Asian American Pastors

This is a great article that the LA Times published that touches on the challenges that face Asian American pastors. My friends Tommy Dyo and Steve Hong are among those interviewed. Among the thought-provoking comments:

"Consider the situation of a second-generation Chinese or Korean American who works as an associate pastor for a largely immigrant congregation. Such a U.S.-born pastor would be accustomed to expressing personal views, so it can be trying to show marked deference to senior first-generation pastors who, steeped in hierarchal Confucian tradition, are used to assistants who don't express contrary opinions."

American culture is much more open about sharing differences," said the Rev. Louis Lee, a second-generation Chinese American pastor who founded Ministries to English-Speaking Asians. U.S.-born pastors "don't care about titles or doctorates," he said, but not using an appropriate title to address a superior can convey disrespect to a first-generation person. And expressing disagreement could be construed as a personal attack, said Lee, who is known as a "pastor" to Asian American pastors."

For Christian leaders in America coming from an Asian background, the clash of cultures is a daily reality. You can read the full article here.

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