Preaching to Possible Selves: A Contextual Homiletic for Second Generation Korean Americans

by Matthew D. Kim

This in-depth study on preaching to second generation Korean Americans, the first of its kind, is based on empirical and ethnographic fieldwork. Matthew D. Kim conducted surveys and semi-structured qualitative interviews with Korean American pastors and second generation young adult respondents in three geographic regions of the United the Midwest, the West Coast, and the East Coast. His primary conceptual framework employs social psychologists Hazel Markus and Paula Nurius’s theory of possible selves to facilitate the process of congregational exegesis in the second generation Korean American church context.This book offers a new contextual homiletic model that enables Korean American preachers to engage in deeper levels of ethnic and cultural analysis in their sermonic preparation. Simultaneously, the author reconstructs conventional preaching roles of Korean American preachers and second generation listeners so that they may co-creatively imagine new possible selves that radically advance Christian mission and practice in the world. This book will serve as a primary or secondary source for upper-level undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate courses on preaching, communication studies, ethnic and racial studies, cross-cultural ministry, or social psychology.

221 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 27, 2021

About the author

Matthew D. Kim (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is professor of preaching and pastoral leadership, holder of the George W. Truett endowed chair in preaching and evangelism, and director of the PhD in preaching program at Baylor University's Truett Seminary in Waco, Texas.

He is the award-winning author and editor of numerous books, including Ready to Preach: An Introduction to Homiletics (Baker Academic, 2026), Becoming a Friendlier Church: A Pathway to Genuine Community (Baker Books, 2026), What's God Saying Here?: How to Navigate Awkward, Troubling, and Bizarre Passages We Would Rather Skip (Zondervan Reflective, 2025), We Follow Christ: Helping Women to Discern God's Call (Baylor University Press, 2025), and more.

He has three books under contract: Preaching with Emotional Intelligence: Reconnecting Pastoral Ministry and the Pulpit (Baker Academic, 2027), Chasing Holograms: Redefining and Reforming Our Christian Identity (Zondervan Academic, 2028), and The Ministry Mentors: Best Practices for Pastoral Leaders (coauthored, Baker Academic, 2030).