Evangelical Covenant home for Asian Americans

The featured cover article in the The Covenant Companion Magazine, monthly magazine of the Evangelical Covenant Church (denomination), The Unfolding Face of the Covenant was authored by Greg Yee, the associate superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference.

In that article, Greg Yee Looks at why so many young Asian American church leaders have found a home in the Covenant ::

… Within the Covenant we have seen corresponding growth as we now have almost thirty vibrant and unique churches that are led by Asian American pastors or are predominantly Asian American in their makeup.

… In the 1990s Asian American leaders were reporting the churched rates among first-generation Korean Americans to be approximately 75 percent. But when it came to the second generation, reports showed the numbers plummeting to 5 percent. This was similarly experienced in other Asian communities and was commonly referred to as the silent exodus of the second generation.

… Many Asian American pastors desperately sought to find a place that affirmed their giftedness without the complexities of cultural hierarchical protocols. They sought a place of exploration and grace rather than oppressive legalism. They sought a covering and accountability that stood in contrast to the painful church splits they saw time and time again. They desired to find a place where the fullness of the gospel work was preached and lived out. They sought mentors and older saints to help guide their journey. The ethos and real time commitments of the Covenant became attractive fertile ground.

Read the full article online, where you can also download the entire article in PDF format. Plus, read profiles of five Asian American pastors in the same issue.

Churches mentioned in this article include:

• Parkwood Community Church in Chicago
• NewSong Church in Irvine, California (and multiple locations)
• Quest in Seattle
• Cambridge Community Fellowship in Boston
• Great Exchange in Sunnyvale, California
• Highrock in Arlington, Massachusetts
• New Community in Chicago