Through the expertise of Asian American Christian leaders, congregations who face the challenge of reaching out to the Asian American community will be given eight principles in a new book on how to grow a "healthy church."

In Growing Healthy Asian American Churches, released by Intervarsity Press in January, the book highlights the expertise of the editors Dr. Peter Cha, Dr. Steve Kang, Helen Lee and a team of Asian American pastors and church leaders who are considered pioneers in their fields.

Congregations that serve Asian Americans face the challenges of preserving their ethnic heritage while ministering to the younger generations who are more Americanized.

The book will focus on these struggles by addressing leadership development, community dynamics and intergenerational conflicts, as well as offer "healthy models" for Asian American churches, and focus on principles that include "grace-based ministry, intergenerational partnership, and openness to change."

Insights will be given by such leaders as Ken Fong, senior pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church of Los Angeles, David Gibbons, senior pastor of New Song Church in Irvine, Grace May, pastor of Chinese Christian Church of New England in Massachusetts, Wayne Ogimachi, senior pastor of Lighthouse Christian Church in Washington, Steve Wong from Intervarsity Christian Fellowship U.S.A., Nancy Sugikawa, pastor of Lighthouse Christian Church, and Soong-Chan Rah, senior pastor of Cambridge Community Fellowship Church.

The editors, Dr. Peter Cha is an associate professor of pastoral theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and preaches at the Evangelical Covenant Church; Dr. Steve Kang is an associate professor of educational ministries at Gordon-Conwell Theological Serminary who also taught at Wheaton College, and Helen Lee, co-founder of the Best Christian Workplaces Institute and former assistant editor of Christianity Today.

"This book is truly prophetic for out times -- a call for Asian American congregations to embody grace and truth in new ways, as Jesus did. It's essential reading for anyone wanting to learn how God is moving in the Asian American church or serving in this context," Russell Jeung, an assistant professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University and author of Faithful Generations: Race and New Asian American Churches said.

The book was produced in partnership with Catalyst Leadership Center, a leading resource organization for Asian American church ministry.