Rough Draft

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE Introduction We live in amazing fast-changing times, perhaps the fastest in human history. It was not long ago when modern life in America was 3 television channels, music that used to be on cassette tapes were being distributed on compact discs (CDs), VCR tapes and rental…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE Asian Americans are the fastest growing racial grouping in the United States of America since 2010, by percentage rate of growth. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Asian American population in 2014 was estimated to be 20 million people, and by 2050, projected to be…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE Asian Americans have a wide diversity of cultures and languages as well as a diverse mix of religious faiths and practices. When looking at the religious context of Asian Americans, those that share the immigrant journey have experienced going from an Asian society where Christianity is…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE We’ve already seen how diverse the Asian American demographic is ethnically, culturally, and linguistically; in a similar fashion, Asian Americans are very diverse religiously and spiritually as well. The religious affiliations of Asian Americans spans a wide spectrum, as implied by the title of the Pew…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE Whether Asian Americans brought their Christian faith with them as immigrants or they became Christians while residing in the United States, the natural outcome is the formation of churches and worshipping communities. Over the years, Asian American churches have developed using a variety of models to…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE You’ve probably heard the saying, “We’ve never done it that way before.” Here’s the thing: if we keep on doing the same things that we’ve been doing but expect different results, that’s just not going to happen. You have to do things differently to get different…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE The most frequently asked question about next generation multi-Asian churches, after its definition, is its characteristics and traits. What are the characteristics and traits of these churches and how do they differ from the typical ethnic Asian church? What do they look like? Before I describe…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE When I was part of a church planting team back in 1997, there were very few resources to help us navigate the many challenges and the hard work of planting a church. In those days of planting a church, there was a lot more risk and…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE The typical Asian American church will bring together people from two ends of the cultural spectrum, from the East and the West. When an Asian American church starts by reaching first generation immigrants from Asia, naturally over the course of time, immigrant parents would have children…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE Churches have existed for many generations, beginning with Jesus Christ, who said “I will build my church”, started with the apostles and disciples back in the first century. There were churches planted in Ephesus, Thessalonica, Galatia, Philippi, Corinth, and other cities. We have books in the…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE What kind of future would you like to see for the next generation of Asian Americans? You have a vital role in raising up the next generation of pastors and church leaders. It does not happen by accident and it doesn’t happen by prayer alone. Many…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE There’s a line from the popular movie Spiderman that I hear often quoted: “With great power comes great responsibility.” This fictional account from a graphic novel, known as a comic book to a previous generation, seems to echo from the ancient text that recorded the words…

UNEDITED & UNCORRECTED DRAFT – PLEASE DO NOT QUOTE Congratulations! You have now reached the final chapter in this book. My hope is that this book would be an inflection point for a new beginning. And I’m extremely hopeful for the future of Asian Americans in our multiethnic world. In an open letter from James…