SOLA Network

How have churches been affected by “the great dechurching?” How can we help people stay connected to the local church? And, just as important, how does the great dechurching affect immigrant and Asian American churches? Michael Graham, co-author of the book The Great Dechurching, spoke to SOLA Council President Steve Chang and SOLA Editorial Board member Kevin Yi about the phenomenon of dechurching. His findings on Asian Americans leaving the church were particularly alarming: “Because Asian American dechurching is is worse than any other ethnicity. The dechuching that's going on there is twice the rate of, of those who are Hispanic and Latino. And I think 40 or 50% faster than those who are Anglo or African American.” But Graham was also quick to point out that it was hard to draw further statistical conclusions about Asian Americans leaving the church, simply because there isn’t a lot of data about Asian American Christians. Other topics they discuss include: Declining religious affiliation among Asian Americans Church attendance and pastoral care for congregants who are mobile and don’t stay in one church their whole lives Assisting newcomers connect with the church Parental influence on church attendance Telling a better story We hope that this conversation helps all Christians to think about how we can better study the Asian American church. We also hope it will encourage pastors to think about how to serve their congregations to prevent dechurching and help former members to return and find true community. Video and article: https://sola.network/article/asian-american-christians-and-the-great-dechurching-interview/ Links: Weekly Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sola/tgif Monthly Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sola/newsletter Facebook: https://facebook.com/thesolanetwork Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesolanetwork Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesolanetwork YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SOLANetwork Podcast: http://anchor.fm/solanetwork Website: https://sola.network

Here at the SOLA Network, we host illuminating conversations on the intersection of faith and identity. We continue this discussion with an interview with Michelle Lee-Barnewall, author of A Longing to Belong: Reflections on Faith, Identity, and Race, which discusses the topics of race and race relations by integrating a biblical worldview and her personal experiences. SOLA Editorial Board member Daniel K. Eng interviewed Dr. Lee-Barnewall, who is also a professor at Biola University, about her book and her background. Their conversation included: Dr. Lee-Barnewall experiences growing up as the only Asian family in Northern Minnesota The tension between individual identity and the unity emphasized in Christianity. The idea that “rejection is a form of death” and, in contrast, the life-giving nature of acceptance. The deep connection between biblical reconciliation, grace, and the desire for genuine belonging. We hope you are encouraged by their conversation as you resonate with the longing we all have to belong. Video and transcript: https://sola.network/article/where-we-really-belong-interview/ Links: Weekly Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sola/tgif Monthly Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sola/newsletter Facebook: https://facebook.com/thesolanetwork Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesolanetwork Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesolanetwork YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SOLANetwork Podcast: http://anchor.fm/solanetwork Website: https://sola.network

I had a writing crisis this summer. I was asked to write an article for a ministry blog on a certain topic. I had three whole months to write it. And I had two solid (I thought) ideas. I was sure that if I dedicated just a few hours over a few days, the first draft would basically write itself. After that, all that remained was editing and a few proofreads to tighten the prose—piece of cake. Yet when the deadline inched closer and I sat down to write, the words refused to flow. I had a general sense of what I wanted to write, but what came out was a stilted, roundabout theological explanation that was oversimplified, broad, and impersonal. My mom could tell: “This is a rough draft, right?” So I tried again. I went back to the drawing board and chose a different topic. I brainstormed with my parents, outlined a new article, and began anew. I tried several times, switching out a few subtopics on the way. After a series of starts and half-starts, I finally drafted an article that met my word count. I knew I could do it, I thought. But something was still missing. “Are you going to edit this?” my dad said. I knew what he meant: the article was personal but unfocused and shallow. By now, the deadline was approaching within a week. How was I to write something worth publishing in just a few days―then edit―then proofread? I didn’t know if I could do it. Maybe I just didn’t have the right experience or skill to write for the prompt. Should I try to salvage what I had written, or start all over again? Should I ask for an extension? Should I stick with the same topic, or choose something different? What was I to do? Written and read by Ashley Kim. Read the article: https://sola.network/article/grace-in-the-midst-of-writers-block-and-beyond/ Related: https://sola.network/article/writing-about-her-faith-interview/ http://ashleyikim.com/

What would you preach to your congregation the week before your members were shipped off to an internment camp simply because they were of Japanese heritage? Pastor Tom Sugimura wrote about these pastors and their messages in an article in Christianity Today called “How Japanese American Pastors Prepared their Flocks for Internment. Tom Sugimura is also a SOLA Editorial Board member, so we invited him to talk to us about the research he did for his article and to give us more insight into the Japanese people who lived through the camps, including his own family. SOLA Editorial Curator Aaron Lee interviewed him, and we invite you to listen to their conversation here. Video and transcript: https://sola.network/article/learning-from-pastors-at-japanese-american-internment-camps-interview/ Shownotes: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2023/september-web-only/japanese-american-internment-pastors-sermons-christians.html Links: Weekly Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sola/tgif Monthly Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sola/newsletter Facebook: https://facebook.com/thesolanetwork Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesolanetwork Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesolanetwork YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SOLANetwork Podcast: http://anchor.fm/solanetwork Website: https://sola.network

"I knew all too well that being female in my Korean American home meant not being chosen. The unspoken but implied understanding was that men are like heaven or the sky and women the earth or the ground. This principle persisted, neither challenged or questioned. Growing up in this cultural framework of gender, I learned self-reliance and self-sufficiency were necessary survival skills. Reading a room and responding only after I had observed thoroughly was a must, lest my longing to be chosen were exposed. My adaptability was reinforced by adults saying things to me like, “We don’t have to worry about you; you’ll figure it out.” Over the years, I’ve had opportunities to reflect on my story and invite trusted, wise, and curious listeners to speak truth and kindness into formidable moments including those that left an ill impression. This process has created more room to echo Joseph’s words when he is at last, face-to-face with past harm, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Gen 5:20 ESV)." Video and article: https://sola.network/article/retelling-my-story-and-throwing-a-party/ Email us your questions or conversation topics: podcast@sola.network Alice Kim is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Emmaus Counseling and Consulting Services (emmausccs.com) where she offers gospel-centered therapy to the DC Metro area. She finds deep fulfillment in engaging people’s stories and bearing witness to the good work of God to redeem and restore. She is married to Sam Kim, pastor at Christ Central Presbyterian Church in Centreville, VA and they raise their two high-school-age daughters. Her past times include treasure hunting at thrift stores, catching up with friends over a cup of coffee, and completing Certificate Programs in New Testament and Old Testament through RTS Washington D.C.

Is there space for Asian American voices in the evangelical church? How have recent events changed how Asian Americans view both the local and broader church? On August 20, 2023, Exilic Church hosted a discussion called “An Asian American Moment: Our Place in the Future of the Evangelical Church.” Gene Joo, associate pastor of Exilic Church, moderated a conversation between Aaron Chung, senior pastor of Exilic Church and SOLA Council member, and Pastor Abe Cho, senior director of training at Redeemer City to City NYC and North America and associate pastor at Redeemer East Harlem. They shared their thoughts on the past, present, and future of the Asian American church through the following questions: On the past: Would you agree that the Asian-American church has largely remained siloed from the broader evangelical church in America? If so, why do you think that is? Here in New York, the Evangelical Asian American Church is considerably more underrepresented compared to the Black church, Jewish communities, and the White evangelical church. What is the historical and anthropological context behind how this came to be? How do you define what constitutes a multi-cultural church, and who gets to define it? Should every church be multi-ethnic? Is there a space for Asian American, Black, or Latino churches? Why are they important? How does this relate to what Rev. Martin Luther King said about Sunday morning being the most segregated time in America? On the present: Do Asian Americans have more to offer the church than just the topics of race and justice? If so, what are they? What is unique about this present moment for the Asian American Church? On the future: You might say that the Korean Ministry/English Ministry partnership represented the infancy of the Asian American church or at least the Korean American church. We’re now starting to see the Asian American church in its adolescent phase as we see more independent Asian American churches and church plants. What might the Asian American church look like in its adulthood, and what sort of impact and contribution can you see it making to the larger evangelical church? Exilic Church, which is a supporter of SOLA Network, graciously shared this video with us so we could share it with our audience. We are grateful to them for leading this conversation. We hope this video sparks important conversations as we seek to build Christ’s kingdom together. https://sola.network/article/a-place-for-asian-americans-in-the-future-of-the-evangelical-church/

With all the cultural shifts, divisions, and challenges the American church faces, we can look towards the immigrant church and learn from them. Like all churches, they are not perfect, but I believe there is much that White-majority and multiethnic churches can learn from them, especially about community and discipleship. Video and article: https://sola.network/article/three-lessons-we-can-learn-from-the-immigrant-church/ Email us your questions or conversation topics: podcast@sola.network E.L Sherene Joseph writes about the intersection of faith, culture, and community on her personal website (https://www.sherenejoseph.me/). She is a Third Culture Kid by way of India, Oman, and the United States and has lived the majority of her life as an immigrant Indian. Her greatest joy is sharing with others how Jesus has been her constant through life's challenges, and while her identity is firstly a Christ follower, she can also live my life fully as an Indian American.

Understanding the role of the believing wife in its fuller context invites us to consider how God sees her. She is called to a greater kingdom purpose because of Jesus. And this same gospel hope is available to us today. Video and article: https://sola.network/article/being-married-to-an-unbelieving-spouse/ Email us your questions or conversation topics: podcast@sola.network Alice Kim is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Emmaus Counseling and Consulting Services (emmausccs.com) where she offers gospel-centered therapy to the DC Metro area. She finds deep fulfillment in engaging people’s stories and bearing witness to the good work of God to redeem and restore. She is married to Sam Kim, pastor at Christ Central Presbyterian Church in Centreville, VA and they raise their two high-school-age daughters. Her past times include treasure hunting at thrift stores, catching up with friends over a cup of coffee, and completing Certificate Programs in New Testament and Old Testament through RTS Washington D.C.

How can the first and second generations have unity in the body of Christ? How should we address the challenges faced by immigrant churches and help them have a healthy partnership with the next generations? In this important interview, SOLA editoral board member Daniel K. Eng interviews Dr. Peter Cha, a faculty member at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and director of the Thriving Immigrant Congregations Initiative (TICI). The TICI aims to help immigrant congregations reshape their congregational culture and ministries so that they can help first-generation and second-generation leaders build strong partnerships. During their conversation, Daniel K. Eng and Dr. Peter Cha touch upon several crucial topics: 1. The genesis and purpose of the TICI 2. The changing dynamics of second-generation Christians returning to their ethnic congregations 3. A case study church, Open Door Presbyterian Church in Northern Virginia, and its 25-year journey towards intergenerational reconciliation 4. The diverse representation within TICI cohorts, encompassing churches of various ethnic backgrounds and traditions 5. The application process for churches interested in joining the TICI program, with a deadline in September 6. Dr. Peter Cha's hopes and prayers for TICI, which revolve around strengthening generational reconciliation in immigrant churches, ultimately enabling them to be vibrant witnesses both locally and globally. This interview provides valuable insights into the Thriving Immigrant Church Initiative and the critical work being done to bridge generational gaps within immigrant congregations, ultimately contributing to the growth and vitality of these churches. (Note: If you are interested in the TICI program and its application, please visit their website) Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/BeQZiNrFk-o The links/organizations that he referred to in the interview: Thriving Immigrant Congregations Initiative: https://www.hiebertcenter.org/tici Open Door Presbyterian Church: https://opendoorpc.org/ Peter Lee: https://www.tiu.edu/divinity/faculty/peter-t-lee/ His info: Peter Cha: pcha@tiu.edu Dr. Cha’s faculty page: https://www.tiu.edu/divinity/faculty/peter-t-cha/

How do we care for people who have cancer? What should we say (and not say), and how can our churches support them? In this compassionate interview, Pastor Steve Moy of Evangelical Chinese Church of Seattle and Pastor Helicon Kuan of Chinese for Christ Church of San Jose share their experiences as cancer survivors and provide insights into how to minister to those who are receiving treatment. SOLA Network’s Daniel K. Eng moderated this candid conversation in which both pastors discussed their battle with cancer and how encouraged they were by their friends and church communities. We hope their talk encourages you to care for those you know who are sick through actions and prayer. Video and transcript: https://sola.network/article/how-to-care-for-people-with-cancer-interview/ Links: Weekly Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sola/tgif Monthly Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/sola/newsletter Facebook: https://facebook.com/thesolanetwork Instagram: https://instagram.com/thesolanetwork Twitter: https://twitter.com/thesolanetwork YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SOLANetwork Podcast: http://anchor.fm/solanetwork Website: https://sola.network