By, For, and About Asian American Christians
The vision of the Asian American Christian Collaborative (AACC) is to see Asian Americans established in their spiritual and cultural identities, empowered to influence culture, and equipped to create change for the sake of the Gospel. We exist to equip, empower, and encourage Asian American Christians and friends of our community towards holistic discipleship. We seek to help Asian American Christians, the Asian American church, and the broader church unlock and unleash the fullness of all the gifts that God has established in us and our respective communities.
The marginalization of Asian American Christian voices and leadership inhibits the growth and flourishing of the Asian American Church. Asian Americans have historically faced marginalization, fueled by stereotypes such as the model minority myth, perpetual foreigner stereotype, and orientalism. These stereotypes contribute to the invisibility and minimization of Asian Americans. Consequently, many Asian Americans feel compelled to assimilate and erase their own identities in order to be acknowledged and respected.
AACC bridges the gap by promoting the empowerment of Asian American Christians through advocacy, community building, and education.
We desire to serve and represent Asian American Christians and churches. We do this through our focus on “Asian American” identity as Christians, addressing the needs of Asian Americans broadly and Asian American Christians more specifically, and informing and equipping Asian American Christians to understand God’s call to justice and righteousness. As Christians, we believe that we cannot adequately address issues related to the broader Asian American community unless we engage these issues in the church first.
We seek to address issues pertaining to Asian American Christians and Christianity, while remaining grounded in the historic Christian faith, rooted in Scripture, and in communion with the global Church. Our multimedia platform will offer resources that contribute to the development and understanding of Asian American theology, preaching, identity, mental health, current events, history, arts, and beyond.
We are committed to collaboration across ethno-cultural contexts, political and socioeconomic lines, and theological traditions for the sake of faithfulness to Jesus Christ, solidarity with other ethnic and racial groups, public Christian witness, and the common good from a Christ-centered, Kingdom-oriented perspective.
Our aims are to help the Church be the Church we are called by God to be, to reach the next generation with the gospel, and to increase cultural competence and elevate consciousness around Asian American issues.
Our advocacy includes intra-racial (pan-Asian), interracial/multiracial, and interfaith/multifaith efforts as we believe all people are made in the image of Christ and as Christians, we are called to pursue the well being and flourishing of all, as well as seek the common good as an extension of God’s pervasive and beautiful common grace. While the Asian American community is extremely diverse and we cannot speak for every individual and perspective, we aim to spotlight and celebrate the Asian American Christian community as inclusively as possible.
We seek to amplify the voices and perspectives of the Asian American Christian community through our digital magazine (Reclaim) and our podcast. We also work with individuals, churches, and organizations to help them grow in their cultural competency, their understanding as Asian Americans or about about the Asian American (Christian) population, and to develop programs, activities, strategies, and plans on serving their Asian American constituencies well. We have a wide network of speakers who can speak and preach on a variety of topics from faith, discipleship, the Christian life, Asian American identity, mental health, family, parenting, race, culture, gender, politics, and beyond. We host events digitally and in person and our team loves to connect with new people - especially those who want to join our team!
VALUES
CHRIST-CENTERED AND ECUMENICAL:
AACC's shared foundation is in Christ and Scripture, and through this, we aim to address the unique experiences, ideas, and perspectives and celebrate the unique contributions by, for, and about Asian American Christians.
KNOWLEDGEABLE AND ACCESSIBLE:
We provide reliable, informed insights that are easily understandable and connect on a personal level with individuals across generations and varied backgrounds.
TRUTHFUL AND GRACE-FILLED:
We aim to speak the truth in love and challenge unjust aspects of the status quo with humility and grace, out of a sincere desire for positive transformation for individuals and communities.
RELEVANT AND KINGDOM-ORIENTED:
We address current issues, events, and experiences of Asian Americans, while also laying out a vision for churches and communities to a more just, righteous, and loving way of being, now and in the future.