Question: Does an English Ministry (EM), or English worship service within an ethnic Asian church, count as an “Asian American church”?
This question was posted on Facebook. My friend (who is “off the grid” from social media) defines it that way. But, the majority of commenters and the original poster disagree, stating that an English ministry inside a first-generation immigrant church is only “one slice” of the broader Asian American church landscape.
- The Structural/Ethnic Distinctions: Commenters note that “Asian American” typically implies a broader, multi-ethnic pan-Asian collective rather than a single-culture immigrant heritage church (e.g., a “Chinese Heritage Church” or a Korean church).
- The Multigenerational/Language Aspect: True Asian American churches are seen by many as spaces that are solely English-speaking, located primarily in the U.S. geographically, and encompass generations beyond just the English ministry of an immigrant church (which includes 1st-generation spaces like Korean Ministries or Chinese Ministries).
- The Friend’s Refined Definition: That friend (who has a Ph.D.) quantified with a specific mathematical definition: “An Asian American Church is defined as any church in America with a congregation that is more than 75% Asian, where English is the primary language of worship and communication, including ethnic churches that offer an English ministry as indicated on their webpage.”
In conclusion? There is no consensus or universal agreement for how to define an Asian American church.
What do you think?
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