A Look at Asian American Churches

DJ Chuang Executive DirectorL2 Foundationwww.L2Foundation.org

L2 Foundation

Developing leadership and legacy for Asian Americans• bless & empower the next generation• connecting leaders for innovation and

healthy leadership development• mobilizing legacy partners to invest in the

next generation

2 print-on-demand books

• Asian American Youth Ministry• Conversations: Asian American Evangelical

Theologies in Formation

Asian American Christian Reader

www.aacreader.com

When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’, and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

Matthew 16:2-3

5%

of the US Population is Asian American(July 2004)

http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/006587.html

42%

Asian Americans born in the USA

http://www.asianweek.com/2008/11/18/invisible-minority-more-american-than-first-glance-suggests/

69.7%

Asian Americans who speak English “very well”

derived from the Census 2000 report "Language Use and English-Speaking Ability" athttp://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-29.pdf

450M

native English speakersaround the world

From “Why Asians Speak English” http://www.asianweek.com/2008/08/29/why-asians-speak-english/

$61,094

Highest median household income of any racial group

What ministry opportunities do you see?

15.2MAsian Americans in the US

(July 2007)

2000 U.S. Census, cf. wikipedia entry on “Asian American”

56%

Asian Americans unchurched

http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=229

33.4M

Asian Americans by 2050(projected)

49%

of Asian Americans are college graduates

(age 25 and older)

20%

of Asian Americans have graduate degrees

(Masters, Ph.D., M.D.)

100+English-speaking Asian-led churches

less than 10 years old

Vox Veniae (Austin)

some characteristics

• spirituality• creativity• inspiring worship• social justice• leadership• excellence

Evergreen LA

Open Door Presbyterian Church (Herndon, Virginia)

Alliance Fellowship Church + Harvest Community Church(Chicago)

What other churches Inspire you?

Four stages of organizational decline

Cf. Mark Driscoll’s Confessions of a Reformission Rev pp.141-144 http://www.encounterthis.com/blog/?p=142

window of opportunity

time

vitality

Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.

Matthew 9:17

house“one big happy family”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arnar/402574248/

duplex“two ministries under one roof”

http://flickr.com/photos/sidereal/111616256/

townhouse“two churches on one campus”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ohadby/151741368/

hotel“many ministries under one brand”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/94025957/

multiplex“multiple venues, one management”

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ckyuan/1004839506/

Which model works best in your context?

Options for English Ministry

• Co-exist peacefully• Small changes over a long time• 2 churches 1 campus• Launched out as a church plant• Church split• Move to a new ministry

Based on discussions from metro DC area English pastors fellowship 2006-2007

$50,000Sarang Community

Church’s annual fund for church planting by 2nd Generation Koreans and

other minorities

http://blog.l2foundation.org/2007/08/29/multiethnic-church-planting-fund/

empowering next generation

• evangelizing in new ways• cultivating creativity• raising up young leaders• restructuring for more effective

ministry• supporting church planting

with prayer, people, and funds

How can wekeep our children?

How can wereach more people?

http://flickr.com/photos/jimfrazier/139376081/

http://flickr.com/photos/sadaqah/426291086/

these slides + more @ http://blog.L2Foundation.org

DJ ChuangL2 Foundation

www.L2Foundation.orgdj@L2Foundation.org949-870-5726