Allow Us to Reintroduce Ourselves

The Progressive Asian American Christians began as a Facebook group founded by Lydia Shiu, then a pastor in San Francisco. She was looking for a place to foster conversations among progressive Asian American Christians.

Meanwhile, Liz Lin, a writer and educator just outside San Francisco, was working on a piece about how lonely it is to be a progressive Asian American Christian.

In September 2016, Lydia and Liz had a fortuitous meeting in which they shared what they were doing — to the other’s surprise!

Liz posted her piece on December 22, 2016 and put a link to Lydia’s group at the end as a way for people who resonated with it to find like-minded folks. And the rest is history.

Currently, the group has 7000+ members all over the country and the world.

PAAC became a a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2022.

Mission Statement

PAAC provides community for progressive Asian American Christians and resources to integrate their identities, reimagine spirituality, and empower them to action.

Vision Statement

We believe in belonging, liberation, and empowerment for every Asian American.

How we define “Progressive Asian American Christians”

“Progressive” is a relative term, so we recognize that what’s progressive in one context may not be in another.

For our community, PAAC minimally means:

• Queer and trans affirming

• Feminist

• Part of the Asian diaspora (including multiracial Asian folks)

• Christian, formerly Christian, culturally Christian, or somewhere in between

Belonging over belief:

You have a home here no matter where you are in your faith journey.

Care over control:

We have a responsibility to take care of each other, and we meet each other with empathy. We respect the journey you’re on instead of prescribing one for you.

Affirmation over tolerance:

We believe our whole selves are sacred, so we celebrate all of our identities, in particular those of our queer and trans siblings.

Collaboration over competition:

We see and value each other’s gifts, and we co-create this community and our resources as equals instead of building an empire.

Imagination over certainty:

We hold our beliefs and traditions with humility as we redefine them and push toward a liberated, expansive future.