About a decade ago, I attended a conference with my pastoral staff – mainly because of one particular speaker. I had been listening to his podcast for years and learned a great deal from him. As expected, his talk was clear, concise, and practical. He had a gift for seeing clarity in the midst of cultural fog and offered recommendations in digestible soundbites.
After the session, we took a group photo, and I had a few minutes to speak with him. I shared I had listened to every episode of his podcast. I took the opportunity to ask why he hadn’t featured any Asian American guests. He mentioned a guest scheduled for an upcoming episode but admitted he didn’t know many Asian American leaders. I began listing Asian Americans working in denominations, mission agencies, and seminaries. He paused and responded, “Well, it’s a leadership podcast.”
I was taken aback by the implication: while Asian Americans may be good contributors, they weren’t considered marketable leaders for a broader audience.
That conversation remains with me.
At first, I was offended. But over time, I began to understand what he meant.
We are blessed with many Asian American leaders who can speak, write, and lead broadly. Increasingly, these leaders are engaging the church at both national and international levels. They are a gift to the church and should be known and heard.
However, many Asian American leaders I know lean toward being thoughtful, pastoral, and local. I recently had lunch with a few highly effective Asian American pastors, and every one of them said they didn’t feel called to be “influencers.” They are deeply committed to their churches and often too busy shepherding to build public platforms. I reminded them that is precisely why the church needs to be influenced by them. The church needs leaders who prioritize faithfulness over fame, who love their congregations more than their own voice.
But how do we learn from leaders like them? For this reason, SOLA Network is launching the Leader’s Podcast, to amplify the voices of those shaping a gospel future for the emerging generation of Asian Americans and beyond.
Will Chang (SOLA trustee) and I will have conversations with guests such as: Faith Chang (Author), Aaron Chung (Exilic Church), Jonathan Holmes (CCEF, Fieldstone Counseling), Justin Kim (Wintersburg Presbyterian Church), Joel Kim (Westminster Seminary California), Linda Kim (CMM Gospel Coaching), Enoch Liao (Boston Chinese Evangelical Church), Greg Mah (South Bay Community Church), Jason Min (Citizens LA), and Peter Lim (Four Pointes Church).
As the Church, we need to listen not just to the influencers, but to those who faithfully model leadership the church needs. We anticipate the first episode, releasing mid-July, will be an encouragement.
Header Photo Credit: Jon Tyson