Last week the Contra Costa Times published Events for Asian-Americans pop up around U.S. — to mixed reviews. In the megacities of America there is growing popularity of events focused on Asian-Americans. Some of the events have been parties attended by as many as 4000 people. In an time of emphasis on diversity, it is interesting that this type of ethnic specific event is growing in popularity. The article title says that some people are uncomfortable with an ethnic focus, but apparently these events are meeting a need.

The title to this post is my reflection on the implications of for churches. Many people assume that since second generations Asian Americans speak English they can go to any majority culture church. But what they are missing is the fact that there is a lot more to culture than just language, and for the second generation there is often still a strong sense of Asian identity. That’s why in addition to the ministry of bilingual churches we also need Asian-America churches to provide an effective outreach to this generation.

The article states that “census figures from 2004 reveal one of every four 18- to 24-year-olds living in the San Francisco Metropolitan Statistical Area are Asian-American — roughly 70,000 people.” That is a sizable group of young adults. I wonder what percentage of them are Christians? I wonder who is reaching them?