As the Publishing Manager for SOLA Network, I am proud to reveal the endorsements for our forthcoming book A Letter to the Asian American Church, edited by Pastor Steve S. Chang. Our book will launch on April 23 at the 2024 Asian American Leadership Conference and be available for purchase on Amazon. Learn more about our book here: Introducing Our Forthcoming Book: A Letter to the Asian American Church, and here: Chapters Reveal: A Letter to the Asian American Church.
We will be sharing more information about the book here at SOLA.NETWORK. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter so you never miss out. And please pray for our book as we prepare to launch!
“As many Asian American churches encounter a growing number of continuing and new challenges, this “letter” aims to provide a fresh infusion of hope and direction by reminding them of their unique calling “for such a time as this.” Written by Asian American Christian leaders who are practitioners first, these stories of faithful resilience, contextualized ministry practices, and faith-filled dreams will inspire readers by enabling them to see what God is doing in and through a wide range of Asian American churches today.”
Peter Cha, Professor of Church, Culture, and Society, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
“It’s important to hear the voices and perspectives of those who serve on the margins of what is often considered mainstream in the United States. This includes hearing from Asian American pastors and ministry leaders. In this compilation of reflections, essays, and thoughtfully written chapters, the reader gains a glimpse into a segment of the beautiful mosaic of the Asian American church. You will mine treasures from the depth of their experiences as ministry leaders, which also reflects the experiences of many others from an East Asian Christian background. Asian American Christians have a substantial gift that the whole church can be blessed with—and this book wonderfully displays that reality.”
Raymond Chang, President of Asian American Christian Collaborative/Executive Director of TENx10
“For many years, churches in the US were told they should all aim to become multiethnic churches. Although churches should never segregate, Asian American churches were made to think they were less biblical and less pleasing to the Lord because of its specialization.
So, I was delighted to read this book that affirms and celebrates the Asian American church. It takes a variety of different types of churches to reach the world with the gospel. The Asian American church, where Asian Americans can feel at home and grow spiritually with those with similar cultural experiences, should be valued for its unique strengths. This book provides much needed encouragement and sound advice for the next generation of Asian American church leaders.”
Steven Chin, Senior Pastor Emeritus, Boston Chinese Evangelical Church
“With such a shortage of published resources, this book is a gift to the Asian American church. The authors are seasoned practitioners who love the local church. Their reflections offer sound principles for effective ministry and leadership formation in any ministry setting. I intend to make it required reading for my practical ministry courses.”
Dr. Daniel K. Eng, faculty member at Western Seminary and Governing Board member, Portland Chinese C&MA Church
“The challenges of Asian American ministry are not unfamiliar to those who have been serving in the trenches. Yet the exciting opportunities are limitless with the Lord’s direction and power. In this blessing of a book, Steve Chang and an ensemble of experienced Asian American Christian leaders provide a realistic but hopeful perspective on Asian American ministry’s past, present, and future. What is the purpose of the Asian American church? Read and see how God works and will continue to work for his glory.”
Matthew D. Kim, Professor of Practical Theology and Raborn Chair of Pastoral Leadership, Baylor University’s Truett Seminary, Coauthor of Finding Our Voice: A Vision for Asian North American Preaching
“In this timely “Letter,” wise and faithful Asian American church leaders have provided us with much clarity and compassion as we strive to serve God and others in our unique cultural time, space, and history. Though written primarily about, for, and to the Asian American Christian church, this is a resource that can be a rich blessing for anyone seeking to honor Christ and his kingdom. Read it and be blessed, so you can be a blessing to others.”
Rev. Julius J. Kim, PhD, Teaching Pastor & Consultant, Onnuri Church. Visiting Professor, Westminster Seminary California
“A Letter to the Asian American Church is a timely exploration of identity, spirituality, and community. Through insightful theological reflections and compelling testimonies, this collection sympathetically addresses the challenges of racialization among Asian American Christians. Past studies of European immigrant religions have posited a generational decline of ethnic affiliation as the children of immigrants follow the assimilationist path. However, for Asian Americans, ethnic culture and racialization continue to impact their sense of belonging and acceptance in mainstream churches. Asian American churches serve as creative communities of belonging and resolution to the constraints and opportunities tied to multiple identities. This engaging work is an important resource and contribution to the emerging literature on Asian American Christianity.”
Sharon Kim, Professor of Sociology, California State University Fullerton. Author of A Faith of Our Own
“”Better Together.” That’s the phrase that resounds in my heart after reading this book. “Better Together.” God demonstrates that with us! He can do a much better job by himself, but he calls us to work with him! As a pastor working in the first-generation Korean immigrant church context, I am so thankful that we can work side by side as brothers and sisters in Christ. I am grateful for our partnership in the gospel. Together, I believe we can better lay the groundwork for God’s kingdom for the next generation. I am also thankful for this book, and I hope and pray that God will use many insights and experiences of Asian churches to build his kingdom through broken people like us! Great job, partners. We are better together!”
Rev. Tae Kim, Senior Pastor of ANC Onnuri Church in Sunland, CA
“As I was reading A Letter to the Asian American Church, a few distinct feelings arose. First, I felt heard and embraced as a fellow Asian American ministry practi-tioner. The authors, while writing from their unique context and stories, all spoke to me directly. As a long time, church ministry veteran, I felt like my story was being spoken and my voice being heard. I felt like I was being loved and cared for. I felt like my story was being affirmed and embraced. Second, I felt tears of empathy and hope. The stories of each ministry practitioner were stories I could feel deeply and relate to. Their pain, struggles, and perhaps most of all, hope, was expressed in ways that were directly touching and relevant to me. Third and finally, I felt equipped and encouraged. Whether directly relevant to my own ministry context or not, I felt the practical ministry applications of the authors/practitioners were deeply helpful and useful to fellow present and emerging Asian American leaders. Overall, this book will serve as a shining light of hope and learning for those who read it.”
Danny Kwon, PhD, Senior Director of Youth Ministry Content and Cross-Cultural Initiatives at Rooted Ministries, Adjunct Professor of Christian Leadership
“Moving beyond the popular but flawed multiethnic church propaganda with its generic discipleship, hidden syncretism, and shallow justice, these brave Asian American pastors affirm the call and place of the Asian immigrant church and the Asian American church. While all of us must move toward the vision of the Kingdom, these churches have a critical role in God’s mixed economy ecclesiology. No apology for their existence is necessary. Through their pastoral reflections, they address the problem of narrative scarcity in Asian American ministry resources by moving us one step toward narrative plenitude with diverse stories and perspectives. Hopefully, more will join them, continually sharpening how to do ministry and to articulate ourselves theologically as Asian Americans, improving with each iteration.”
Daniel D. Lee, Academic Dean of the Center for Asian American Theology and Ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary and author of Doing Asian American Theology
“I was saved through the ministry of the Asian immigrant church in my late teenage years and have been a beneficiary of the Asian American church ever since. It is a gift to have this collection of essays written by ministry leaders who have faithfully labored in these contexts. With their unique perspectives and experiences, they together remind us of the unique dignity of the Asian immigrant and Asian American church. They provide us with hard-earned wisdom to guide us through the particular complexities and opportunities before us. They help deepen our conviction that this ministry matters—to the people around us now and to the future generations to come, and to God. Each of us have a unique and precious calling to steward. I feel encouraged, better equipped, and deeply hopeful at all that God can and will accomplish in and through our Asian American faith community as we seek to advance his kingdom together.”
Esther Liu, CCEF Faculty Member & Counselor, Author of Shame: Being Known & Loved
“I’m excited about this book. I’m excited because this is who I am. This is my community. This is my family. This is my experience. I personally want to be a part of the HOPE and the FUTURE that this book is all about. And I hope you do as well. If you are Asian American, I think you will find so many points of heart and head resonance. And if you are not, I trust that there is so much for you to learn as well. Because whether or not you are Asian American, the road ahead will be an exciting challenge, and we have the opportunity to journey down it together as the body of Christ in our uniqueness and in our unity.”
Michael Young-Suk Oh, CEO, Lausanne Movement
“At a time when the American church seems to be on life support and has seemingly lost its mission, vision, and direction, there are signs of life that God has graciously pre-pared and revealed. Drawing from the breadth and depth of the Asian American Chris-tian community curated by the SOLA Network, this text brings insight and inspiration for the revival and renewal of the church. A future hope for the American church can be found within this text and the American Church would do well to receive these prophetic and pastoral words from the Asian American Christian community.”
Soong-Chan Rah, Robert Munger Professor of Evangelism, Fuller Theological Seminary and Author of The Next Evangelicalism and Prophetic Lament
“Congratulations to the contributors of A Letter to the Asian American Church! This book brings a fresh perspective to an ongoing discussion related to the challenges and celebrations of life in the Asian American church. A strength of this work is the wide range of authors, including younger, older, male, female, vocational pastors, and lay leaders, giving a comprehensive voice to the multiple issues that face the Asian American church. This work is a must for the lay person, the seminarian, deacon, elder, or the veteran pastor/leader who wants to understand the different layers of the Asian American church.”
Benjamin C. Shin, Associate Professor of Christian Ministry & Leadership at Talbot School of Theology
“I am an immigrant pastor who believes that the future of the Asian American church rests in the second generation—the generation who grows up in the US, embraces the culture of the land, identifies with the happenings around them, and remains where they are in order to be a part of the solutions to the complex issues that afflict this land. This book is a part of the movement that attempts to earn the trust of the first generation while empowering the second generation to stand up to the challenge. I heartily endorse the voices represented in this book.
Make no mistake, bridging the diversity within the Asian American church is a high calling but hard work, a lot of hard work. But it is worthy of our every effort to contribute to the building up of the Asian American church because that’s who we are in Christ.”
Pastor Albert Ting, Senior Pastor of First Chinese Baptist Church Walnut and Former President of Singapore Bible College
“I was impressed at how the chapter authors of A Letter to the Asian American Church wove together Scripture and their personal and church experiences. To the credit of the editor, Steve S. Chang, those experiences arose from numerous regions in the United States. I like how pertinent themes such as navigating contextualization and the honor–shame culture permeate the work. As a result of going through the book, my interest in and praying for the Asian American church grew. This book will prove influential for years to come!”
Daniel L. Wong, coauthor of Finding Our Voice: A Vision for Asian American Preaching, retired Associate Professor of Christian Ministries, Tyndale University.