SungDo Kang, Center Director

THE CENTER for Pacific and Asian-American Ministries is related to the Division of Ordained Ministry of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry of the United Methodist Church. It was created to provide ministerial education and other services across the denomination to strengthen and enhance ministry, both lay and clergy, for Pacific and Asian American constituencies.THE CENTER is located on the campus of Claremont School of Theology for strategic and administrative purposes.

The objectives of the Center are:

1. To concern itself with Pacific and Asian-American communities and ministry in response to specific needs of local churches, and to act as an advocate to promote more effective ministries.
2. To monitor the context and content provided for theological education and formation at STC and other United Methodist seminaries as they affect our Pacific and Asian students.
3. To enable and assist the School of Theology at Claremont (and whenever possible, other seminaries) to design and develop courses to be incorporated in the regular curriculum in the area of Pacific and Asian-American theology and ministry. The Center will cooperate with the faculty of seminaries to provide culturally inclusive and relevant courses as well as the cultural context for theological formation to enhance and thus strengthen pastoral ministry in Pacific and Asian-American churches and communities.
4. To provide opportunities for seminary students, ministers, and lay persons to engage in dialogue in order to develop more effective models for Pacific and Asian-American ministries.
5. To develop new Pacific and Asian-American ministerial leadership through enlistment of persons for pastoral ministry and to strengthen present pastoral leadership by means of continuing education programs, workshops, seminars and other related activities.
6. To strengthen lay leadership for Pacific and Asian-American local churches in all areas of church life and ministry through contextual and diversified continuing education programs.
7. To assist various boards and agencies of the United Methodist Church as well as other churches, groups, and organizations to become more sensitive to the needs of our Pacific and Asian constituencies and work with them to develop appropriate responses.
8. To develop and make available resources on Pacific and Asian-American concerns in support of ministry, both for our constituencies and for the church at large.