Rise up, Asian Americans! There are more voices beginning to speak and write in the public square of social media and the Web. Coming together has so much more potential than going it alone, solo, or individual, in this multiethnic multicultural world; very needed and long overdue. Here’s a short list of networks that are connecting next generation Asian American Christian leaders, pastors, and/or ministry leaders:
Asian American Christian Collaborative @ asianamericanchristiancollaborative.com
“The Asian American Christian Collaborative (AACC) is committed to amplifying the voices, issues, and histories of Asian Americans in the church and larger society. We seek to address issues pertaining to Asian American Christians while remaining grounded in the historic Christian faith, rooted in Scripture, and in communion with the global Church. Our multimedia platform will offer resources that contribute to the development and understanding of Asian American theology, preaching, identity, current events, history, arts, and beyond.”
SBC Asian American Collective @ facebook.com/sbcasianam
“A collaborative network among Asian American churches and ministries within the Southern Baptist Convention, sponsored by the SBC Executive Committee.”
SOLA Network @ sola.network
“SOLA Network exists to influence the emerging generation with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It serves as a digital platform for evangelical leaders, writers, speakers, and bloggers who share the same values of faith to provide Gospel-centered resources.”
Someday Is Here Podcast + Live Event
“Someday Is Here is a podcast created for Asian American women on leadership and culture.” Host Vivian Mabuni has carved out this “space for Asian American women to explore and validate living in both Eastern and Western worlds.” [Yes! A podcast that’s fostered community online and offline]
Asian American Women on Leadership
“Asian American Women On Leadership (AAWOL) exists to gather evangelical Asian American women for leadership renewal and development. AAWOL aims to produce a leadership program that will foster Asian American evangelical women leaders for the church, campus and the community at large through team building, seminars and documentation of their legacies.”
Thirty Network @ Thirty.Network
Thirty.Network strategically gathers next generation Asian American leaders and pastors to advance their leadership in a multicultural world by connecting key leaders with opportunities for peer mentoring and ministry for long-term impact. Read more at thirty.network/2015/11/starting-something-called-the-thirty. [note: I, DJ Chuang, am on the executive team for Thirty.Network]
Asian Americans Leading Evangelical Ministries
Also encouraging to see 5 Asian Americans who are now presidents of notable evangelical Christian organizations, plus Eugene Cho appointed President of Bread for the World. But, from a critical perspective, we have a long ways to go, with respect to the empowering the leadership of women, non-Korean Asian American Christians, and others.