagel Institute for World Christianity (Calvin College)
• Fumitaka Matsuoka, PANA Institute (Pacific School of Religion)
• Daniel Newman, Asian Center (Haggard School of Theology)
• Kirsten Oh, Fuller Seminary
• Wing Ning Pang, Chinese Bi-Cultural Ministry program (Alliance Seminary) and ISAAC
• Timothy Tseng, ISAAC
• Ruth Vuong, Fuller Seminary

In the next few months, ISAAC will explore ways to work with seminaries that have APNA programs or want to strengthen their efforts with APNA students and faculty.

Peace,
Tim Tseng

APNA Summit - LA Times story

LA Times reporter Connie Kang covered a ISAAC and Korean Institute for Advanced Theological Studies gathering of seminary-based Asian American Center directors at Fuller Seminary on Feb. 17th. It was an important first step towards making theological education more relevant to Asian and Pacific North American Christian communities. Please contact her if you have any comments. Hope that you find it useful. For a list of participants, follow this link.

- Tim Tseng
President
Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity
(510) 962-5584

latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-beliefs3mar03,1,1318985,full.story

Asian American churches face leadership gap
Pastors aren't being prepared to handle congregational conflicts over cultural and generational issues, experts say.
By K. Connie Kang
Times Staff Writer

March 3, 2007

Asian American churches are going through a "crisis of leadership" because seminaries are not preparing a new generation of pastors to work in multi-generational and multicultural settings, Asian American Christian leaders say.

The problem, the leaders say, affects churches throughout the country but is particularly pronounced in California.

At a time when Christian immigrants from Asia and Asian converts in the United States are fueling what a study calls "the most dynamic changes in American Christianity," few U.S. seminaries offer courses designed to prepare pastoral leaders for the linguistic and cultural needs of Asian American congregations. That was the view expressed by experts who gathered last month at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena for a national summit of directors of seminary-based Asian American Christian centers.

One result is decreasing enrollment of Asian Americans in seminaries.

Recruiting Asian American seminarians is "a major challenge," said Fumitaka Matsuoka, former dean of the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley. "We have generous financial aid, but even with that, it's hard."

Matsuoka said only three or four Asian American students are enrolled at his seminary, a stone's throw from UC Berkeley, where 43% of students are Asian American. "The discrepancy is incredible," he said.

At Princeton Theological Seminary in New Jersey, Asian American students number about 50 — down from more than 100 in the 1990s, according to the Rev. Sang Hyun Lee, a professor of systematic theology and director of the seminary's Asian American program.

Pastors, seminary professors and lay leaders said at the session and in later interviews that generational schisms in Asian American churches are causing clergy attrition and turnover among pastors born or reared in the United States. Some young pastors experience so much frustration that they start their own English-speaking, pan-Asian churches. Others become so disillusioned that they leave the ministry, experts said.

A 2005 Duke Divinity School study, "Asian American Religious Leadership Today," said the "most acute tensions" in Asian American churches revolved around two issues:

• Continual clashes between the generations over cultural differences in the styles and philosophies of church leadership and control.

• Young pastors' view that immigrant churches are "dysfunctional and hypocritical religious institutions" that demonstrate a "negative expression" of Christian spirituality for the second generation.

For example, some American-born or -reared pastors consider the hierarchal structure of heavily immigrant churches and their emphasis on prosperity difficult to handle.

The situation is complex because many immigrants start on the lower rungs of the social ladder in America, and the church is one of the few social outlets where they can display trappings of success — whether it's their children's achievements or luxury cars.

Also, second-generation pastors, who often handle English-language ministries within Asian churches, say they have no influence on church policymaking because most English-language ministries are not financially self-sufficient and the big donors are often first-generation parishioners.

The problems are so pervasive that Jonathan H. Kim, an associate professor of Christian education at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, is doing a study on clergy attrition, conflict and burnout among U.S.-born Asian pastors.

The Duke Divinity School report also said that pastors trained in Asian seminaries or Bible schools appear better equipped to serve churches in Asia than Asian American congregations in North America.

Even those who are trained in the United States may be better able to lead churches in Asia or predominantly white congregations in North America, because their training fails to impart an understanding of Asian American issues, the study said. The Roman Catholic Church has the most extensive program among American Christian groups for preparing Asian priests for ministerial leadership in U.S. churches and society, the study said.

Seminaries affiliated with mainline denominations are experiencing the biggest loss in Asian American enrollment.

Princeton's Lee said that only 15% of Asian American seminarians attend seminaries affiliated with mainline denominations. The overwhelming majority — 80% — choose evangelical institutions.

Serving the complex Asian American Christian communities today requires "crossing boundaries between East and West, immigrant and native-born, and between various ethnic communities," said the Rev. Tim Tseng, president of the Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity.

"Like Hiroshima, the fusion jazz band that blends Asian and Western instrumental and musical sensibilities, the formation of the next generation of Asian Pacific North America church leaders requires improvisation and a willingness to redefine what it means to be an Asian Christian in North America and the world," Tseng said.

For example, a young American-born pastor might have to balance his inclination to speak his mind with the assumptions of elders who expect deference from the young.

Tseng, who was born in Taiwan and reared in New York, and the Rev. Young Lee Hertig, a Korean American Presbyterian minister and lecturer at Azusa Pacific University, are co-founders of the institute.

Its goals include training culturally sensitive and biblically grounded professionals and lay leaders to serve Asian American churches.

The institute also aims to educate colleges and universities, religious institutions and the public about Asian American Christian history and to encourage research that brings in-depth understanding of Asian American Christianity.

Joo Hong Kim, a lay leader who teaches college students Sunday school at Youngnak Presbyterian Church of Los Angeles, a Korean mega-church with a $15-million annual budget, said Korean churches have difficulty finding qualified Korean American pastors to teach the younger generation, and he doesn't know why. He asked experts at the conference to help.

Some seminaries use creative approaches to encourage Asian American students to enter the ministry.

With a grant from the Lilly Foundation, McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago embarked on a $1.9-million, four-year program to encourage, support and challenge new generations of Asian American young adults to consider and possibly pursue a Christian vocation.

Called AADVENT — Asian American Discipleship for Vocational Empowerment, Nurture and Transformation, the program includes a summer conference and "taste of seminary" leadership seminars to encourage students to consider the vocation.

McCormick has eight Asian American students, according to the Rev. Virstan Choy, interim director of the Center for Asian American Ministries at McCormick and a visiting professor of ministry.

"You have to start with junior high to raise the question early on about vocation," he said.

Copyright 2007 Los Angeles Times

Asian North American Center Summit at Fuller Seminary (Feb. 17, 2007)

News Release - February 15, 2007

Crisis in Asian American Church Leadership to be addressed by Seminary Leaders

On Feb. 17th, 2007 a national summit of directors from seminary-based Global and Asian North American Christian centers will be held at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Participants will address what some have deemed a “leadership crisis” in Asian and Pacific North American (APNA) Christian churches. APNA Christianity has experienced impressive growth over the past forty years - contributing to what sociologist Stephen Warner has called the “de-Europeanization” of North American Christianity. Today there are 2.6 million Roman Catholic APNAs and more than 4,000 Korean and 1,300 Chinese Protestant churches in the United States and Canada. Nevertheless the churches are fighting a losing battle to shape a new generation of pastoral leaders with the ability to work in multi-generational and multi-cultural settings. They also struggle to identify pastors who can help their congregations engage complex civic issues such as racial discrimination and immigration from a faith-based perspective. The results are ominous. An already diverse population, APNA Christianity is becoming increasingly fragmented across the generations and unable to adequately address broader APNA community issues.

Since the early 1970s, numerous APNA centers have been formed at several theological institutions and seminaries in North America. Most of these centers serve Korean or Chinese language constituents, but a few work with broader APNA populations. Dr. Timothy Tseng, the President of the Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity says that “APNA centers were created to help North American seminaries diversify their theological menu so their students could serve dim sum, kimchee, and sushi as well as meat and potatoes.” The centers have focused on equipping pastoral leaders for APNA churches, but have struggled to develop sustainable curricula and scholarly research. Furthermore, the tendency to indiscriminately merge international and North American Asian issues has often submerged the concerns of the latter. This has resulted in less than satisfactory responses to needs of the rapidly changing APNA churches. Tseng says that serving the complex APNA Christian communities today requires crossing boundaries between East and West, immigrant and native born, and between various ethnic communities. “Like Hiroshima, the fusion jazz band that blends Asian and Western instrumental and musical sensibilities, the formation of the next generation of APNA church leaders requires improvisation and a willingness to redefine what it means to be an Asian Christian in North America and the world.”

The summit will address the APNA Christian leadership crisis by
* enabling directors of APNA centers to become acquainted with each others’ programs,
* developing a strategic plan for common efforts to strengthen theological training and scholarship for APNA church leaders, and
* developing opportunities to bridge Global Christianity programs (with an Asian focus) with Asian North American programs.

The summit is co-sponsored by the Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity (ISAAC) and the Korea Institute for Advanced Theological Studies (KIATS).

About the Co-Sponsors

The Korea Institute for Advanced Theological Studies (KIATS) was established in 2004 with the purpose of founding the ground for Koreans to be independent and active in their theological studies in the context of global Christianity. We believe that God has called the Korean Church in this generation for the establishment of God’s Kingdom. In order to respond to the call, it is necessary for the Korean Church to pray and be passionate, to know better its inherited Christian tradition and treasure, and to found a healthy and mature theological ground upon which to challenge this generation. The founding of this ground for the Korean Church is the aim of KIATS.

KIATS exists for three major purposes: people, infrastructure, and network. First, we aim to find and nurture people with ability and vision who will pursue the study of Christianity at the global level. Second, we provide appropriate bases and opportunities to Korean theologians so that they may concentrate in their study of the Church and theology as global Christians. Third, we organize networks for building meaningful relationships between theologians and pastors, clergy and laity, from Korea and non-Korea, Asia and the West, and Western and non-Western Christianity, all for their mutual flourishing. Upon these bases, KIATS desires to support and promote Korean Christianity as the center of Asian theologies, and as an axis of global theologies.

Based upon this vision and statement, KIATS Theological Journal was designed to promote creative scholarly work on critical issues in Korean and world Christianity. Many articles in our journal from the inaugural issue have reflected a gradual embodiment of our theological visions. The spring issue of 2006 consists of three sections: the special theme of science and Christianity, KIATS lectures by foreign scholars in Korea, and selected issues in Korean and Asian Christianity.

Dr. Jae Hyun Kim is the Executive Director of KIATS.

* * *
The Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity (ISAAC) is an educational resource organization that advances Asian American Christian presence and perspectives in order to broaden the multicultural and global commitments of the Church and the Academy.

ISAAC’s core conviction is that Christ-centered faith and calling must be integrated with Asian American cultures and identities. This is a crucial element in the life-long journey of following Jesus towards Christian maturity and wholeness. It is an important way to embody God’s fullness in the world.

ISAAC’s priorities are to:
▪ Equip culturally competent and biblically grounded professional and lay leaders for the Asian American churches and communities.
▪ Educate the seminary, the university, the church, and the public about Asian American Christian history, presence, perspectives, and prospects.
▪ Encourage research that brings breadth and depth to our understanding of Asian American Christianity.

Dr. Timothy Tseng is the President of ISAAC.