Asian Young Life and the Church
Asian Young Life is a ministry of Young Life, an international youth organization founded in 1941 with the goal of introducing adolescents to Jesus Christ and helping them to grow in their faith. As a Young Life ministry, Asian Young Life adheres to the Mission and Statement of Faith of our parent organization and requires all of our leaders to subscribe to these objectives and beliefs as well. At the national level, Young Life is supported by pastors from many Christian faith traditions.
Although Asian Young Life is supported practically and philosophically by nearly every major Christian denomination, it is not affiliated with any particular church. We require our leaders to be actively involved in a church, and a number of our leaders serve not only in Asian Young Life but also as Sunday school teachers and/or youth advisors in their respective churches. Asian Young Life is not a church nor is it a substitute for a local church youth group. Where possible, we seek to partner with interested churches and their youth pastors and together reach out to and serve Asian American teenagers in Bergen County. We also support the local churches of Bergen County by attending special church-sponsored events like coffeehouses and praise nights.
Asian Young Life does not seek to replace church youth groups; rather, it attempts to aid them by reaching out to Asian teenagers who, for whatever reasons, would not otherwise be involved in a church. It should be noted that in Asian Young Life, our primary focus is on teenagers who do not attend church. Of course, we also welcome the participation of teenagers who do attend church because they can play a vital role in reaching out to their unchurched friends. We encourage and expect the young people who participate in Asian Young Life to be active in the church of their parents, and when scheduling conflicts exist, we tell our teenagers to make church their top priority.
CHURCH SUPPORT
A handful of churches in northern New Jersey have been especially gracious by financially supporting the work we do with the recognition that we are all working toward the same goal. Asian Young Life would like to thank the following churches that have financially supported our ministry:
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Bergen Christian Testimony Church, Wyckoff, NJ
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Chinese Christian Church of New Jersey, Parsippany, NJ
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Chinese Evangelical Mission Church, Highland Park, NJ
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East Bergen Christian Church, Teaneck, NJ
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Fair Lawn Community Church, Fair Lawn, NJ
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First Presbyterian Church, Palisades Park, NJ
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Metro Community Church, Englewood, NJ
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River Church of New Jersey, Teaneck, NJ
We would like to partner with many more churches in northern New Jersey. If you think your church would like to join us in together making a difference in the lives of Asian American teenagers, please contact us. We would love to speak with you!
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To learn more about our ministry philosophy and methods, please visit our About Asian Young Life page. If you have any questions, please contact us.
Also read our Statement of Faith and our Mission Statement.