SOLA Network

SummaryIn this episode of the Sola Networks Leaders Podcast, Linda Kim shares her journey through ministry, burnout, and the importance of emotional health. She discusses her experiences growing up in a Korean-American household, the impact of unresolved grief from her father's passing, and how these experiences shaped her into a gospel coach. Linda emphasizes the significance of processing grief, the differences between counseling and coaching, and the unique challenges faced by Asian Americans in ministry. She offers insights for the younger generation and reflects on her vision for the future of gospel coaching, particularly for women in leadership.TakeawaysLinda Kim shares her journey in ministry and personal growth.Burnout in ministry can stem from unresolved grief and emotional neglect.Counseling helped Linda process her emotions and grief effectively.Gospel coaching focuses on present challenges and future growth.Asian Americans often face unique pressures in ministry and life.The importance of naming emotions and processing grief is crucial.Linda emphasizes the need for women in ministry to be supported.Coaching is about asking good questions and facilitating growth.The stigma around counseling can be alleviated through coaching.Linda's vision includes raising up diverse gospel coaches for the future.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Linda Kim and Her Journey03:05 Navigating Burnout and Grief in Ministry11:50 Understanding Gospel Coaching vs. Counseling19:05 Unique Challenges in Coaching Asian Americans26:02 Advice for the Younger Generation29:11 Balancing Coaching and Parenting33:36 Vision for the Future of Gospel CoachingFollow @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates and subscribe to SOLA Leaders’ Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts!

In this episode of Asian American Parenting, Monica and Danny talk about race, ethnicity, and culture, and its impact on Asian American teenagers. Our teenagers live in a diverse set of contexts. In today’s political climate along with Asian American teenagers living as bi-racial and bi-ethnic people, race and ethnicity issues do impact them. Hence, it is important for parents to consider these issues and even begin to have conversations about these issues, along with their intersections with faith as Christians. ResourcesNurturing a Youth Ministry Culture that Fosters Intergenerational Ministry with Danny Kwonhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSZN3QCD_NU&ab_channel=RootedMinistryThe Jesus I Wish I Knew in High School: Asian American Editionhttps://newgrowthpress.com/new-releases/upcoming-books/the-jesus-i-wish-i-knew-in-high-school-asian-american-edition/Get more info and register for the Rooted 2025 Conference (10/23-25) in Dorothy’s home city! https://rootedministry.com/conference/ Follow @therootedministry and @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates! Follow and subscribe to Asian American Parenting wherever you listen to podcasts.

"What is one thing you wish parents understood about teenagers today?" (Question 1)

00:00 Gower Lee – Don’t Just Parent, Pursue Your Teen’s Heart

02:12 Kevin Yi – Church Is More Than Sunday: What Kids Really Need

05:01 Monica Kim – Connection Before Correction: Understanding Teen Emotions

Answers about Teens from Ministry Leaders was filmed during the SOLA Network x Rooted Ministry Asian American Youth Worker Training Day on March 15, 2025. It was filmed by by Alex Park (CTS America) and hosted by James S. Lee (SOLA Network). The project was co-produced by SOLA Network and CTS America.

The Answers about Teens from Ministry Leaders series features:

- Clark Fobes is the Associate Pastor at FirstSF in his hometown of San Francisco. He has served in Asian American youth ministry for over a decade.

- James Han is the Founding Senior Pastor of Redeemer Church in Torrance, CA. He also serves on the school board of the Torrance Unified School District.

- James Song Kim serves as the Youth Director of Education at All Nations Church in Sunland, CA. He has nearly twenty years of experience serving youth in several prominent Korean immigrant churches in the U.S.

- Monica Kim is a psychologist and Director of Care & Counseling at Hope Montco Church. She has taught at the Christian Counseling and Educational Foundation (CCEF) and served as a lecturer at Westminster Theological Seminary (WTS). She is currently adjunct faculty at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. Monica is the co-author, along with her husband Danny, of *Mental Health and Teenagers: A Handbook for Parents, Pastors, and Youth Leaders*.

- Danny Kwon serves as the Senior Director of Youth Ministry Content and Cross-Cultural Initiatives for Rooted Ministry. Prior to joining Rooted, he served for 29 years as the Youth and Family Pastor at Yuong Sang Church, a bicultural, bilingual Korean American congregation outside Philadelphia. He has authored several books, including *A Youth Worker’s Field Guide to Parents* and *Mission Tripping: A Comprehensive Guide to Youth Ministry Short Term Missions*. He is also an adjunct professor of Youth Ministry at Eastern University.

- Charlie Kang serves as the English Pastor at Good Stewards Church (West Covina, CA). He previously served nearly a decade as a youth pastor at Good Stewards Church and Oriental Mission Church (Los Angeles, CA).

- Gower Lee is the Counseling Director at New Life Presbyterian Church of Orange County, where she has been on staff since 2018. She previously served in youth ministry and currently teaches as an online instructor for CCEF’s School of Biblical Counseling.

- Ervin Liang is the Pastor of Student Ministries at Living Hope Community Church in Brea, CA. He previously served youth and college students at Mountain View Community Church in Frederick, MD.

- Terrence Shay is the Family Pastor at First Chinese Baptist Church, Walnut, located in Los Angeles County—home to the largest Asian population in the U.S. Having grown up in the immigrant church, he is passionate about its role in fulfilling Jesus’ call to make disciples across all cultures and generations.

- Kevin Yi is affiliated with Rooted Ministry and SOLA Network. Most recently, he served as the college and young adults pastor at Church Everyday in Northridge, CA, and has ministered to youth for over 16 years.

CTS America

https://youtube.com/@ctsamerica4353?si=kayK1BxpRfDHprOx

https://www.facebook.com/cts.america.1/

https://www.instagram.com/cts.america?igsh=MTB2a3hxOXlhMXQ4MQ==

In this episode of the SOLA Network Leaders’ Podcast, host Steve Chang interviews Aaron Chung, founding lead pastor of Exilic Church in New York City. They discuss Aaron’s personal journey, the unique challenges and opportunities of ministry in New York, and the influence of Tim Keller on their approach to church planting. The conversation also touches on the resurgence of spirituality among Gen Z, the importance of nuance in ministry, and cultural dynamics affecting the Asian American community.

Topics:

• Aaron Chung shares his immigrant background and journey to ministry.
• Exilic Church was born out of a desire for honest conversations about faith.
• New York’s cultural cynicism shapes the church’s approach to ministry.
• There is a resurgence of spirituality among Gen Z in New York.
• Nuance is essential in addressing complex cultural issues.
• Tim Keller’s influence is felt deeply in New York’s ministry landscape.
• Community and gratitude are vital for church growth and health.
• Cultural context matters significantly in church planting and outreach.
• The church must articulate the gospel in a way that resonates with the culture.
• Understanding one’s own truth is crucial for personal and communal growth.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 Aaron’s Journey and the Birth of Exilic Church
• 07:34 Contextualizing Faith in New York City
• 12:26 Cultural Trends and Spiritual Resurgence
• 17:15 Nuanced Conversations in a Complex World
• 25:46 Tim Keller’s Influence and Legacy
• 32:33 Reflections on Community and Gratitude
• 36:27 New Chapter

Follow @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates and subscribe to SOLA Leaders’ Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUvZxqL7ttA

In this episode of Asian American Parenting, Danny and Monica discuss practical ways parents can disciple their own teenagers.  They begin discussing the idea of difficulties in discipling teenagers, and then go into some tangible ways parents can disciple their teenagers in their everyday lives.  Finally, they discuss the idea of how parents and churches/youth ministries can work together to walk alongside each other to disciple teenagers. 

Follow @therootedministry and @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates! Follow and subscribe to Asian American Parenting wherever you listen to podcasts.

In this episode, Will Chang welcomes Jonathan Holmes, Executive Director of Fieldstone Counseling and Interim Executive Director of CCEF (Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation). They discuss Jonathan’s personal story of adoption, his journey into counseling, the challenges and nuances of mental health in Asian American communities, and the importance of gospel-centered identity formation—especially for the next generation.Topics Covered:*Jonathan's background: adopted from South Korea, raised in the Deep South, and currently based in Northeast Ohio.*His dual leadership roles at Fieldstone Counseling and CCEF.*How his experiences led him to a counseling vocation over a career in history.*The need for counseling among Asian American communities and within the church.*The generational dynamics around identity and mental health.*His latest book Grounded in Grace and its message for parents navigating a digital and anxious world.*The shift from traditional identity formation to modern, self-determined identity—and the gospel alternative.*The role of Fieldstone and CCEF in supplementing (not replacing) the local church in care and counseling.*The vision for CCEF in this transitional season and how listeners can be praying.Resources Mentioned:Fieldstone Counseling: https://fieldstonecounseling.org/Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation: https://www.ccef.org/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21851127496&gbraid=0AAAAAqv8dXz8K8rlLrrUw1876OJQxr5o6&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkILEBhDeARIsAL--pjwktpCXqs2ehnu4QqaOYkTI9h5JtaK_aPrAaLNkMkGVSJTbq1aNeFoaAg7tEALw_wcBGrounded in Grace by Jonathan Holmes: https://www.amazon.com/Grounded-Grace-Helping-Identity-Christ/dp/1645074641Follow @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates and subscribe to SOLA Leaders' Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts!

In this episode of Asian American Parenting, Danny and Monica demystify the idea of parents being the primary disciplers of their teenagers.  Often, this can sound daunting, intimidating, and frustrating for parents.  They help parents move away from feeling the guilt and shame of their perceived shortcomings and failures, but also seek to help the many Asian American parents who may have never really learned how to disciple their teenagers, due to generational differences with their own parents.   

Follow @therootedministry and @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates! Follow and subscribe to Asian American Parenting wherever you listen to podcasts.

Aaron Lee interviews Isabel Ong, East Asia editor at Christianity Today. They talk about presenting Asian stories to a majority culture, her research and writing process, and what she hopes her readers can learn from East Asia.

https://sola.network/article/telling-east-asias-stories-at-christianity-today-an-interview-with-isabel-ong/

In this episode, the AA Parenting Podcast welcomes SOLA Council Member and Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Orlando, Pastor David Larry (DL) Kim. With Pastor DL’s extensive experience in ministry as well as speaking to various churches and ministries all over the country, we discuss the importance of parents being discipled before they live out their calling to disciple their own teenagers and children. We seek to encourage parents in different ways to be discipled, to grow spiritually, and to live out as disciples of Christ, so they might disciple their own children and teenagers well.

Follow @therootedministry and @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates!Follow and subscribe to Asian American Parenting wherever you listen to podcasts.

SLP Episode 1: “Should Churches Embrace Their Asian American Identity?”

In this inaugural episode of SOLA’s Leaders Podcast, we gather three of the sharpest pastors from across the country — Jason Min, Peter Lim, and Greg Mah — to tackle a question many churches quietly wrestle with: “Should churches embrace their Asian American identity?”

Together, we explore the missional and discipleship implications of intentionally building churches that reflect Asian American cultural contexts. What is the theological rationale behind this approach? What are the missional opportunities, and what are the unintended pitfalls? 

These leaders have wrestled with these tensions more deeply than most — and their collective wisdom offers clarity for churches and leaders who are asking the same questions today.

Topics Discussed

• Whether “Asian American church” is a helpful or harmful label

• Missional and discipleship implication in Asian American churches

• Pitfalls of ignoring cultural identity vs. overemphasizing it

• The future of contextualized ministry among the next generation

Resources & Follow-Up

• Greg Mah: South Bay Community Church

• Jason Min: Citizens LA

• Peter Lim: 4Pointes Church

• SOLA Network

Follow @thesolanetwork on Instagram for more updates and subscribe to SOLA Leader’s Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts!