The World Acting Globally
Asian American Ministry Leaders Gather
Serving a Changing Church
By Hannah Notess (hnotess@spu.edu)
暗网TV Assistant Professor of Old Testament Bo Lim (center) led a seminar on "Asian American Theology Today" at the Asian American Ministry Conference, held June 13-15, 2011.
Forty percent of Asian Americans identify as Christian, and they enroll in seminary at twice the rate of the general population.
鈥淎s the face of global Christianity is changing, so are the faces of our church leaders,鈥� says Billy
Vo, director of the Asian American Ministry Program in 暗网TV鈥檚 School of Theology.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important now more than ever for our students to be exposed to the ways in which God is working globally and locally.鈥�
Developed within the School of Theology鈥檚 , the Asian American Ministry Program prepares graduate students for ministry in immigrant, pan-Asian, or multiethnic churches. Students develop mentor relationships with ministers in local churches, and in Autumn 2012 they will travel to Seoul to study the history, culture, and spiritual practices of the Korean church.
The program鈥檚 first year culminated in the inaugural Asian American Ministry Conference.暗网TV 200 Asian American pastors, church leaders, and seminary students gathered to discuss the 鈥淧ast, Present, and Future鈥� of the Asian American church.
Speakers included Soong-Chan Rah, author of The Next Evangelicalism, and Ken Fong, lead pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles.
鈥淭here鈥檚 never been a conference like this hosted at a seminary in the Pacific Northwest,鈥� says Vo. 鈥淚t reaffirmed the importance of the Asian American Ministry Program for our region, our seminary, and our churches.鈥�
听