All Content Church & Ministry Identity & Health Video

Understanding Spiritual Abuse in the Asian American Church

Churches today have made national headlines due to members experiencing spiritual abuse from church leaders. But what is spiritual abuse and what does it look like in an Asian American church context? How can churches create a culture that guards against this spiritual abuse and bring healing to those who have experienced it? 

The fifth session of the Asian American Leadership Conference (AALC) addressed these questions in a panel discussion moderated by Pastor Thomas Hwang. Thomas Hwang is the lead pastor at Grace Hill Church and a SOLA Network editorial board member. 

The speakers on the panel were Soojin Park, Joanna Wong, and Jason Min. Soojin Park is the director of Youth Ministry and CCI at Christ Central Presbyterian Church in Centreville, Virginia. Joanna Wong is a deacon and lay counselor at Center Church in Irvine, CA. She is also a supervising family law attorney at a pro bono law firm and a Certified Domestic Violence Victim Advocate. Jason Min is the Lead Pastor at Citizens LA in Downtown Los Angeles. 

You can listen to the session below. Captions are available on the YouTube video. We hope you will be challenged by their important conversation.

Tags:

Soojin Park

Soojin Park (B.A. Cornell University; M.Div Reformed Theological Seminary) is the events manager for The Gospel Coalition. She previously served on staff at Christ Central Presbyterian Church in Centreville, Virginia, as director of youth ministry and adult education. Soojin is a member of the editorial board at SOLA Network and co-host of the Glo Podcast at TGC.

Joanna Wong

Joanna Wong has served in ministry leadership roles for over 15 years and now serves as Deacon and Lay Counselor at Center Church in Irvine, CA. She shares her professional competencies of active listening and trauma-informed services to equip the church for ministry. Joanna also founded the Sanctuary Church conference and seminar series, which focuses on fostering healthy and safe communication and relationships within church communities. Joanna is a proud UCLA graduate and lifelong Bruin. In her spare time, she enjoys watching cooking competitions, creating subversive embroidered art, and leveling up in Pokemon Go.

Jason Min

Jason Min is the Lead Pastor of Citizens Church in Los Angeles. A Southern California native, Jason earned his B.A. in Communications and History at the University of Pennsylvania, his Masters of Education at Harvard University, and is working towards an M.A. in Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary. Jason is happily married to Carol and has two children, Avery and Jack.

Thomas Hwang

Thomas Hwang is the Lead Pastor at Grace Hill Church. He is a co-host of the Off the Pulpit podcast. He has a B.A. in English and, after spending several years teaching, received a Masters in Divinity at Talbot Theological Seminary.