The Institute For The Study Of Asian American Christianity

“Bridging the Academy, Church, and Community to Raise Culturally rooted Spiritual Leaders." ISAAC exists to bridge the academy, church, and community to raise culturally rooted spiritual leaders led by a team of scholars, pastors, and civic leaders. We create a third intersectional learning space under the 3TS (Transcribe, Translate, and Transmit) of spiritual legacies. We provide Asian American faith leaders with tangible leadership skills to advance the mission of churches and institutions.

When theological training is centered on white perspectives, people of color are often ill-equipped to serve their ethnic communities. As a result, in the mid-1990s, a phenomenon known as the “Silent Exodus” occurred, where many 1.5-generation seminary graduates left the ministry. Like a tree without roots, these pastors struggled to persevere when faced with challenges, leading many to abandon their calling. In response to the rising attrition rates, a group of us recognized that one Asian American faculty member in a predominantly white seminary could not single-handedly develop a curriculum tailored to the unique needs of Asian American church contexts.

With this vision in mind, six teams of Reverend Doctors came together to establish ISAAC, the Institute for the Study of Asian American Christianity, on April 19, 2006. The team was well-suited to bridge the gap between the academy and the church. However, we faced challenges in advancing our mission due to the lack of team members with business acumen and a financial background. Five years after its founding, the first Executive Director left for a salaried position in local church ministry. On December 1, 2011, I was elected as the second Executive Director, with a $2,400 transfer from Northern California to Southern California, where I resided. Faced with the challenge of branding the name, the ISAAC board and I agreed to change the organization’s name and filed an amendment. On July 18, 2016, the State of California approved the amendment, officially changing our name to ISAAC, Innovative Space for Asian American Christianity.

As a former faculty member and pastor, stepping into the role of CEO felt like "building a plane while flying it." The learning curve was steep, particularly in fund development and financial management. Leveraging one of my strengths, I focused on creating symposia and programs for Asian American faith leaders. A significant turning point came when we received the Louisville Institute’s grant for the project “Imagining A More Equal Pulpit” (2017-2020). This grant allowed us to undertake three major initiatives: 1) the Gender Summit, 2) the When Women Preach podcast, which reached 7,000 downloads by 2024, and 3) the publication of the Biblical Study Guide for Equal Pulpits (Cascade, Wipf & Stock, 2022).
This project laid the foundation for PastoraLab for Asian American Women Ministers (2021-2023) and its sustainability phase (2024-2026), which will continue for two additional years without funding from the Lilly Endowment. Over six cohorts, PastoraLab has reached over 100 AAPI women faith leaders. We primarily select homegrown leaders who complete the two-year PastoraLab program and go on to facilitate future cohorts. Two cohorts from Orange County (OC) graduated between 2021 and 2024, and in 2025, two more OC cohorts will be launched under the leadership of seasoned Korean American female superintendent Reverend Soo Ji Alvarez of the Free Methodist Church, who brings over 30 years of ministry experience, and Margaret Yu, who served for over 35 years as the National Director of Epic Movement, the Asian American ministry of Cru.

In the last four years, our PastoraLab program has reached more than 100 AAPI women faith leaders. The notable impacts of this two-year program involve a stronger sense of agency, leadership confidence, and amplifying their voices. A few women, after seeing intergenerational leadership exemplars, received ordination. All the participants expressed that PastoraLab's cohort provided the only space of belonging. All cohorts' retreat has been the highlight of many who, for the first time, met fellow AAPI women faith leaders in senior pastoral leadership and church planting officers. The power of a community comprised of all AAPI women faith leaders allows emerging leaders to dream bigger.
Program Outcomes: SMART

● Strengthened leadership identity
● Modeled ecumenical/intergenerational collaboration
● Adapted to changing cultural and organizational contexts
● Restored the wholeness from brokenness and the fullness of the Gospel.
● Thriving in organizational leadership

The top 5 most pressing needs are: 1) Fund development: - Raising a matching fund amount of $500K by the end of 2026 for the PastoraLab’s sustainability grant, awarded by Lilly Endowment. We have raised 130K to date (2) Capacity building funds development for ISAAC's sustainable operation includes two more hirings: (3) a Half-time COO and (4) an HR contractor. With the three main growing projects, investing in infrastructure is deemed crucial. (5) add two more local board members from the business sectors.

LA, Orange County, Bay area, New York/NJ, Boston, Atlanta.

ISAAC's mission, bridging the academy, church, and community, is distinctive as it provides integrative programs that all three entities intersect. Our method of bridging these entities is through 3Ts (Transcribe, Translate, Transmit) Asian American spiritual legacies. We believe bridging is important to connect generational gaps and spare each generation from pioneering. Raising spiritually and culturally rooted leaders will build resilient leaders who are anchored. We also champion gender equality and equity at the AAPI pulpits, which will ensure the fullness of the body of Christ. In pursuit of such goals, we designed two flagship programs, PastoraLab for Asian American Women Ministers, and Asian American Church Leadership, funded by Lilly Endowment. The growing program, PastoraLab, begins its fifth year in 2025, partially funded by Lilly Endowment. We are to raise its matching fund amount of $500K by the end of 2026. To date, we have raised $130K out of the $500K goal.

I am writing on behalf of the Board of Directors of Innovative Space for Asian American Christianity (ISAAC) to express our strong and unwavering support for Young Lee Hertig’s leadership and the outstanding work she is doing as our Executive Director.

As the Board Chair, I have witnessed her dedication, vision, and tireless work in advancing ISAAC's vision and mission. Young’s commitment to our core values and her ability to navigate the complex landscape of non-profit organizations have positively impacted our organization's success. Under Young’s leadership, we have made significant milestones, including securing an office, developing a core team, starting new initiatives, and securing funding for projects impacting our Asian American communities.

Young’s financial stewardship has been exemplary, allowing us to allocate resources responsibly to sustain our programs and initiatives. Moreover, her commitment to continued improvement and her willingness to adapt to changing circumstances with resilience and grace have created an atmosphere of shared purpose.

The Board of Directors stands firmly behind Young and is committed to supporting her as executive director. We look forward to working closely with her to continue ISAAC's journey toward its vision of serving Asian American communities. - Rev Russell Moy, Ph.D.