Webinar: “Caring for the Leader’s Soul” with Steve Wong

Tim Tseng, Ph.D. Leave a comment
The recording for this webinar is also available here.
How is your soul today? Spiritual leadership starts from within. Jesus said that we can gain the world but lose our souls. Losing our souls will affect both our leadership and our well-being. This webinar looks at what it means to flourish in the context of spiritual leadership and consider six dimensions of soul care for the spiritual leader.
About our webinar leader:
     Steve Wong is the founder of Grace Community Covenant Church and brings over 25 years of ministry experience with an MDiv in Theology from Talbot School of Theology and a PhD in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis on Asian American young adult development. He was a contributing writer to Growing Healthy Asian American Churches (InterVarsity Press, 2006). He has been trained as a spiritual director through North Park Seminary’s certificate program in spiritual direction. He is also a Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory. Steve, his wife, Winnie and 3 teenagers live in San Jose. Steve is a big U2 fan, loves playing the guitar and cheering for the Warriors, and admits to enjoying Chinese bitter melon.
 
Some suggested books:
  • Ruth Haley Barton. Strengthening the soul of your leadership. Uses the life of Moses to help the leader understand how to develop rhythms for soul care.
  • David Benner. The gift of being yourself: the sacred call to self-discovery. Helps the leader see her/his true self honestly and be able to receive God’s transforming grace.
  • Helen Cepero. Journaling as a spiritual practice. The title is misleading: Cepero describes many different spiritual practices, i.e., types of prayer, and situations in which each might be helpful.
  • James Martin. The Jesuit guide to (almost) everything. An accessible description of the Ignatian approach to soul care.
  • Henri Nouwen. In the name of Jesus. Describes the basic temptations of and needed spiritual practices for spiritual leaders.
  • Evangelical Covenant Church, “On Being a Healthy Pastor“

2017 Pathway to Ministry (P2M) program

Tim Tseng, Ph.D. Leave a comment

p2m2017-cover3

  • What’s the purpose of the cohort?
    P2M helps Asian American church leaders discern and clarify their call to vocational ministry. Each member of the cohort will, with the guidance of the P2M leadership team, tailor his or her own discernment program. Cohort meetings and the secret Facebook group page will be opportunities to share one’s discoveries, counsel and pray for one another, and discuss webinar topics in depth. Should the participant choose not to enter vocational ministry, we believe we would have helped prepare a strong Asian American Christian lay leader.
  • Who is the target audience of the cohort?
    Our target audiences are (1) emerging leaders who are exploring the possibility of entering vocational ministry or (2) vocational ministry leaders who have had less than 3-5 years of ministry experience.
  • How large are the cohorts?
    Each cohort will be no larger than 12 persons. We will sub-divide the cohorts into emerging leaders and vocational ministry leaders.
  • Who will be leading the cohort?
    Dr. Tim Tseng will be the cohort facilitator. The webinars will be led by experienced (some well-known) Asian American leaders.
  • Are all cohort activities done remotely?
    Yes. Because cohort members are drawn from across the U.S., all meetings will be conducted via video-conferencing.
  • Is the program new? How much will it cost?
    The program is in its second year. We piloted it in the San Francisco Bay Area last year. And P2M is free! In fact, participants will receive a $200 grant with the potential to have it matched by other supporters. For 2017 and 2018, P2M will be funded by the Palmer Grant for Innovative Leadership Development and will be implemented in partnership with Rev. Florence Li of the American Baptist Home Mission Society and under the auspices of the Healthy Church Leaders Initiative of the Asian American Leadership Center (http://www.aaleadershipcenter.org ).
Requirements
  • Apply on-line at bit.ly/p2m2017apply by February 28. The application will include a 15-minute interview with Tim Tseng. Email Tim at drtimtseng@gmail.com if you have any questions.
  • Each cohort member must have video capability via computer or mobile devices.
  • Each cohort member must sign up with a Facebook cohort group for on-going conversations and resource sharing.
  • Each cohort member must identify a mentor who will meet with you at least once a month between April 2017-January 2018. The mentor should be able to observe you as you lead in your local setting(s). If you are not able to find a local mentor, we will help you find someone who can meet with you via telephone or video-conferencing. Your mentor should help you reflect on the development of your leadership skills (e.g., leading bible study, public speaking) and your self-care and personal growth in Christ.
  • Each cohort member must participate in all five 90- minute interactive webinars where you will have a chance to listen and talk to recognized and experienced leaders in Asian American ministry and theology. The webinars will be conducted Saturday mornings [or Sunday evenings] (see tentative schedule below):
    I. Leadership Self-care (March 18)
    II. The Asian American Context (May 13)
    III. Disciple-making (June 3)
    IV. Leading congregations and organizations (September 9)
    V. Public Witness (November 11)
  • Each cohort member must participate in seven cohort meetings conducted by video conferencing. These 45-minute meetings will be facilitated by Dr. Tim Tseng on Sunday evenings. The first will be held on March as a general introduction, the last in January as a wrap up forum. The other meetings will be conducted after each webinar to reflect on the webinar experience (see tentative schedule below)
  • Each cohort member must provide a written or oral report by January 31, 2018
Asian American Leadership Center will provide the following:
  • A $400 matching stipend (AALC will provide $200 to be matched by your congregation or supporters)
  • Many of the resources for the webinar.
  • A certificate in Asian American Christian Leadership.
  • Opportunities for further mentoring and counsel (e.g., we will help you chart a seminary and ministry plan)
To apply, go to this link: bit.ly/p2m2017apply

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

  • March 12, 2017 (Sunday 8 PM Eastern; 5 PM Pacific):
    Introductory Cohort Meeting [45 minutes]
  • March 18, 2017 (Saturday 11 AM Eastern; 8 AM Pacific)
    Webinar I. Leadership Self-care [Steve Wong, Grace Community Covenant Church, 90 minutes]
    A. Stages of leadership
    B. Spiritual direction of leaders
    C. Peer coaching
    Recommended Resources: Bobby Clinton, The Making of a Leader; Ken Shigematsu, God in My Everything: How an Ancient Rhythm Helps Busy People Enjoy God.
  • March 19, 2017 (Sunday 8 PM Eastern; 5 PM Pacific):
    Cohort Meeting 2 [45 minutes]
  • May 13, 2017 (Saturday 11 AM Eastern, 8 AM Pacific)
    Webinar II. The Asian American Context [Rev. Dr. Daniel Lee, Director, Asian American Center at Fuller Theological Seminary, 90 minutes]
    A. Some historical and sociological background about the Asian American contexts.
    B. What to make of Asian American Christianity, especially in its evangelical contexts?
    Recommended Resources: Erika Lee, The Making of Asian America: A History; Timothy Tseng and Viji Nakka Cammauf, eds., Asian American Christianity Reader, Jonathan Y. Tan, Introducing Asian American Theologies.
  • March 21, 2017 (Sunday 8 PM Eastern; 5 PM Pacific):
    Cohort Meeting 3 [45 minutes]
  • June 3, 2017 (Saturday 11 AM Eastern, 8 AM Pacific)
    Webinar III. Disciple-making [Rev. Dr. Grace May, Executive Director of WOW! 90 minutes]
    A. Leading bible study: Interpreting and guiding others into God’s word.
    B. Leading small groups: Mistakes to avoid, approaches that work with Asian Americans.
    C. Making disciples one person at a time.
    Recommended Resources: Gordon D. Fee, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: A Guide to Understanding the Bible; Chris Surratt, Small Groups for the Rest of Us: How to Design Your Small Group Systems to Reach the Fringes; Greg Ogden, Essential Guide to Becoming a Disciple.
  • June 4 (Sunday 8 PM Eastern; 5 PM Pacific):
    Cohort Meeting 4 [45 minutes]
  • September 9, 2017 (Saturday 11 AM Eastern, 8 AM Pacific)
    Webinar IV. Leading congregations and organizations: Asian American churches in a multiethnic world [Rev. DJ Chuang, 90 minutes]
    A. The mission and purpose of the Asian American church in 21st century North American contexts.
    B. The leadership dance – navigating different styles of organizational leadership (e.g., authoritarian, consensus-building, using assessments, inter-generational cooperation, gender, empowering next generation)
    C. Public speaking and preaching
    Recommended Resources: Eric S. Lane, Lessons in Belonging from a Church-Going Commitment Phobe; J.R. Woodward, Creating a Missional Church: Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World
  • September 10, 2017 (Sunday 8 PM Eastern; 5 PM Pacific):
    Cohort Meeting 5 [45 minutes]
  • November 11, 2017 (Saturday 11 AM Eastern, 8 AM Pacific)
    Webinar V. Public Witness [90 minutes]
    A. The biblical, theological, historical case for Christian public witness
    B. Asian American Christians and public witness today
    Recommended Resources: Donald Dayton, Rediscovering an Evangelical Heritage; Lisa Sharon Harper, The Very Good Gospel: How Everything Wrong Can Be Made Right; Stephanie Hinnershitz, Race, Religion and Civil Rights: Asian Students on the West Coast, 1900-1968; Anne M. Blankenship, Christianity, Social Justice, and the Japanese American Incarceration during World War II. 
  • November 12, 2017 (Sunday 8 PM Eastern; 5 PM Pacific):
    Cohort Meeting 6 [45 minutes]
  • January 21, 2018 (Sunday 8 PM Eastern; 5 PM Pacific):
    Final Cohort Meeting  [45 minutes]

Burmese American young adult church leaders summit (Oct 20-21, 2016)

Tim Tseng, Ph.D. Leave a comment

HCLI is a recipient of the American Baptist Palmer Grant. This grant provides opportunities for me to help develop emerging Asian American Church leaders. I facilitated a summit of young adult Burmese American church leaders, many of whom have poignant tales of migration and/or refugee resettlement. But they are also thoughtful and spiritually vibrant church leaders with a great future! Much appreciations to Rev. Florence Li, Director of Asian Ministries, for partnering with HCLI for this summit!

Our Starting Five

Tim Tseng, Ph.D. Leave a comment

March 7, 2016

It’s March Madness time, so meet our five starters (and two bench warmers)…ELP Cohort 2016-03-05

Last Saturday, our inaugural Emerging Leaders cohort met at my home for a time of fellowship, prayer, and discernment. Hearing stories of how God is clarifying our cohort members’ calling was a wonderful birthday gift for me! I’m so appreciative to our teachers, coordinators, and mentors for giving their time and their lives to the cohort. We look forward to the months ahead when our cohort members begin to develop strategies to move closer to their callings.

In April, we will start receiving applications for the next round of Emerging Leaders. The next round will begin in September. More information will be shared in the next two weeks.

Please continue to pray for and support the Healthy Church Leaders Initiative as we

  • strengthen our network of church leaders who are committed to mutual support and peer coaching
  • help emerging leaders to clarify their calling and be equipped to serve in Asian American settings.
  • build a compelling vision for Asian American Christianity’s future
Yours in Christ,
Tim Tseng

Emerging Leaders Cohort ready to launch! Happy New Year!

Tim Tseng, Ph.D. Leave a comment

The Asian American community and its religious organizations need new, creative, and healthy leaders!

That’s why I’m delighted to announce that our inaugural Emerging Leaders Cohort for 2016 is officially starting! Four men and one woman were selected to be part of the Emerging Leaders Program. Over the next nine months ELP will help cohort members clarify their calling as Christians leaders and be equipped with tools to serve in Asian American settings.

Mentors and faculty for the program include the following ( a a partial list):

  • Sabrina Chan
  • Eugene Chu
  • Steve Hong
  • Brian Hui
  • Brian Leong
  • Fred Mok
  • Gabe Tseng
  • Tim Tseng
  • Winsome Wu
  • Russell Yee
  • others!

ELP is a program of the Healthy Church Leaders Initiative of the Asian American Leadership Center (AALC).

We will be launching more programs in the coming months. Stay tuned!

And please consider investing in this unique leadership ministry. Donations made before or on December 31 are tax-deductible for the 2015 calendar year.

From all of us, I wish you a happy and healthy 2016!

Tim Tseng
Director, Healthy Church Leaders Initiative