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H.E.A.R.D.
"Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known." Jeremiah 33:3
What is H.E.A.R.D.?
We have launched an innovative venture to create a large, inclusive community—symbolized by an umbrella in our logo—empowered by the Holy Spirit and guided by prayer. Dreaming beyond our own limitations, we seek to strengthen the future of Christianity. In January 2023, twelve AAPI faith leaders from diverse denominations gathered at St. Paul’s Commons, giving birth to H.E.A.R.D.
During our second summit on January 26–28, 2025, we sought to expand this community. In partnership with ISAAC and Grace Mission University, we will convene and coordinate efforts to foster meaningful collaborations that create new opportunities for Asian American Christians and their faith communities.
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Our vision is to gather Asian American Christians to reimagine our future. Achieving this will require scaling our mission and inviting other groups and individuals to collaborate with us so that, as a community, we can build an inspiring, innovative, and inclusive future. With this in mind, we are launching a collaborative space known as H.E.A.R.D.
Our vision is to gather Asian American Christians to reimagine our future.
H.E.A.R.D.
"Building Bridges Through Storytelling"
H.onor Leadership Identity
E.ducate toward flourishing
A.ccelerate liberating justice
R.econstruct Narratives
D.evelop & curate community stories
Upcoming Events
Our Team
Rev. Dr. Young Lee Hertig
Executive Director
Rev. Dr. Young Lee Hertig is the Co-founder and Executive Director of ISAAC. Since 1992, she has taught courses on Spirituality, Sustainability, and Diversity at Azusa Pacific University, United Theological Seminary, and Fuller Theological Seminary. Extensive experience advocating for gender equity in the pulpit, Dr. Hertig has been a leader in organizing, writing, and developing programs to support AAPI women in ministry. She is the author of Asian American Belonging: A Yinist Spirituality, Orbis Books, 2019, Co-editor of Mirrored Reflections: Reframing Biblical Characters, 2010, Wipf & Stock, and Biblical Study Guide for Equal Pulpits, Cascade Books, 2022, and creator of PastoraLab for Asian American Women Ministers, a two-year mentorship and empowerment program designed to address the unique challenges faced by Asian American women faith leaders from historically marginalized backgrounds. She also created a podcast, When Women Preach, aimed at empowering AAPI & Latina women faith leaders. Dr. Hertig holds three M.A. degrees in Counseling Psychology, Theology, and Anthropology, as well as a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies.
Rev. Dr. Geomon George
Board Representative
Dean, Co-Director of the MA program and Coordinator of the Thriving in Ministry Initiative at City Seminary of New York. A PhD graduate of the University of Edinburgh, he is ordained in the Indian Pentecostal church over 20 years, and pastor of the International Gospel Church in Norwalk, Connecticut.
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Deborah Gin
Executive Committee
Debbie Gin is ATS Director of Research and Faculty Development. Debbie's areas of personal research include pedagogy, higher education administration, multicultural education engagement, and diversity inclusivity. Debbie has been a frequent invited speaker on topics related to race, excellence, and inclusion.
Rev. Dr. Kevin Park
Executive Committee
Kevin completed his MDiv from Knox College, Toronto, and ThM and PhD from Princeton Theological Seminary, New Jersey. He served in various church youth, college, and English speaking congregations in Korean North American contexts in Canada and U.S. He was an Adjunct Professor of Theology at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary in NJ and Assistant Director of the Asian American Program at Princeton Theological Seminary. For five years he was the pastor of Bethany Presbyterian Church, a multicultural community, in Bloomfield, NJ. He also served as an Associate for Theology in the Office of Theology and Worship at the Presbyterian Center in Louisville, KY. He was the Associate Dean for Advanced Professional Studies and Assistant Professor of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary. He currently serves as an associate pastor for EM and Christian Education at the Korean Central Presbyterian Church.
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Spencer Lee
Executive Committee
Entrepreneur, serves as VP and trustee of the North Jersey Vineyard Church, and leads Vineyard USA’s AAPI Association’s efforts in AAPI Christian identity, history and theology. Spencer has an AB from Harvard College and an MBA from Columbia Business School.
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Rev. Dr. James Cho
Development Committee
James Cho is a transplant from Northern California. He studied civil engineering at UCLA and received his Master’s of Divinity from Talbot School of Theology and his Ph.D in Intercultural Studies from Biola University. He previously served as a pastor in a couple churches in Koreatown for fifteen years. He is currently teaching at Grace Mission University in Fullerton and serves on a number of organizations including Innovative Space for Asian American Christianity, ByGrace Children’s Home, Korean Churches for Community Development, and Great Commission Research Network. His passion is to raise awareness of the marginalized both in Los Angeles and in Kenya.
Jeff Yim
Development Committee
Jeff Yim was born to Korean immigrant parents and raised bi-culturally in the greater Los Angeles region. With a lived experience in diverse communities, he is a natural leader in promoting community unity and uplift. He has developed community engagement initiatives for a large organization with the goal of promoting cultural intelligence, supporting underserved communities, and effectively addressing regional social challenges through multi-sector collaboration. He has also served as a college pastor and then as an Editorial Advisor at a faith-based news and lifestyle magazine that centers the perspectives of believers of color. Additionally, he enjoys teaching part time in diverse higher education settings as an Adjunct Professor of Philosophy. Currently, Jeff Yim is a full-time Financial Advisor and loves what he does in the financial services industry on behalf of people and organizations. He is also an active member of the board of directors for Love Orange, a nonprofit committed to civic life and the common good in the city of Orange, CA. Jeff Yim earned a B.A. in philosophy from UC Berkeley and a M.A. in philosophy from Biola University.
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DJ Chuang
Team Member
DJ Chuang works as a freelance digital strategy consultant, serves as director of Christian Asian Mental Health, and co-hosts the Erasing Shame podcast. He’s the author of MultiAsian.Church: A Future for Asian Americans in a Multiethnic World. He is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and Virginia Tech; and now lives in Orange County, California.
David C. Wang
Advisory Council
As Cliff and Joyce Penner Chair for the Formation of Emotionally Healthy Leaders, David Wang’s academic and applied work focuses on the holistic formation of Christian leaders, inclusive of the formation of emotional health and resilience alongside the leader’s intellectual and spiritual formation. He also serves on the advisory boards of the Trauma and Spirituality Initiative and the Global Awareness and Engagement Initiative of the Association of Theological Schools, where he is supporting efforts to bring together global theological educators to better understand and support the unique spiritual and mental health needs of diverse Christian leaders around the world. David is a licensed psychologist, pastor of spiritual formation at One Life City Church (Fullerton, CA), and former editor of the Journal of Psychology and Theology.