7/13/1999
Background
Since the mid-1960s, the liberalization of immigration quotas for Asians to the United States has seen phenomenal numerical growth in the Asian American population. And as the result of the end of the Vietnam War in the 1970s, a great influx of Southeast Asians who aided the U.S. military was resettled in different communities throughout the country. There are now many un-churched Asian Americans who have yet to hear the Good News of Christ.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the fastest growing group in the U.S. is Asian Americans. In contrast to this statistic, the rate of new church planting has not kept pace with the increase in the population. Furthermore, in the new churches that have been started, many are staffed by persons with little or no seminary education. The strength and future viability of these churches are depended on well-trained pastoral leadership.
While new churches need more trained leaders, historic Asian American churches are also in dire need when searching for new pastoral leadership. Language pastors are frequently recruited from overseas with little understanding about ministry in America. English speaking pastors are the greatest in demand to minister to American born Asians with family roots going back to three to four generations of Americans living in the U.S. The task of encouraging and leading promising Asian Americans to consider Christian ministry is daunting.
The goal of this proposal is to explore how through the synergy and partnering of a variety of churches, organizations, and seminary, that more Asian Americans would discover Christian ministry as one of the choices they have for vocation.
The Problem
1. Many if given a choice of professions, perceive Christian ministry as economically challenging.
2. Culturally, Christian ministers are often compared to Buddhist monks who live a life of poverty.
3. Some have heard that there are very few placement positions available after seminary.
4. Some who have gifts for ministry were never invited to consider entering seminary.
5. Attending seminary is expensive with students usually graduating with a high debt load.
6. If a person is interested in Asian ministries, there is not an identifiable program and curriculum focusing on Asian American ministries to choose from.
7. Local churches that may have interested persons exploring seminary education do not have a close working relationship with the seminary to either encourage prospective students to attend or to influence the scope and content of the curriculum.
8. Local church pastors are usually in need of training to learn how to mentor persons for Christian ministry.
9. Other
Strategy
In order to convey to prospective persons to consider entering seminary leading to full-time ministry, we need a long-term program that will begin to:
Change perceptions about ministry;
Bring together resources to facilitate more opportunities for seminary education.
The following are some possible strategies:
ABSW:
1. Invite Asian American churches to plan youth events by using the campus of ABSW in order to help youth and adults to become familiar with the school.
2. Create an Asian American Ministry program that would have courses, seminars, library resources, Bay Area assets and possibly a staff person to coordinate and advise students.
3. Publicize the program to Asian American churches.
4. Collaborate with local churches and pastors to interface academia with practice.
5. Plan a conference for Asian American Baptist pastors.
Local Churches:
1. Communicate the importance and significance of inviting persons to consider full-time Christian ministry.
2. Pastoral staff persons willingness to become trained in mentoring and supervising seminarians.
3. Local church commitments in servings as teaching parishes for field education for seminarians.
4. Assist to place graduates in ministry positions.
5. Invite ABSW faculty and staff to visit and preach at local churches.
ABSW & Local Churches Partnership:
1. Commitment to provide the goal of a “seamless” track of guiding and recruiting for ministry, attending seminary, counseling while in seminary, serving in local churches for field education, and finding placement after graduation.
2. Identify all available scholarships, grants, matching funds, and paid positions to avoid a high debt load after graduation.
3. Making this a high priority in our agendas.
4. Apply for possible funding from the denomination and foundations to begin the program.
Possible Partners:
American Baptist Seminary of the West
American Baptist Churches of the West
Local Asian American Baptist churches
Asian American Baptist Caucus
ABC Educational Ministries
ABC Budget Review Committee
Pacific Asian American Center for Theologies and Strategies (PACTS)
Pacific Asian American and Canadian Christian Education Ministries (PAACCE)
University of California in Berkeley
Foundations such as Lilly Endowment
Timetable
Set another meeting to continue envisioning the concept and welcome more interested participating partners.
Draft a proposal for groups to review and affirm.
Develop a budget.
Draft proposals for funding.
Local churches emphasize the importance of calling persons into Christian ministry.
Local churches begin to identify prospective students.
Seminary organizes the program.
Begin the program with an identifiable “entering class.”
DN