One of the questions I receive when entering Christian spaces in which I am an ethnic minority is: “What’s it like being in an Asian church?” Respectfully I say to my brothers and sisters in non-Asian churches, that’s a very loaded question.
I’ll usually respond with a slightly awkward chuckle while nodding my head from side-to-side, “It’s complicated.” Some of the hallmarks of being in an Asian church are plenteous and, at times, perplexing. To give a few examples:
- The church tends to be monoethnic in nature but arguably diverse in social, cultural, linguistic, and generational practices and expectations. For example, while most members of my church are ethnically Chinese, not all of us had the same cultural experiences growing up.
- There are multiple worship services based on languages spoken in the church—typically English, and then the mother country tongue/dialect.
- In smaller churches, the English congregation is modest in size, youngest in age, underrepresented in leadership, and may likely be the underserved or overlooked in the larger framework of the church.
- Age and language-specific ministries are generally separate and seldom cross paths. They stay in their lane until that one time a year when there’s a church-wide, interpreted worship service which some may perceive as a “visit another church” kind of Sunday.
I list and describe the above with some joviality. But for those ministering in or attending an Asian church, this is just a normal Sunday. How can we help teenagers to feel included in the overall life of our churches?
Defining Terms
Before going further, I must define the following terms:
Asian (immigrant) church: Generally, this consists of a mono-ethnic body with some diversity in linguistic, socio-cultural, and generational norms. There tends to be a mother-tongue congregation (for those born overseas) and English-speaking congregation (typically the children of immigrants and those who arrived in the U.S. at a young age).
Asian American church: Comprised of those who are of East Asian descent (i.e., Chinese, Japanese, Korean), and usually second-generation (U.S.-born, children of immigrants) and beyond. English is the dominant language.
Layers of Complexities
Being Asian American in the U.S. represents a struggle for acceptance because non-whites, especially Asians, have often been labeled as “forever (or perpetual) foreigner.” With that in mind, being in an Asian immigrant church presents its own unique challenges. Numerous factors make integrating the generations of Asian American churches especially complicated: the variation of languages and cultures among generations, historical events that have influenced parental priorities, patterns, and decision-making, a sense of being in between due to identifying as Asian and American, and feelings of not belonging to any one culture.
To think about—let alone, implement—intergenerational integration from this wide (and rather wonky) baseline is to accept many pre-existing tensions. Not only that, it involves attempting to exercise patience in the process of striving for harmony and healthy compromise, for the sake of the gospel and in the name of church unity.
Like I said, it’s complicated.
On the other hand, despite such circumstances, church leaders and their congregations can begin to embrace what is unique to their Asian immigrant Christian experiences in order to foster deeper intergenerational integration.
More Than Coexisting
Most can agree that it’s important for a church to consist of multiple age groups that are well integrated with one another. In Titus 2 Paul describes how God’s picture of the Church includes the pursuit of godliness and spiritual maturity within an intergenerational body. Put another way, growth doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
Then, sprinkled throughout Scripture are references to generations—“all generations” (Ex. 3:15; Ps. 49:11, 100:5; Eph. 3:21), “throughout…generation[s]” (Ex. 12:14; Esther 9:28), “the next generation” (Ps. 22:30; Joel 1:3).
Having grown up in an Asian immigrant church and serving in one now, specifically a Chinese heritage church, I’ve become increasingly aware that it’s crucial for a church to be comprised of and co-mingle with all ages. While Asian churches are often multigenerational in composition, varied age groups seldom interact within the body. I believe this cannot continue to be the norm. Unless there is breadth and depth of tethering relationships between young and older people in a spiritual body, any immigrant church is one generation away from extinction.
Intergenerational Integration Amid Dechurching
A recent Gallup poll reported that compared to 20 years ago, most religious groups in the U.S. have observed a decrease in regular service attendance. In The Great Dechurching: Who’s Leaving, Why are They Going, and What Will It Take to Bring Them Back?, Jim Davis and Michael Graham hypothesize that“We are currently in the middle of the largest and fastest religious shift in the history of our country.” Within this widespread phenomenon, however, Davis and Graham noted that in-depth studies are needed to draw firmer conclusions regarding the Asian American church specifically.
Could this mean that the Asian American church is an exception to dechurching? Maybe so, maybe not. If anything, the English congregation in any Asian church tends to experience a higher risk of attrition. Young people, whose primary language is English, can choose to attend any other non-Asian church.
The Value of Relationships
I speculate that relationships play a monumental role for young people who stay in their parents’ (immigrant) churches. When young people are connected and cared for by people of all ages in the church, they are anchored to the community. Instead of viewing themselves as being “tied down” to a particular local church, young people are planting themselves where they’ve already experienced growth, watering, and cultivation from a spread of sources.
By God’s grace, I’ve seen a handful of former youth return from college and choose to remain in their parents’ church because they desire to pour back into the communities which have invested in their own spiritual upbringings. They’ve ventured toward serving in small but faithful avenues which have led to discipleship and leadership. And yes, they’ve chosen to stay in the Asian church even with the awareness of all that makes it complicated. This is also a humbling and necessary reminder of how the Lord graciously walks with us and exercises his lovingkindness and patience in the process of our own messiness and spiritual formation. Thanks be to God, he always chooses to stay with his people, even with an omniscient awareness of all that makes us complicated.
Final Considerations
I don’t claim to have any profound or uniquely effective solutions to dechurching. But if I could offer anything to reassure and challenge my fellow ministry practitioners, it would be twofold: First, continue to be faithful where you are most influential. And second, more than simply strategizing, ask good questions.
As we think about intergenerational integration, we can ask: How do I keep young people in the church? How do we help our young people love the Lord through loving their church? In what ways can we affirm our roots but ultimately honor God with our firstfruits? What models are we setting for our young people? How does the church’s practices align with its vision?
From one perspective, intergenerational integration in the Asian church is less about retention than it is about solidarity. There is tremendous value in understanding the older generation as much as wanting to be understood by them. Once I began to know more about and appreciate my Chinese heritage, God developed in me a deeper affinity, clarifying my calling to minister within the Asian immigrant church.
In spite of any immigrant church’s complexities, how much more can we delight in the Lord’s sovereign grace, mercy, kindness, and provision toward us. When we allow Jesus and the gospel to permeate our culture, we get to watch him redeem it, from generation to generation.
To learn more about gospel-centered youth ministry, consider applying for one of our January 2025 youth ministry mentorship cohorts.
