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Invitation to Lead: Guidance for Emerging Asian American Leaders
The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. This Japanese expression characterizes the attitude of many Asian Americans. We are often taught not to put ourselves forward--not to stick out. But the Western concept of leadership is all about stepping up and standing apart from the group. Is that appropriate for Asian Americans? Or can we lead out of our own cultural strengths rather than being pressed into the Western mold? Paul Tokunaga has been a leader in Asian American, white and multiethnic contexts for many years. He has been active in ministry and in his community. InInvitation to Lead he offers, with surprising transparency, lessons from his own rich experiences--both successes and failures. Many of us aren't sure whether we can or should lead. We are waiting for someone to ask. Or we are just beginning to take on new roles and responsibilities at church, at work or in our neighborhoods. Here, at last, is our invitation to lead.
214 pages, Paperback
First published February 10, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 16, 2024
Haiku review:
El Roi, God who sees.
Becoming a great leader.
Insights, dreams, and hopes.
El Roi, God who sees.
Becoming a great leader.
Insights, dreams, and hopes.
May 4, 2015
The title is incorrect here. It is not about parenting, finances or career, but Asian American leadership. Nevertheless, section 2 is worth the whole book. Tokunaga puts vocabulary and words to a lot of the way Asian Americans feel and have felt in majority cultures (even for me as a brown Asian American!). Wonderful book. More books like these need to be written!
August 4, 2018
I really appreciated this book. Tokunaga is bold, clear, and incisive in his depiction of the average contemporary Asian American churchgoer. His description of Asian American worldview, his acknowledgement of the diversity within the umbrella term 'Asian American,' and his calls to action are all very helpful to me as someone seeking to learn more about my friends of Asian descent. The last part of the book on leading Asian Americans is particularly helpful for me as someone leading in the church. Tokunaga's assessment of the next 50 years and his clear vision of racial reconciliation within the Asian American community in order to lead reconciliation across many cultures was both beautiful and heartbreaking to read.
As someone reading this book in Canada almost 20 years after its initial publication, there is a fair amount of re-contextualizing to do - is there a general difference between how Asian Americans and Asian Canadians interact with their cultural identities? How do Asian Canadians growing up in places like Vancouver or Toronto see their ethnic identities as compared to those who grow up or move to places where they are visible minorities? How does the Canadian outlook on race and that famous buzzword 'multiculturalism' bring its own set of nuances and problems to conversations about race and cultural identity? What has changed since Tokunaga wrote this book and what has stayed the same?
Would recommend to anyone leading or hoping to lead any kind of multicultural movement in the Christian world.
As someone reading this book in Canada almost 20 years after its initial publication, there is a fair amount of re-contextualizing to do - is there a general difference between how Asian Americans and Asian Canadians interact with their cultural identities? How do Asian Canadians growing up in places like Vancouver or Toronto see their ethnic identities as compared to those who grow up or move to places where they are visible minorities? How does the Canadian outlook on race and that famous buzzword 'multiculturalism' bring its own set of nuances and problems to conversations about race and cultural identity? What has changed since Tokunaga wrote this book and what has stayed the same?
Would recommend to anyone leading or hoping to lead any kind of multicultural movement in the Christian world.
August 20, 2010
Most of my friends and colleagues won't benefit from this review, but I sometimes write up reviews of useful books for Goodreads just as an extra back-up for my digital notes. This is one of those cases. I work with two Asian-American congregations--one is primarily Chinese-American and one is primarily Korean-American. Since the love of my life is Asian-American (predictably, she would prefer me to type "Chinese," but that's part of what Tokunaga touches upon), I am thrilled to work with Asian-Americans, but since I am pretty much "whitebread" Caucasian (maybe a hint of "whole wheat" Native American, but otherwise Scot-Irish-American with a bit of the oppressor (English) in me), I think it is presumptuous of me to lead them exactly as I would lead a Caucasian congregation. So, I don't. This book helped me identify some useful thoughts about working in Asian-American churches. It also quotes a colleague of mine who introduced me to the two churches where I serve, Robert Goette.
Compared Mainstream “Western” Values that value spontaneity and casualness with Asian self-control and discipline, respect for change and belief in self-determination versus fatalism with its acceptance of ambiguity and uncertainty, ability to question authority versus unquestioned obedience to authority, resume-building promotion versus low individual visibility, and individualistic leadership versus collective decision-making (p. 57)
Then, he noted how these Asian-American attributes are misunderstood by Western culture as in:
quiet suggesting disinterest or arrogance, lack of assertiveness as lack of leadership skill, limited facial expression or demonstrative behavior as having no investment in the matter or feeling, hesitancy to make presentations as lacking knowledge and confidence, tendency toward indirect eye contact as lacking respect or interest, lack of complaining suggests that they are exploitable, not socializing after work suggests one is above making friends and unwilling to get to know co-workers, risk-aversiveness suggests lack of leadership skills, and speaking with an accent suggests a lack of credibility. (p. 59)
“All of us who do any sort of leading don’t want to be just pretty good, we want to be great. But it doesn’t help to operate with that kind of pressure from those on our team. Just being a leader creates enough internal pressure in itself. We’re our own worst critics. We need others to bring perspective about our leadership.” – p. 67
“Peace and harmony can become so high a value we are willing to short-circuit confession and repentance for others.” – p. 69
“I will also experience spiritual asphyxiation if all my discretionary time is in Bible studies, church services, prayer meetings, worship experiences, lunch with Christian friends, ad nauseum.” – p. 78
Cites the Japanese term, omoiyari (essentially “empathy”), as stating that Asian-Americans are good at anticipating and meeting other people’s needs—a communal people – pp. 123-4
Quotes G. K. Chesterton as saying, “I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean.” – p. 136
The book was published right after the 2000 census and here are his observations on that:
1. There will always be a need for immigrant churches – p. 164
2. Asians need to get over their prejudicial attitudes toward other groups of Asians and just be family – p. 164
3. Adopted Asians need to be helped to become comfortable in their ethnic identity rather than being forced to adapt to their adoptive parents’ culture – p. 165 (he cites how angry most of these adoptees are, without even knowing why)
4. Help churches and fellowships accept bi-racial couples and relationships – p. 165
Tokunaga states that those who are successful in reaching out to Asian-Americans are those who spend lots of time with the unchurched – p. 188
He reiterates the importance of prayer (in everything) and affirms the necessity of “experimenting wildly and failing badly” – p. 189
Suggestions for Stopping the Silent Exodus (The horrifying statistic is the 97% of Asian Americans leave their churches after college—p. 200, so how do we stop the silent exodus?)
Don’t be afraid to be involved with secular Asian-American groups, even if their national organization endorses matters of which you don’t approve --p. 201
Promote group-orientated evangelism—personal confrontation causes “lost face” and is counter-productive, group activities break out into personal and effective witnessing opportunities—p. 202
Foster collaborative leadership, not “lordship” style leadership—p. 203
Offer mentoring by “elders” and accountability within the shame-based culture—p. 204
Worship Authentically Asian-American
Freedom to be ourselves – p. 205
Authenticity in leading, preaching, singing words that match our experiences – p. 205
Bringing a sense of intimacy with God – p. 205
Intensity where one senses that they have had an experience with God—p. 205
Preach “narratively” rather than theologically – Have good theology, but make sure that it is presented in the light of real life – p. 206
There were several occasions when I was tempted to write this book "off" as "just another leadership book," but as I continued, I found material that was incredibly relevant to me.
Compared Mainstream “Western” Values that value spontaneity and casualness with Asian self-control and discipline, respect for change and belief in self-determination versus fatalism with its acceptance of ambiguity and uncertainty, ability to question authority versus unquestioned obedience to authority, resume-building promotion versus low individual visibility, and individualistic leadership versus collective decision-making (p. 57)
Then, he noted how these Asian-American attributes are misunderstood by Western culture as in:
quiet suggesting disinterest or arrogance, lack of assertiveness as lack of leadership skill, limited facial expression or demonstrative behavior as having no investment in the matter or feeling, hesitancy to make presentations as lacking knowledge and confidence, tendency toward indirect eye contact as lacking respect or interest, lack of complaining suggests that they are exploitable, not socializing after work suggests one is above making friends and unwilling to get to know co-workers, risk-aversiveness suggests lack of leadership skills, and speaking with an accent suggests a lack of credibility. (p. 59)
“All of us who do any sort of leading don’t want to be just pretty good, we want to be great. But it doesn’t help to operate with that kind of pressure from those on our team. Just being a leader creates enough internal pressure in itself. We’re our own worst critics. We need others to bring perspective about our leadership.” – p. 67
“Peace and harmony can become so high a value we are willing to short-circuit confession and repentance for others.” – p. 69
“I will also experience spiritual asphyxiation if all my discretionary time is in Bible studies, church services, prayer meetings, worship experiences, lunch with Christian friends, ad nauseum.” – p. 78
Cites the Japanese term, omoiyari (essentially “empathy”), as stating that Asian-Americans are good at anticipating and meeting other people’s needs—a communal people – pp. 123-4
Quotes G. K. Chesterton as saying, “I believe in getting into hot water; it keeps you clean.” – p. 136
The book was published right after the 2000 census and here are his observations on that:
1. There will always be a need for immigrant churches – p. 164
2. Asians need to get over their prejudicial attitudes toward other groups of Asians and just be family – p. 164
3. Adopted Asians need to be helped to become comfortable in their ethnic identity rather than being forced to adapt to their adoptive parents’ culture – p. 165 (he cites how angry most of these adoptees are, without even knowing why)
4. Help churches and fellowships accept bi-racial couples and relationships – p. 165
Tokunaga states that those who are successful in reaching out to Asian-Americans are those who spend lots of time with the unchurched – p. 188
He reiterates the importance of prayer (in everything) and affirms the necessity of “experimenting wildly and failing badly” – p. 189
Suggestions for Stopping the Silent Exodus (The horrifying statistic is the 97% of Asian Americans leave their churches after college—p. 200, so how do we stop the silent exodus?)
Don’t be afraid to be involved with secular Asian-American groups, even if their national organization endorses matters of which you don’t approve --p. 201
Promote group-orientated evangelism—personal confrontation causes “lost face” and is counter-productive, group activities break out into personal and effective witnessing opportunities—p. 202
Foster collaborative leadership, not “lordship” style leadership—p. 203
Offer mentoring by “elders” and accountability within the shame-based culture—p. 204
Worship Authentically Asian-American
Freedom to be ourselves – p. 205
Authenticity in leading, preaching, singing words that match our experiences – p. 205
Bringing a sense of intimacy with God – p. 205
Intensity where one senses that they have had an experience with God—p. 205
Preach “narratively” rather than theologically – Have good theology, but make sure that it is presented in the light of real life – p. 206
There were several occasions when I was tempted to write this book "off" as "just another leadership book," but as I continued, I found material that was incredibly relevant to me.
February 10, 2022
This book has been on my shelf for awhile. So glad I picked it up and read. Much wisdom and pastoral care offered in the pages. I long to learn from more AA leaders and also do what I can to empower them for greater kingdom leadership on campus and in the church.
May 5, 2017
helpful in some places, makes me want to study Asian American biblical interpretation!
June 5, 2025
very helpful read for young leaders in our Dutch Chinese evangelical church.
March 12, 2024
greeeeat book and was really helpful for me to reflect on my asian-american identity and how that plays into the way I lead, am lead, and want to lead others. Would highly rec for any of my friends especially doing ministry!!
September 15, 2012
The premise of this book is that the reader is a devout Christian Asian American. This was completely unexpected for me, especially since this book was recommended by Amazon after my purchase of "Breaking the Bamboo Ceiling," a more "typical" career guide on Asian Americans in corporate America.
Fortunately, I happened to fit this criteria of readership of this book, and found it very touching in various ways. I have been reading this book for over a year, which is atypical of my reading style, mostly because I could not stop myself from tearing up in public. I do not fit the exact category for the general target audience for this book, mainly 2nd plus generation of Asian Americans, being the very rare and relatively new type of Asian living in corporate America, the Asian expatriate who started off as an international undergraduate student. Yet most of his arguments did hit home to me, and the more I read, the more I realized, white America has absolutely no idea what an Asian would think or how he or she would behave.
Much like the author's observations, many Asian immigrants do accumulate around the church community to fill up the lack of extended family that the original culture would have provided, and that many of the Asian population do emphasize with the Jewish history of constant exodus, and the early Christian history of being considered foreigners in their own homeland. Personally, I think the author's Biblical insights and leadership models did strike close to my heart because I do realize the similarity of what Moses might have felt between the Egyptians and the Jews, or how Esther would have felt being queen of Persia as someone from a persecuted race. The advice given by the author was solid, inspiring, and mostly, empathetic and comforting, which almost seems incredibly Asian in a way as well. After finishing the book, I felt as if I had a long but useful consulting session with a trusted church elder and mentor that actually knew precisely the identity struggle I was going through, listening to life advice that somehow seems so difficult to receive from a typical Asian American Christian community.
That being said, I still have some difficulty on actually applying what was said to reality that would actually make a difference. Concepts such as these are inherently difficult to apply, and I am still left frustrated at the end of this book. Overall, the book felt less of a guide but more of a counseling session, which is still extremely useful in its own way.
Fortunately, I happened to fit this criteria of readership of this book, and found it very touching in various ways. I have been reading this book for over a year, which is atypical of my reading style, mostly because I could not stop myself from tearing up in public. I do not fit the exact category for the general target audience for this book, mainly 2nd plus generation of Asian Americans, being the very rare and relatively new type of Asian living in corporate America, the Asian expatriate who started off as an international undergraduate student. Yet most of his arguments did hit home to me, and the more I read, the more I realized, white America has absolutely no idea what an Asian would think or how he or she would behave.
Much like the author's observations, many Asian immigrants do accumulate around the church community to fill up the lack of extended family that the original culture would have provided, and that many of the Asian population do emphasize with the Jewish history of constant exodus, and the early Christian history of being considered foreigners in their own homeland. Personally, I think the author's Biblical insights and leadership models did strike close to my heart because I do realize the similarity of what Moses might have felt between the Egyptians and the Jews, or how Esther would have felt being queen of Persia as someone from a persecuted race. The advice given by the author was solid, inspiring, and mostly, empathetic and comforting, which almost seems incredibly Asian in a way as well. After finishing the book, I felt as if I had a long but useful consulting session with a trusted church elder and mentor that actually knew precisely the identity struggle I was going through, listening to life advice that somehow seems so difficult to receive from a typical Asian American Christian community.
That being said, I still have some difficulty on actually applying what was said to reality that would actually make a difference. Concepts such as these are inherently difficult to apply, and I am still left frustrated at the end of this book. Overall, the book felt less of a guide but more of a counseling session, which is still extremely useful in its own way.
December 13, 2013
Invitation to Lead is written for developing Asian American leaders and is also useful for those leading Asian American leaders. If you are Asian American and have had some leadership training, you probably won't be surprised by anything in this book.
Read this if you are a young Asian American leader and want insight into growing as a leader OR if you haven't thought much about how leading Asian Americans is strategically different from leading other groups.
Read this if you are a young Asian American leader and want insight into growing as a leader OR if you haven't thought much about how leading Asian Americans is strategically different from leading other groups.
January 20, 2013
a lot more religious than I had anticipated, but there's value in the read.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews