Photo by tibchris
By Joy Wong
I had the special privilege of having breakfast yesterday with Tim Tseng, executive director of ISAAC (Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity) and Young Lee Hertig, the regional director of ISAAC-SoCal. While I had understood ISAAC’s mission to be aimed at strengthening Asian American churches, Tim was able to clarify for me that part of ISAAC’s mission is also identify formation for Asian American Christians so that they feel they have something to contribute in non-Asian American ministry settings, rather than feeling disempowered or settling in mere consumer roles in the church. This made me wonder, Do I believe that Asian Americans have something to contribute in a non-Asian American ministry setting?
This question is crucial for me now, as my husband and I are currently attending a multi-ethnic church. This is a very new kind of environment for me, since for the vast majority of my life, I have only been part of Asian American ministries. Occasionally, for short seasons, I have been in non-Asian American ministry settings. However, I do see a noticeable pattern: In every Asian American ministry setting, I was a leader in some capacity; in every non-Asian American ministry setting, I more or less became a silent follower, and I never even considered leadership.
Although it has never occurred to me until now, I suppose that deep down inside, I have never really believed that my identity as an Asian American can bring value to non-Asian American ministries. During my year in hospital chaplaincy, I was trained in skills that helped me to minister
to patients of many different ethnicities and backgrounds. However, if I ever had any ministry success, I always coughed it up to the skills I acquired or my personal set of spiritual gifts. I would be hard-pressed to name something about my “Asian American-ness” that brought value to my patients or fellow chaplains. In fact, I more often saw aspects of my Asian background as a liability to overcome, rather than an asset that I could contribute.
This is a sad realization about myself and my underlying, subconscious beliefs. But lately, I have been blessed to read about and hear from Asian Americans who affirm the value of their identity, and I have been pleasantly surprised to hear Christians of non-Asian ethnicities affirming the value that Asian Americans bring to the universal Body of Christ. It is a perspective that I hope to share more and more, as I learn to accept my identity and heritage as gifts from God — not to be disowned, but to be embraced; not to be ashamed of, but to be celebrated.
Joy Wong completed a Masters of Divinity degree at Fuller Theological Seminary. She and her husband currently attend New City Church of Los Angeles. To contact Joy, please send your inquiry to aawolsisters@gmail.com.
aawolsisters.com 
Praise God! Your fast track learning continues to shower me with joy:) I am so glad that you caught one significant topic among our free-floating conversation over breakfast. It helps me to understand why you spent so much energy on the spelling of your last name from “Huang” to finally settling with “Wong.” Since I have spent all of my energes for three decades including when I was a student in a seminary, I began pushing the mainstream’s envelope as to why nonwestern history, culture, and stories were missing in the curriculum. Now that you clearly came out and expressed it, I can understand what has been holding you down.
It has been a quite a journey for you to reach and catch the phrases you highlighted in your blog essay. It was just the right time and right place to hear the words that may have been communicated in the past. In other words, you were ready to hear and accept it. God has been faithful.
Does my identity as a Caucasian bring value to Caucasian ministry? Or what about as a Caucasian to Asian ministry? I’d answer no to both questions. After all, as a white male, there are too many of me to go around in this country — and especially in the leadership of the evangelical church! I’d argue that you’re far more likely to have something to contribute to a non-Asian ministry because of your identity as an Asian woman than I would have to contribute to the same non-Asian ministry.
Thanks for these responses!
Young — It definitely has been a process for me, sometimes seemingly slow-going! But each new step in realization and discovery feels concrete, and I feel it’s building a solid foundation from which to spring forward. (I believe you called it a “season of solidifying,” if I recall correctly — how very accurate!)
John — Thanks so much for contributing your perspective as a Caucasian male, and your encouragement not just to me, but to all Asian and Asian American women who are wondering whether they have anything worthwhile to contribute in non-Asian ministry settings!
Joy
Joy, thanks for posting this – and for being so honest & vulnerable about your thoughts, always a joy ^_^ For me, having grown up attending predominantly white schools (until college) and predominantly Korean churches (always), I’ve always felt like an in-between-er, if that makes sense. I used to feel lonely and sometimes resented that I had to constantly explain myself and the context I was coming from, but as an adult who is now in community with several Asian Americans as well as Asians from the international diaspora, I find that being a bicultural person is a deep, though costly, gift that I receive from God, and one that I share with others I’m in community/church with. I see/feel/hear things that others don’t, and it’s easier for me to stand in between and understand two different perspectives simultaneously, though they may be polar opposites. Especially as someone who’s trained missiologically, I see it as a skill set that allows us to adapt & learn quickly, and also listen as well as teach patiently.
One thing I’ve wondered is whether or not all Asian Americans could count as TCKs (Third Culture Kids), and if not, where the intersections might be? Because TCKs are always a unique addition to any body by virtue of who they are, even though a key characteristic about TCKs is that they are often still searching for their multi-national and multi-cultural identities.
Anyway, love reading your writing and look forward to deep conversations!
Thanks for your comment, Hannah! I also grew up in a predominantly Caucasian neighborhood, but attending a Chinese church on Sundays. Most of my “real” friends were my Chinese friends at church, and school was just an environment where I had to study, excel, and “be a good witness.” Now that I recall, I actually had some amount of boldness in my predominantly Caucasian high school. I started a Christian Club, and initiated the “See You At the Pole” events. Perhaps my boldness came from the fact that most in my school were nominal Catholics, and I treated it as a mission field.
But it’s been a different story since I graduated high school, and in non-Asian ministries where there are a plethora of Christians. I don’t know why, but a self-consciousness about my identity seems to hold me back. I may need to reflect on this a bit more!
Regarding my identity (and whether I’m a TCK or in-between cultures)… I don’t know if I’ve gotten that far in identifying who I am. Most of the time, I’ve only been able to identify not my identity, but rather what I resonate with and what I do not resonate with. I guess I have some work to do in this area as well.
Anyways, thanks again for your response, Hannah!