Customer Reviews

Invitation to Lead: Guidance for Emerging Asian American Leaders

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book, handed to me by a supervisor at work, had me interested and intrigued. Never before had I seen a book about Christian, Asian-American leadership, so I was excited to see what Tokunaga had to say about the difficulties and blessings that come with this type of ministry. Tokunaga did have much to say about the topic and was clearly well informed about the subject matter. This book also received rave reviews from many other people on Amazon and other blogs. Unfortunately, I was left shaking my head at some points of the 207-page book because of his writing style, but I was thankfully able to glean some helpful tools from the book overall.

As a leader in an Asian-American ministry at UCLA, I was caught off-guard by the content of this book at first. I began reading wide-eyed and prepared to apply all that I would learn from Tokunaga, especially considering his long resume in campus ministry. What I found instead in the first 100 pages was a personal biography of Tokunaga's experiences in leadership--sometimes bordering on arrogance--with a sprinkle of Scripture here and there. I found it disheartening that personal stories were used in lieu of biblical ones and that most of the stories did not serve any deep purposes but to re-illustrate a point. I was unimpressed by things that he clearly hoped his readers would be impressed by: how he became the InterVarsity campus leader as a sophomore in college, led in many multiethnic settings, how his parents were opposed to him being in the ministry, etc. Though he did do a better job later in the book (after the first 150 pages or so), I do believe that he relied too heavily on his InterVarsity experiences rather than giving more tangible biblical examples. Tokunaga also relied on Asian stereotypes, basic generalizations that I witness Asians breaking down everyday on campus. I was a little disappointed that he, an Asian-American leader, would perpetuate these stereotypes even more in his book on leadership.

Even still, Tokunaga was good at surfacing issues that effect Asian-American ministries and Asian-Americans in ministries. He thoroughly captured certain aspects of Asian culture that are often misunderstood. By explaining stuff like the Asian "shame culture" and certain mannerisms, Tokunaga showed how culture might affect faith issues. He was able to articulate some of the historical backgrounds and misconceptions that come with Asian Christians while also hitting on multiethnic interactions. Though I disagree with some of his doctrinal statements about leadership, he was very methodical in pointing out the discrepancies that occur between Asian and American Christians. Overall, I felt that Tokunaga's style of writing and use of biographical support was a bit too off-putting, but it may be helpful and relevant to some Asian-Americans in leadership. And for an area of Christian leadership that is rarely written on, it's not an altogether bad start.

Honestly, I would not recommend this book to Asian-American ministry leaders, especially college leaders. I think there are better resources out there for ministry leaders that are more expository and focus on biblical leadership rather than personal life stories. Some of Tokunaga's examples even encourage rebellion against spiritual authority at the college ministry level, which I heartily disagreed with. That being said, it does speak to a very niche audience, which might be it's main selling point (illustrated by the enthusiasm with which my supervisor handed me this book to begin with). Still, this book is not one that I would willingly pass down to younger ministry leaders.

I'm about halfway through this book, but just reading the first few chapters, I could have sworn I was reading an auto-biography of myself. His experiences are just so close to what I've experienced and hit hard to where I am coming from.

Every ethnicity has it's own issues and concerns that need addressing. Paul Tok really tackles this topic with a gusto and humility that make him very approachable. Even though he is Japanese American, his experiences mimic what most Asian Americans experience. From deferring to our parents to the ridiculous heights we hold education and prestige. He gives us perspective of how he deals with these issues along with dealing with other races.

While this book is geared towards Asian Americans, I HIGHLY recommend leaders of other ethnicities to read this book. It truly shines a light on some of the issues facing Asian Americans and can give insight in how to relate to us.

I had the pleasure of meeting Paul at Urbana 2003 during a workshop he gave on this very topic. Although I hadn't read his book at the time, (and I wish I did), he came across as someone who really wants to help and empathizes with the future leaders of this generation.

If you are a non Asian in an Asian church, this book will help you understand more. As an Asian American, Tokunaga's book has helped me understand the impact of my culture on why I act the way I do. Good practical advice as well. I can't believe some of the mistakes Tokunaga admitted to but I guess his point is that God can use any of us. On page 199, he says that our young people are leaving the church because the church is irrelevant, stifling and ill-equipped. I think that may be only true on the surface and perhaps the real reason is that our youth are prodigals, looking for boy/girl friends and freedom. The Bible study questions from Moses and Esther are very useful.

I haven't finished the book yet, but even half way through it, it really is a great book. The author shares his life very honestly and openly and shares great insight from his years of leading. I think there is a lot of struggle in being an Asian American leader and this book helps to verbalize and bring to light those struggles. Thanks Paul!

Though lacking focus, this book, written to Asian-American leaders, prompts questions of how our ethnicity, and the upbringing that may have gone along with that, effects how we lead and how we are led. Though most of Tokunaga's examples are based on stereotypes, or what is usually expected, from Asian homes, his points are universal in that we all have been raised in a certain way and many of us have not examined how that upbringing has shaped our world view. Tokunaga also focuses on how the Christian church needs to be aware of the different views different upbringings tend to foster as we try and reach others for Christ. Tokunaga's own story is very compelling, but his stories sometimes get in the way of his being able to make clear points to move his arguments along. He also repeats various points at different times in the book which can frustrate the reader, thinking that we have been over this ground before.

Really enjoyed this combination of historical overview, ethnographic survey, and personal testimony from a biblical perspective. Not only did the author seek to help the Asian American reader understand his/her own culture and its influence on spirituality and leadership, but he wisely put forth specific challenges that Asian American leaders will certainly face in the near future.

I took a class on the Asian American church back when I was in seminary, but recent events have prompted my desire to expand my knowledge base and dialogue with others to meet particular ministry challenges. This book was AWESOME! Not only could I relate to the experiences of the author, but as his story unfolded, he wove in ethnography and biblical truth in a winsome and relevant manner.

A previous reviewer was disappointed by the author's use of testimony rather than biblical examples to illustrate his points. Personally, I don't consider this a weakness of the book. If one's goal is to connect a biblical principle to the readers' lives, I don't think an example from the Bible (which Tokunaga actually did use: e.g. ethnic minorities Esther, Moses) is more effective than recounting a contemporary experience (which, as the previous reviewer observed, was more common in this book).

The reviewer's other criticism was that the author's consistent reference to his own life as a ministry leader made him sound somewhat arrogant. I did not get this impression at all. The author exposed his own struggles with sin and foolishness, portraying embarrassing moments and vulnerabilities so that others might relate to his experiences and be encouraged. He didn't sound arrogant to me.

The book is definitely NOT an encyclopedic reference. Personally, I'd read it under a beach umbrella with a highlighter on hand. I would recommend it to Asian Americans who are called to lead in the context of Christian ministry or even in secular organizations. It'd also be helpful for anyone else who'd like to better understand Asian Americans and the challenges they face as leaders in America.

Great book on Asian American leadership. I think that some parts of the book rely a bit too much on the author's personal views (which tend to be based on stereotypes). However, the arguments are persuasive.

This book is a MUST read for all Asian Americans. Paul Tok's insight into Asian American culture and leadership styles is a great resource to anyone from pastors to lay church workers to people in a work setting. Highly recommended!