Reaching Next Gen Asian Americans, Jan 2009 ver

Reaching the next generations of Asian Americans

DJ Chuang Executive Director

L2 Foundation www.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

reaching next gen Asian Americans

• signs

• statistics

• structures

• stories

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

50+U.S. churches close each week

from http://www.newchurchinitiatives.org/morechurches/index.htm

80%U.S. churches plateaued or declining

from http://www.newchurchinitiatives.org/morechurches/index.htm

4 stages of organizational decline

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

Creative Management Defensive Blaming

5%of the US Population is Asian American

(July 2006)

Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010048.html>

14.9MAsian Americans in the US

(July 2006)

Population estimates <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/010048.html>

33.4MAsian Americans by 2050

(projected)

Population projections <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/population/001720.html>

2042when there will be no racial

majority in the USA(projected)

http://www.newgeography.com/content/00189-gazing-into-a-post-ethnic-future

86%of Asian Americans

are high school graduates(age 25 and older)

2006 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov>

49%of Asian Americans

are college graduates(age 25 and older)

2006 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov>

20%of Asian Americans

have graduate degrees(Masters, Ph.D., M.D.)

2006 American Community Survey <http://factfinder.census.gov>

$64,238Highest median household income of any racial group

2006 <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/010583.html

10.3%Poverty rate for

single-race Asians(up from 9.8% in 2004)

2006 <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/010583.html>

15.5%without health insurance:

single-race Asians

2006 <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/income_wealth/010583.html>

the “browning” of Asian America

56%Asian Americans unchurched

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

25.5%Asian Americans

under age 18

2005-2007 American Community Survey 3-Year Estimates

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

450Mnative English speakers

around the world

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

Four stages of organizational decline

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

Creative Management Defensive Blaming

window of opportunity

For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed.

Acts 13:36

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

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

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

mansion

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

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

ethnic church structures

• Multi-lingual

• Multi-department

• Multi-organization

• Multi-Asian

• Multi-ethnic

• Multiplying: church planting

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

Evergreen LA

NewSong (Irvine + NOC + LA + Bangkok + more)

Quest Church (Seattle)

photo credits: BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER / The Seattle Times, http://flickr.com/photos/54896089@N00/487696832/

10 things about Asian American youth

1. Many feel excluded and misunderstood

2. Mixed race kids are proudly identifying as Hapa, supplanting terms like Ameriarian, biracial, and blasian

3. Secret fans of “easy listening” adult contemporary music

4. “Hero gap” being filled by activists from other cultures

Report from SnapDragon consultants, http://nextgenerasianchurch.com/2008/12/23/ten-things-to-know-about-asian-american-youth/

10 things about Asian American youth

5. Most refer to white people as “white people” as African-Americans do

6. Underage gambling is huge. Power obsession is nothing new.

7. Want an end to the hyper-nerdy images and want to see more punked-out skater and graffiti DJ images, i.e. craving more street credibility

8. Universally hate the question, “where are you from”

Report from SnapDragon consultants, http://nextgenerasianchurch.com/2008/12/23/ten-things-to-know-about-asian-american-youth/

10 things about Asian American youth

9. All things Koreans are hot and getting hotter. Korea is the new Japan.

10. The 15-minutes of seemingly benign American Idol fame for William Hung had a surprisingly negative effect… Hung perpetuated the worst stereotypes… and gave non-Asians permission to indulge in 2 years of racial stereotyping and mocking

Report from SnapDragon consultants, http://nextgenerasianchurch.com/2008/12/23/ten-things-to-know-about-asian-american-youth/

Lakeview Church (Chicago)

Grace Covenant Church (Philadelphia)

Vox Veniae (Austin, Texas)

http://flickr.com/photos/speedye/1305243195

100+English-speaking Asian-led churches

less than 10 years old

some characteristics

• spirituality

• creativity

• inspiring worship

• social justice

• leadership

• excellence

$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/

what existing churches can do

• evangelizing in new ways• cultivating creativity• raising up young leaders• supporting church planting

with prayer, people, and funds

“To reach people no one is reaching, do things no one else is doing.”(Craig Groeschel)

options for English ministry?

• Co-exist peacefully with status quo

• Small changes over a long time

• 2 churches 1 campus

• Launch out as a church plant

• Church split

• Move to a new ministry

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

http://flickr.com/photos/jimfrazier/139376081/http://flickr.com/photos/sadaqah/426291086/

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

DJ Chuang

L2 Foundation

www.L2Foundation.org

dj@L2Foundation.org

949-870-5726