Because we observe with our eyes, there is potential to assume things about others or judge them based on their appearance. This does not make one evil or unholy. It’s just human nature. I was the youth pastor of a large youth group in an Asian American church for 29 years. But we also had a large number of non-Asian American teenagers attend. Whenever we had non-Asian teenagers come, I was always curious to get to know them individually. To grow in any relational discipleship opportunity, I knew I had to get to know them on a deeper level—their background, their history, and even what they enjoyed about our youth group.
Sarah, a former teenager in my youth group I remember distinctly, was a good example of this. She was invited to the youth group by one of our Asian American students. She was “white,” but I got to know Sarah more deeply—about her family life and about her interests. I found out her parents were of German descent. Her great-grandparents had come to America a few generations ago. However, she didn’t know much about her German heritage, nor did she speak any German. She was an exceptional student who enjoyed sports as well as her deep academic pursuits. Finally, she said she loved our youth group’s midweek gatherings because of the deep Bible studies we provided.
Ultimately, my point is this: Although Sarah was white, I could not assume anything about her based on her being white. I could not assume anything about her background, ethnicity, or how much connection she had with her cultural or ethnic heritage. I needed to take time to get to know her. That relationship opened the way to discipleship.
Paul writes, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4 NIV). This is God’s exhortation for Christians to be transformed by the love and humility Christ showed on the cross. How much more are we to do so with teenagers and, in the highest calling of Christ’s love, to seek them out to know them deeply for the sake of Christ? When you see an Asian American teenager—or any teenager—my encouragement to you is this: get to know them deeply on their level. Here are a few things you can know about Asian American teenagers in order to grow in your love for them.
Asian American Teenagers Are Not All The Same
Asian American teenagers are not a monolith. For non-Asians, Asian American teenagers might all look alike. But there is a rich variety both physically and in their personhood. May is AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) Heritage Month. Even its title makes it evident that the AAPI community is not just one large clump of people.
In fact, the communities celebrated during AAPI Heritage Month originate from many countries in the Asia-Pacific region. These includes the Asian continent, the Pacific Islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, and the Federated States of Micronesia), and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, and Easter Island). As AAPI communities are spread over such a large geographical area, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community has rich and varied people groups, each with their distinct histories and cultures.
It is important for youth workers and churches to know that there is a great variety of distinct and diverse communities within Asian American communities. You can’t assume a teenager of Asian descent who walks into your church or youth group is the same as another teenager of Asian descent. You also can’t assume what people group within all the AAPI communities they belong to.
In fact, just because of the way they look, you can’t assume a number of things. You can’t know whether they speak English or not, if they have a cultural and ethnic connection with their own Asian community, or whether they are more assimilated into Western culture or not. It would be silly for you as a youth worker to assume those things, just like it would be silly to assume you know anything about any student’s interests, hobbies, or music preferences without first getting to know them and hearing their story.
A good youth leader will want to get to know each student who walks into their youth group. We enter into the worlds of our teenagers to love them for the sake of the gospel. Thus, with any teenager, Asian American or otherwise, we should seek to know them for who they are. We should learn about their lives as we ultimately seek to share the gospel and disciple them in it. This can start with basic questions like “tell me about yourself” to questions like “tell me about your family.” It might provide some clues for you to dig deeper with a student about their family or ethnic background. If they don’t share many details, it could be a clue for you just to wait until deeper conversations happen.
Asian American Teenagers and Their Unique Personhood
For students or families of Asian American ethnic heritage—or any diverse cultural heritage, such as African American, Hispanic, or white—youth ministry might mean taking an interest in, recognizing, being sensitive to, or understanding and appreciating another’s ethnic heritage, cultural context, and historical background. Some Asian American teenagers I have ministered to are more attuned to their ethnic and cultural heritage, and some are not.
It is important with any teenager to grow in our skills to effectively love and serve them as individuals. This may or may not include effectively helping them navigate their cultural or ethnic needs. Some may not have any connection to their ethnic heritage. You can’t assume because a person looks Asian that they do or do not have a connection to their Asian heritage. Overall, I would hope that as youth workers we would increase our sensitivity to the diversity, cultures, and ethnicities, or lack thereof, of any student for the sake of gospel ministry.
Ultimately, whether it be seeking to understand the diversity of persons within each unique AAPI community or seeking to minister to Asian American teenagers, the Great Commission calls us to make disciples of all nations. Hence, as we share the gospel with Asian American teenagers (and all teenagers), it assures us that we are all adopted children of God through his grace and mercy on the cross. Asian American teenagers (and every teenager) can join the family of God through the power of the gospel in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Let us love and care for one another, and seek to love our Asian American teenagers (and every teenager) for the sake of the gospel.
For more conversations about relevant and contextual ministry topics, check out The Rooted Asian American Youth Ministry Roundtable podcast which aims to advance gospel-centered youth ministry with those serving in Asian American youth ministry contexts and students.
