How to Minister to Asian-Americans

Ethnic diversification is a major focus of many churches and denominations these days. Virtually every major evangelical group is aiming to move away from Anglo-only congregations and leadership and to incorporate more people of color into their communities. This is an important and praiseworthy goal.

However, wanting diversification is one thing. Knowing how to make it happen is another. The challenge with reaching out and ministering to specific ethnic groups is that each group has its own history, values, problems, and needs. One approach may work for a certain group but not for another. There is no blanket, one-size-fits-all method that can effectively bring every ethnic group into the church. It takes research, communication, commitment, and of course, prayer.

“Wanting diversification is one thing. Knowing how to make it happen is another.”

Jesus calls His disciples to be fishers of men (Matt. 4:19). But just as different kinds of fish need to be caught using different kinds of lures, so different groups of people need to be "caught" using different methods and approaches.

One significant but elusive ethnic group is Asian-Americans, and more specifically, American-born Asians, including 2nd and 3rd generation Asian-Americans. This demographic can be hard to reach out and minister to because of their unique history, identity, and the cultural space they occupy.

Issues Asian-Americans Face

The term Asian-American is a broad term that includes people from all over Asia, including India, Southeast Asia, Polynesia, and even some Middle Eastern nations. But for the purposes of this article, the term Asian-American will be focused on people of mainly East Asian descent.

One major issue that Asian-Americans face is overcoming stereotypes. There are two common stereotypes through which Asian-Americans are perceived by society: the model minority, and the perpetual foreigner.

“There are two common stereotypes through which Asian-Americans are perceived by society: the model minority, and the perpetual foreigner.”

The model minority image typecasts Asian-Americans into the role of hard-working, intelligent, law-abiding, and generally successful immigrants. While these may sound like good qualities, they also lead to many negative effects for the Asian-American community, such as unrealistically high standards, limitations on the expression of anger or discontent, the expectation that they should remain quiet and submissive, and the minimization of their experience of racism.

Then there is the other stereotype of the perpetual foreigner. Because Asian-Americans are seen as perpetual foreigners, they have difficulty being fully accepted by mainstream society. They tend to be seen as exotic, mysterious, and "different." For this reason, Asian-Americans, more than any other ethnic group, get asked the question, "Where did you learn to speak English so well," as though the concept of an Asian who was born and raised in the US is inconceivable. This stereotype, as you can imagine, leads to all sorts of problems from biased hiring practices in companies to the perception of "unsuitability" for positions of leadership.

Other superficial stereotypes are found within the mainstream cultural consciousness of American society. We're all familiar with them: Asians are bad drivers and good at math; Asian men are weak and effeminate; Asian women are exotic and hyper-sexualized. But as superficial as these stereotypes are, they still function as obstacles that Asian-Americans regularly have to contend with and overcome.

In addition to these stereotypes are minor points of ignorance about Asian-Americans among the populace. This ignorance manifests itself in questions such as "So, can you all (i.e. Chinese, Japanese, Koreans) understand each other?", "Are you from North Korea or South Korea (as if anyone could leave North Korea whenever they wanted)?", and "How do you say hello in Chinese (as if there was a language called Chinese)?"

What Asian-Americans are Looking for in the Church

Many Asian-Americans have memories of going to church as youngsters, accompanying their parents to their traditional (or what many call "liturgical" these days) Chinese, Japanese, or Korean service. They don't remember actually learning anything because nothing was explained to them in English. The only times the grown-ups spoke to them in English at all was to tell them to sit still, be quiet, or in my case, not to play arcade games or buy things on Sundays.

Because many Asian-Americans perceive their parents' churches to be largely irrelevant, dysfunctional, or even toxic, they want to find a church that is the very opposite: relevant, highly organized and functional, and life-giving. At the same time, they don't want to discard all the values of their Asian church upbringing either. When Asian-Americans visit non-Asian churches, they often miss the sense of close-knit community and familiarity that they felt in their parents' churches.

“When Asian-Americans visit non-Asian churches, they often miss the sense of close-knit community and familiarity that they felt in their parents' churches.”

So, in a nutshell, what many Asian-Americans are looking for in the church is a place that has the best of both worlds: strong preaching, teaching, worship, and discipleship in English, and also a tight-knit community where they don't stick out, where they are understood, and where they don't have to deal with or overcome any of the common barriers and limitations they face in society.

How to Minister to Asian-Americans

The best way to provide this kind of environment for Asian-American seekers is to plant churches specifically aimed at reaching them. And many churches like this have already been planted, especially in cities with large Asian populations such as LA, New York, Chicago, Houston, and Atlanta. These churches tend to be led by 2nd or 3rd generation Asian-American pastors, and their congregations tend to be pan-Asian (a mix of many Asian ethnicities).

The problem with this model, however, is that there aren't enough Asian-American pastors out there to plant enough churches to encompass the entire Asian-American population. In order to reach every American-born Asian in the US—over 18 million in all—many churches across many denominations have to work together to cast a much wider net. Hence, even majority-Anglo and other ethnic or multi-ethnic churches must learn how to minister to Asian-Americans.

A good start for any church trying to minister to this demographic is to educate its congregation on the needs and issues discussed in this article. Don't just assume that Asian-Americans are exactly the same as Anglo-Americans. That sentiment might sound nice and politically-correct, but it isn't true. There are similarities, but there are also significant differences that must be acknowledged and understood. The more these distinctions are understood, the less Asian-Americans will feel the need to "explain themselves" in the church.

“Don't just assume that Asian-Americans are exactly the same as Anglo-Americans. That sentiment might sound nice and politically-correct, but it isn't true.”

Another crucial step toward diversifying the ethnic make-up of a church is to increase diversity among the leadership. Rodney Woo, in his book The Color of Church, writes about the importance of hiring toward a church's vision for ethnic inclusion. In other words, if you want more Asian-Americans in your church, one the most effective ways to do that is to raise up or hire Asian-American leaders in the church.

Other things a church can do to minister to Asian-Americans more effectively include (but are not limited to): creating a space for quantity time over quality time (Asians love to hang out all day doing nothing particularly special after church); approaching them with serving and leadership opportunities instead of expecting them to approach you (most Asian-Americans won't take the initiative to serve until they are asked); and including elements of Asian culture, such as Asian food, in church events (food is very important to Asians in general).

“The best way to minister to Asian-Americans is to preach the gospel and help them to experience the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit.”

But more than anything, the best way to minister to Asian-Americans (and all people for that matter) is to preach the gospel and help them to experience the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. Many Asian-Americans' experience of church in childhood was largely devoid of any real emphasis on the centrality of Christ's work on the cross, or any real discipleship apart from a legalistic framework of dos and don'ts.

Furthermore, Asian-Americans tend to be so successful and well-educated that they are instilled with a powerful sense of self-worth, self-determination, and self-sufficiency. These need to be challenged and ultimately broken down by the message of the cross and an undeniable encounter with the true and living God. Only the power of God can subdue the pride in the hearts of men and women and bring them to a place of humility, fear, and reverence.

Your church may or not be called to minister to Asian-Americans as a primary focus, but many churches will eventually need to learn how to serve the Asian-Americans in their community. Asian groups, such as Chinese and Indian, are some of the fastest growing demographics in the US. If God brings Asian-Americans into your church's community, may God give your church the wisdom, humility, and love to minister to them effectively.