The interview chronicles Dave’s life journey from his upbringing to his segregated college experience, various church experiences, and how his understanding of the Gospel has grown and developed over the years. In 1994, he launched NewSong Church, a multi-ethnic megachurch, now with multi-site locations in Los Angeles, North Orange County, Dallas, Mexico City, London, India, and Bangkok. And now his Gospel understanding is leading him to build smaller churches he calls “verges.” This is an excerpt:
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This article shows how everyone can indeed be a leader, one of the key being a fresh definition of leadership as: using my influence for a worthwhile cause. The article is posted here in its entirety with permission::

The Top Excuses for Not Leading
Tim Elmore / www.GrowingLeaders.com

One of the most controversial statements I make to students and faculty every year is this:

“I believe every one of you is a leader.”

Folks find that hard to swallow, of course, because they don’t define the word the way we do at Growing Leaders. If you define leadership in the traditional fashion-that a leader is someone with a position, in charge of a group of people-then, my statement is false. Not everyone and certainly not every student is gifted to become the president, the chairman, the CEO or the key leader of a large team of people. Most will never occupy a top spot in a flow chart. Not even 10% of the population will. Those who reject my statement have assumed a traditional definition of leadership.
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Here’s a sample of Leadership Development websites listed there:

• African American Leadership Institute, The James MacGregor Burns Academy of Leadership, at the University of Maryland, College Park, www.academy.umd.edu/scholarship/AALI
• Asian Pacific American Women’s Leadership Institute, www.apawli.org
• Center for Creative Leadership, www.ccl.org
• Center for Innovative Leadership, www.cfil.com
• Center for Visionary Leadership, www.visionarylead.org
• Leadership Strategies, www.leaderx.com
• National Hispana Leadership Institute, www.nhli.org
• Robert K. Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, www.greenleaf.org

See the entire list of Leadership Development websites.

Do you know of other great leadership resources? How have they been helpful to you? Add a comment to this blog post.

1. Someone asked them (93%)
2. Compelling need
3. Personal connection
4. Gratitude for being served
5. Spiritual/ religious beliefs
6. Social needs
7. Job skill/ resume’ development
8. Guilt
9. Boredom
10. External influences (family members, influential leaders, advertising)

Notice that spiritual reasons is #5, meaning that not many people think about serving to be like Jesus. #1 reason that most people volunteer is because someone asked and invited them with the words, “Do this with me.”

2 other helpful articles by Don Simmons: Respecting Volunteers and Equipping With the Goal in Mind.

More Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women Sharing the Journey
Date & Time: Saturday, October 18, 2008 from 09:30 AM - 04:00 PM (PT)
Location: Seattle Pacific University, Seattle, WA

More than Serving Tea is a one day gathering for Asian American women to be inspired, to encouraged, and empowered. This event will have four primary streams: Worship and Inspiration through a multi generational, interchurch praise team and a key note address by Kathy Khang. There will be Reflection and Interpersonal Sharing in small groups, a delicious lunch and an afternoon of Conversations of Hope. A variety of Focus Groups will cover topics such as Asian-American identity, leadership, spiritual growth, marriage, social justice, vocation/calling, service and more. We will conclude the day with a Ministry Time facilitated by women who are gifted and equipped in inner healing prayer, spiritual direction and counseling. Throughout the gathering ample space will be provided for reflection, prayer, conversation, and building relationships.

We are inviting women college age and up - singles, married, working, stay at home moms, retirees. We will have something for everyone!

About the speaker: Kathy Khang is the Multiethnic Ministries Director for the Great Lakes Region of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship. She is a graduate of Northwestern, a former journalist, and a mother of three. She is co-author of More Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women on Expectations, Relationships, Leadership, and Faith.

Download the flyer (PDF) | Go to the event website for more details and to register >>

[You’re invited to] the 2008 Group Life Conference: Essential for the Human Heart! October 16-18, 2008 at Willow Creek Church near Chicago.

This conference is ideal for anyone at your church who is involved in community life — from pastors to volunteer group leaders, from the traditional church with a small-group ministry to the emerging church built entirely on small groups. Those who attend will not only learn from some of the world’s most experienced group life experts, but will have networking and training opportunities with immediate ministry application. All conference sessions are in English, although guests attending the conference at the main Willow Creek campus in South Barrington, IL, will be able to choose simultaneous translation of all five Main Sessions and four Featured Breakouts in Spanish or Korean. (We’re sorry, but we are unable to provide simultaneous translation at the satellite broadcast sites or for any General or Point Leader breakouts.)

Please consider using your influence within your local church, the Asian-American community, and the kingdom at large to encourage as many as possible to attend the conference in South Barrington (live Korean language interpretation available) or at one over 100 satellite sites around the country. You may forward this email or use the translation provided below as you desire.

Special rate for you and your contacts: As a thank you for passing this on, we are offering a discounted rate to you and anyone you choose to extend the offer to. It is only good for a few days. When you (or they) register for the conference, mention Priority Code GLCADV841

WCA Member Rate $245 Expires - Sept. 9. 2008 (regular rate is $305)
Non-Member Rate $295 Expires - Sept. 9. 2008 (regular rate is $365)

The conference web site is: willowcreek.com/GL2008

Videos describing the conference content may be seen here: willowcreek.com/events/grouplife/2008/Videos.html. They are also on YouTube here:
youtube.com/watch?v=P8SXQKx33HU and here: youtube.com/watch?v=P8SXQKx33HU.

I also have a gift for you which may be helpful in your ministry. At last year’s Group Life Conference, Author Nancy Sugikawa (Lighthouse Christian Church, Bellevue, WA) presented a breakout on “Small Groups in Asian-American Culture.” She outlined some of the challenges and offered potential solutions. You may download the audio of the breakout here:
http://wca60011.edgeboss.net/download/wca60011/grouplifeconference_2008/sugikawa_willowcreekgrouplife_2007.mp3

Please pass the link and this email on to anyone who might benefit from it. May God continue to bless your ministry. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions.

–
Dave Treat
Director of Innovation, Adult Ministry
Willow Creek Association, 67 E. Algonquin Rd, South Barrington, IL 60010
dtreat@willowcreek.com | (224) 512-1341 | willowcreek.com/GLcommunity

If you want to read more about Confucianism, you can access translations of the Analects of Confucius yourself here. The Analects is a collection of Confucius’ teachings, collected by his disciples after his death, and is probably the most important text in the Confucian canon.

Through these posts, it’s probably become obvious to you how Confucianism could influence how Chinese Christians think and behave, and how Chinese churches function in a whole range of different areas.

What I’ve done here is drawn many of those themes together so you can see, on the one hand the features of Confucianism, and on the other, how it could influence a Chinese church.


… It’s important to remember that many Chinese Christians won’t acknowledge the influence of Confucianism. This is not because they are lying, but simply because many of them won’t actually have received any formal training in Confucianism. For them, they are not being Confucians - it’s just a normal and unquestioned part of how things should be done.

… Realise also that the influence of Confucianism among Chinese Christians is not uniform. Some individuals will be more influenced by Confucianism than others…

And finally it’s important to understand that Confucianism isn’t worse compared to Western individualism. No - it’s just as un-Christian a philosophy as Western individualism, postmodernism, or modernism is. All cultures - including those influenced by Confucianism - need to be critiqued by the gospel…

[ PS: note that Confucianism hasn’t just influenced Chinese culture - it is a significant influence on the Korean and Japanese cultures as well! ]

Plus, Andrew also posted these other related entries:

• Confucianism - is it a danger?
• Confucianism - the philosophy that won’t go away
• Confucianism - what it’s all about
• Confucianism - and Chinese Christians [excerpted above]
• Confucianism - and filial piety
• Confucianism - and leadership
• Confucianism - and the person

Do you find these observations to be descriptive of your ethnic Asian churches experience?

What has worked well for successfully negotiating the cultural differences within a multi-cultural ethnic Asian church, so that a Gospel-centered culture is formed, rather than esteeming one culture while rejecting another?

The Asian-American population is expected to increase from 15.5 million to 40.6 million, or from 5.1 percent to 9.2 percent of the population.

… The United States is projected to reach the 400 million population milestone in 2039, according to bureau projections. By 2050, the population is expected to be 439 million. Of those, 235.7 million are expected to be minorities.

… By 2050, the working-age population will be more than 30 percent Hispanic, up from 15 percent in 2008; 15 percent African-American, up from 13 percent in 2008; and 9.6 percent Asian, up from 5.3 percent in 2008.

… the timelines are not written in stone. “It’s a projection. And things like the baby boom generation couldn’t be predicted.” Major changes in policy affecting families and children, or a major policy affecting immigration, could have an impact on the expectations, he said.

This suggests that we’ll need at least twice as many Asian American churches as we have today and/or Asian American church attendance should double in size. What other implications come to mind?

October 3-5, 2008
HC³ 2008 — Hmong Christian Collegiate Conference (Madison, WI)
with Peter Cha, David Adrianoff
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship- Asian American Ministries

October 18, 2008
More Than Serving Tea: Asian American Women Sharing the Journey (Seattle, WA)
with Kathy Khang
Sponsored by: Seattle Pacific University, Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society, International Students Inc.

October 20-23, 2008
International Prayer Conference for All Nations (Fullerton, CA)
Sponsored by Global Inter-Missions Network

November 7-8, 2008
God, Gender, and Race — A seminar for Asian Americans (Roanoke, VA)
with Kathy Khang
Sponsored by InterVarsity

November 19-22, 2008
Yexus Communitas (Green Lake, WI)
with Bob Roberts, Alan Hirsch, T. Cher Moua, T. Christopher Thao
hosted by Warren Hmong Alliance Church with endorsement by The Hmong District

To submit an event for inclusion on this calendar, please contact us.

L² Foundation occasionally hosts strategic events. To stay informed on what we’re developing in the areas of leadership and  legacy, please subscribe to our announcements email.

Past Events

June 28, 2008
Explorer’s Conference: Power of the Call (New York City, NY)
a one day conference to explore ministry calling with Steve Chin and Stephen Ro
sponsored by PaLM and ATS Chinese Ministries Program

June 28- August 7, 2008
Global Leadership Development Institute (Philadelphia, PA and Costa Mesa, CA)
40-day intensive training program for Korean Americans
with John C. Kim, Ben Shin, Os Guinness, & more
sponsored by JAMA Global

June 29- July 2, 2008
New Awakening 2008 (Philadelphia, PA)
with Francis Chan, John C. Kim, John Piper, & more
sponsored by JAMA Global

July 2-6, 2008
New York Summer Conference (Hempstead, NY)
with Ken Fong, Dan Hyun, LT Tom, and more
NYSC has programming for both College & Career and Youth

July 5-12, 2008
Taste of Seminary Leadership Seminar (Chicago)
hosted by AADVENT Project of McCormick Theological Seminary

July 10-13, 2008
Roots & Wings 2008 (Atlanta, GA)
with Neal Presa and more
sponsored by National Taiwanese Presbyterian Young Adult Council

July 14-18, 2008
Extreme Makeover: Church Edition (Lakewood, CO)
KASE leadership conference for college students
with Bo Karen Lee and Eric Hoey
sponsored by Korean American Student Empowerment (KASE) of PCUSA

July 21-25, 2008
TAKEOUT Asian Youth Camp (Tyler, TX)
with Rodney Woo and Joey Witham
sponsored by Baptist General Convention of Texas

July 25-26, 2008
Ignite 2008 - conference for college students & young adults (Atlanta, GA)
with Peter Hong, Brian Kim, Starfield, and more
sponsored by AsianAmerican Ministers Network (AMNet)

July 30-August 3, 2008
National South Asian Leadership Institute (SALI) (San Juan Capistrano, CA)
sponsored by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship

August 3-8, 2008
BAAYF 2008: Connect summer camp (Occidental, CA)
hosted by Bay Area Asian Youth Fellowship

August 4-5, 2008
English Ministry Pastors Retreat (Danville, CA)
sponsored by The Leadership Connection and Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity (ISAAC)

August 4-7, 2008
J-Gen 2008: Reaction (Upland, IN)
with Min Chung, Jong Park, Dwight Yoo, and more
a summer youth retreat sponsored by Joshua Generation

August 14-17, 2008
AADVENT Young Adult Retreat 2008 (Chicago)
sponsored by AADVENT Project of McCormick Theological Seminary

September 5-7, 2008
Gathering of South Asian Christian Counselors (Chicago)
hosted by iCare Counseling Network and PARIVAR International

September 19-21, 2008
Emerge 2008: InterVarsity Asian American Student Conference (Atlanta, GA; download PDF of flyer)
with James Choung
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship- Asian American Ministries

Celia and David Liu of Montgomery attend the 10 a.m. Cantonese service on Sundays at the township’s 250-member Chinese Christian Church, but their grown American-born children, Katrina, 24, and Nathan, 21, attend the 11 a.m. English service in the basement fellowship hall.

Also offering a Mandarin service at 11:15 a.m. upstairs, the church is three congregations in one, separated by generation, culture and language, said Ian Ma, its youth pastor. …

… Made up of youth and young adults, the second-generation ministry is the future of the 250-member church, said Ma, who also has served as English language pastor for the past three years. Pastor Peter Ng, who leads the Cantonese service, agreed.

Within the next 10 years, they said, English will outweigh Chinese, at which point, a traditional Chinese church will be planted about 10 miles away. The original church, they said, will grow into a more multiethnic congregation that can serve the large surrounding black and Latino populations.

“That’s one of the reasons I stayed in this church,” Ma said. “There are a quite a lot of Chinese-American churches in the area, but I haven’t seen that many catching onto this vision of building up a second-generation or third-generation church. It’s almost like Scandinavian churches or German-speaking churches. When immigration starts to die down and churches try to maintain their own cultural indentity, they can only survive for so long and eventually need to be inculturated. Churches that are willing to take on that kind of vision continue. Churches that don’t, that just maintain their own cultural identity, eventually dwindle down to a few people, the old folks.

“To our children, more power to them,” he continued. “At some churches, I see a lot of conflict between the different languages and cultures because leadership is held by the first-generation immigrants. They say, ‘It’s our church, and we want to maintain our own cultural identity. We will not abdicate leadership.’ So it’s been a power struggle. I have a lot of colleagues who have a hard time working with the young people and the English-speaking people. But in this church, there is a lot of forward thinking.”

Read the entire article >>