By Elgin Quan
Throughout the history of the Chinese church in America, Overseas Born Chinese (OBCs) have usually been at the forefront of leadership positions. Their deep connection to Chinese culture and language, coupled with their experience of immigrating to the US and settling in Chinatown, made them particularly suitable for leadership roles.
The 1848 Gold Rush, along with civil unrest and natural disasters in China, and the building of the transcontinental railroad in the United States in the 1860s, led to a surge in Chinese immigration. By 1900, the Chinese population in the U.S. grew to about 90,000 (400,000 had migrated between 1852 and 1882). Chinese labor in farming, small manufacturing, and the service sector was crucial for building the American economy, especially on the West Coast.
Overseas-born Chinese (OBC) immigrants, however, faced much opposition. They were not permitted to naturalize or to vote, thus became classified as aliens ineligible for citizenship. They faced harassment and hostility, the worst of which were the 1871 Los Angeles, California and the 1885 Rock Springs, Wyoming massacres. When Congress passed the Page Act in 1875, female immigration from China was severely restricted leading to a uniquely high disproportionate ratio of men to women. Furthermore, miscegenation laws and laws prohibiting “aliens ineligible for citizenship” to own property in many states ensured that the number of Chinese families in the U.S. would remain low. And after Congress passed the Chinese Exclusion Act 1882, the first immigration law to specifically target a racial-ethnic group, the Chinese were increasingly restricted to living within borders around the invisible “Chinese Quarters” of larger cities such as San Francisco. In 1885, San Francisco’s Chinatown covered about 30 blocks bounded by California, Kearny, Broadway, and Stockton Streets.
In the early 20th century, the Chinese population diminished even though many still found ways to immigrate into this country. But during World War 2, China was an ally to the United States against Japan. The exclusion laws were repealed and the Chinese were allowed to naturalize. Furthermore, laws were recodified to extend the boundaries for Chinese to own property beyond the borders of Chinatown. As the OBC’s generation moved and aged, their children became known as ABCs (American-born Chinese). The ABC spoke mainly English and the OBC spoke Chinese. For a few decades during the mid-twentieth century, ABCs became the central focus of Chinese American life. They faced questions of how to integrate into America while navigating lingering racial prejudice. They also wrestled with maintaining Chinese language, customs, and culture. These issues were reflected in the Chinese American churches, which started to hire ABC pastors just as they started to lose some ABC members.
But with the greater influx of Chinese immigrants between the 1970s to 2000, many OBC pastors recognized the need to serve the growing number of new immigrants and started establishing new churches in the Chinatown neighborhood and beyond. Eventually the Chinese churches’ leadership fell securely into the hands of the OBCs. The ABC adults were regarded as second-class citizens. Thus an intense silent exodus period began. The grown-up ABCs began to leave the church and few came back. Polarization began to divide the church.
The Fellowship of American Chinese Evangelicals (F.A.C.E.)
The Fellowship of American Chinese Evangelicals (FACE) was established following the triennial North American Congress of Chinese Evangelicals (NACOCE) conference in Toronto in 1969. Its goal was twofold:
to stem the tide of ABC’s leaving the church
to give pastors of ABC origin equal opportunities to serve and lead.
It was time for the leaders of Chinese Churches in North America to make an “about face,” to turn around, and provide effective ministry to ABCs. Among them was Joseph C. Wong.
Initially, Pastor Joe was a member of a group composed of himself, Wayland Wong, Peter Yuen, and Hoover Wong. They were the founders of FACE. They also became known as the gang of four because of their reputation as troublemakers and rebellious outsiders. When many OBC parents and pastors upheld their traditional Asian values in their families and their churches, their ABC children embraced Western values. This often led to confusion, anger, and pain. Both sides struggled to understand one another, which frequently resulted in misunderstandings and even family breakdowns.
FACE brought attention to the disparities between OBCs and ABCs. Joe Wong, along with his team of directors, pioneered the way for both groups to open doors and foster understanding and mutual acceptance. There was an urgent need to work together in a spirit of harmony and collaboration.
The polarization that led to the formation of The Fellowship of American Chinese Evangelicals (FACE) became a pivotal moment in the history of the Chinese American church. It marked a significant shift in leadership and representation within the Chinese American community. Joe’s aspiration for ABCs to serve as a bridge to other ABCs exemplifies a distinctive change in leadership while striving for equal opportunities for both OBCs and ABCs. Through his unwavering commitment to serving God, Joe Wong's ministry has greatly nurtured the spiritual well-being of individuals from similar yet different cultures: the OBCs and ABCs. FACE has not only shaped the ongoing bicultural identity of Chinese churches in North America but has also championed equal opportunities for both.
Pastor Joe: The Early Years
Born in Arizona in 1935, Joe Wong was the 4th son of first-generation immigrants who operated a corner grocery store. Joe was twin brother to the late Ben Wong (who also became a pastor), sister June, and brother Paul. While a youngster, the family moved to the San Francisco Bay Area, where Joe attended Golden Gate Seminary at the age of 17. Soon after Seminary, he met Shirley. They were married for 67 years. Together they have four daughters, four grandchildren. Shirley passed away earlier this year. Her memorial on September 6, 2025, was attended by many from far and wide who were touched by her generous care, kindness, and loving spirit.
When God calls, you go! - A Ministry Life
When Pastor Joe entered ministry in 1955, the San Francisco Bay Area was dominated by Chinese speaking pastors. Sadly, there were few opportunities for English-speaking pastors in Chinese Churches. Joe recalls, There were many pastors from overseas who could minister to Chinese speaking but only a handful of people like me to serve the ABC’s.
As a result, Joe Wong’s first ministry position came outside of California --- the Chinese Baptist Church in Seattle, Washington. Pastor Joe was offered $100 to relocate. At Seattle CBC Pastor Joe served as a youth pastor for 10 years. During the 1960’s the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) in China led to a wave of Chinese from overseas who began to flood the western shores of the Pacific Northwest. Churches became filled with OBCs who brought with them the challenges of a displaced life, divided culture, difficulty with the English language, and the complexities of raising American-born children.
Joe noted that ABCs were leaving the Chinese churches and asked himself Why did the grown-up ABCs drop out? To him, this was always the pressing question. It seemed that the OBC church culture was not relevant to them. “It is essential to recognize that the needs and experiences of ABCs differ significantly from those of older-generation Chinese (OBCs),” says Pastor Joe.
Unfortunately, the ABC’s were not given equal opportunities to serve either. Pastor Joe felt the need to bridge the gap to meet the needs of the ABC community. All the more urgent, Joe saw the critical need for American-born Chinese pastors to minister to English-speaking Chinese in Chinese American churches.
With a compassionate heart and attentive ear, the American-born Joe became a vital presence in the lives of many youth who struggled to connect with their Chinese-born parents. As a mediator and empathetic listener, Pastor Joe endeared himself to many young individuals through his warmth and care. It was during this period that Pastor Joe established a much-needed young family fellowship at Seattle CBC.
Different Culture, Different Language
After 10 years in Seattle, Joe felt a call to start a church in San Francisco. As the ABCs became more independent, they were shaping a unique culture and identity of their own. In 1975, Pastor Joe (ABC), Pastor Johnny Wang (OBC), and some members from the Oakland Chinese Independent Baptist Church partnered together at Chinese Independent Baptist Church, San Francisco (CIBC-SF).
The Chinese Independent Baptist Church, San Francisco was started in 1905 under the leadership of Rev. Tsai Leong Lee. With roots in an indigenous Chinese Baptist movement in Guangzhou, China in the 1800’s, it was the first Chinese church in San Francisco (and one of the first in the nation) that was established by indigenous Chinese Christians. CIBC emphasized “Self-Governing, Self-Propagating, and Self-Supporting" as its unique approach to church life and church polity, thus, it was named an "Independent" Baptist Church. The church proudly asserts that this “missiological concept was ahead of its time” and “the church actually created history of sorts.” They met in rented quarters on Clay Street in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
CIBC’s meeting place was destroyed when the Great 1906 Earthquake and Fire struck San Francisco. Many members of the congregation moved to Oakland while some remained in San Francisco. Afterwards, the church met in two locations. The San Francisco group bought property in 1913 on Washington Street and the building was completed in 1922. The Oakland group bought property in 1963 and built on their present location on 8th Street. In 1967, the San Francisco and the Oakland congregations became two autonomous churches – Chinese Independent Baptist Church San Francisco and Chinese Independent Baptist Church Oakland.
The San Francisco Chinatown CIBC began as an idea with no land, no church building but with growing numbers of Chinese who were moving to San Francisco because they were able to own property. Many families brought along three generations, hoping to raise their children and grandchildren in Chinese culture with biblical teachings. However, with the increasing number
of overseas Chinese, conflicts became inevitable. Pastor Joe soon discovered that the English and Chinese cultural approaches to biblical preaching were widely different.
In 1975, the San Francisco CIBC established a mission point in Sunset District which later became the Sunset Chinese Baptist Church (now called Sunset Church). Also around that time, CIBC established a church in Marin County to serve English-speaking Chinese. Pastor Joe Wong became the first leader of the new CIBC in Marin Community Church (now called The Community Church). Working with the original CIBC in Chinatown, Joe saw this as an opportunity to minister to ABCs and prevent the flow of American-born Chinese from leaving the church.
Later Years
Joe C. Wong has been a pastor for more than 60 years. He served as a pastor in more than four churches, before joining Church Dynamics International in 1995 as a consultant to Chinese churches. Officially retired at age 79, he still has ongoing fellowships and mentoring in pastorates and families.
Pastor Joe turned 92 in 2025 and has slowed down quite a bit. Many pastors and family members have come and gone. Now, nearly all those he has loved and did not understand when he was young, have died. Of the original four FACE directors, Joe is the only remaining member. But his sadness is mixed with joy as he thinks about the many ways his life has been enriched. In meeting a cross-section of people in churches far and wide, his faith journey was enhanced by their words and deeds -- a ministry especially fulfilling to him, getting to know strangers – turned- friends.
Additional Reading
Daniel K. Eng, Faithful Ministry Through Chinese Churches in America: The Legacy of the Fellowship of American Chinese Evangelicals (2023)
Michael Luo, Strangers in the Land: Exclusion, Belonging, and the Epic Story of the Chinese in America (2025).
Los Angeles Chinese Massacre of 1871 on Wikipedia.
Rock Springs Massacre on Wyoming History.
Elgin Quan is a writer, journalist, family historian, pianist and AACHI Pearl Diver. She contributes to Medium online publications and currently oversees spiritual development of Chinese speaking seniors at Sunset Church in San Francisco. Elgin has served as a lecturer for BWGI and facilitator for Head to Heart ministry. She received an M.A. in spiritual formation and discipleship from Western Seminary. She is the blest wife of one, mother of two, grandmother to three and loves children, little people who are spontaneous, joyful, playful.
Pastor Joe was our youth pastor in Seattle CBC. Love reading his story strangers becoming friends. That’s sums up Christian fellowship. Lifelong friends into eternity.