Soul care for Asian American faith leaders

Our aim at Barnabas & Co. is to resource Asian American pastors and ministry leaders towards flourishing in Christ.  We have witnessed firsthand that when the leader's soul is healthy - the families, ministries and organizations will also be healthy as well. 

We know firsthand the power and impact of receiving this kind of a ministry as a grace.  So in following the words of Jesus in Matthew 10:8b - "Freely you have received; freely give" - our hope and prayer is that we can continue to provide valuable soul care for Asian American faith leaders as a grace (at no-cost) - as a tangible manifestation of God's gracious and generous love.  

As we look to 2025, we are looking to expand our vision in the following ways:

• Expand our cohort offerings to now also include P23 - An all-women's cohort offering for pastors' wives and women in ministry
   
• Expand our team - as we look to bring 1-2 other team members to continue to shepherd and care for the hearts of Asian American pastors and ministry leaders
   
• Expand our reach - as we look to possibly expand our reach of serving Asian American pastors and ministry leaders beyond Southern California

If you feel led to partner with us financially by either giving monthly or through a one-time gift, please select the option and amount (located to the right ➡️)  Also, as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, your gifts are fully tax deductible.  

Journey of Wholeness (JOW) is a 5-month retreat-based cohort experience designed specifically for Asian American pastors and ministry leaders. Our aim is to provide a place and a process where leaders can withdraw from their regular responsibilities and rhythms of life - in order to come away with Jesus and experience His gracious offer of rest and renewal for our souls. It is our hope that through this unique and transformative journey, participants will cultivate a deeper life with God, and find renewal of their faith and calling.

JOW is offered to a selective cohort of Asian American ministry leaders and space is limited. This fund is designated to so that we can offer JOW at a very minimal cost to our participants. For our 2026 cohort, we are seeking to raise $50,000 to make this possible. Please consider partnering with us to pour into the lives of these faith leaders. 

As a 501c3 religious non-profit organization, your charitable gifts and contributions are 100% tax-deductible. 

P23 is an all-women’s cohort offering designed exclusively for pastor’s wives and women in ministry.  

Why a cohort for pastors' wives and women in ministry?  Despite a growing number of ministries focused on the well-being of pastors and ministry leaders, there are two groups of leaders in the Church who are still under-resourced and underserved: pastors' wives and women in ministry. 

After our experience of offering two cohorts in 2024, we came away with a growing conviction that Asian American pastors' wives and women in ministry needed a space of their own.  This led us to create P23 - an all-women’s cohort designed to help women leaders experience the heart of our good shepherd - Jesus Christ - through the movements found in Psalm 23.  

The P23 cohort consists of five retreats over the span of 5 months - with the first and last retreat being overnight. Each retreat offers participants a sacred, slowed-down space to nourish their souls and become more enlivened with God. Between these retreats, participants meet online in small groups to engage in meaningful conversation, share experiences around prayer and other reflective exercises, and connect more deeply with other women on a similar journey.  

At Barnabas & Co., we aim to offer our cohort experiences at a very minimal cost to participants. For our 2025 P23 cohort, we are seeking to raise $55,000 to make this possible. Please consider partnering with us as we seek to resource Asian American pastors' wives and women in ministry towards flourishing and renewal in Christ. 

The Be Free Cohort is a 3-month journey designed to help pastors and ministry leaders move towards rediscovering who they are in Christ and find greater freedom from the pressures of ministry, performance, and the constant need to meet people’s expectations (including their own).  

We’ve designed this cohort to be a space where leaders can deeply connect with God and with other fellow leaders. We will go through the Be Free material through a series of three retreats - an opening 2-night/3-day retreat and two full-day retreats that follow.  Along the way, they will also be meeting mid-month in their small groups for mutual support and encouragement.  

Throughout the 3-month experience, each participant will receive individual care and direction from a Be Free team member - so that they can better guide them on a life-giving journey to greater freedom.

At Barnabas & Co., we aim to provide our cohort offerings like Be Free as a grace to each participant (no-cost) - as a tanglible manifestation of God's gracious and extravagant love. For our 2025 cohorts, we are seeking to raise $55,000 to make this possible.  Please consider partnering with us as we seek to resource Asian American pastors and ministry leaders towards flourishing and renewal in Christ. 

Thank you for being a good steward of what God has entrusted to you, multiplying your impact across many ministry leaders and churches.  Your financial support is an investment into the future of God's kingdom as we walk with ministry leaders from crisis and burn out to flourishing.  When ministry leaders flourish, so do the churches and people they serve.

• Be Free Pastors & Ministry Leaders Cohort (March-May 2025)
   
• P23: An All-Women's Cohort for Pastor's Wives & Women in Ministry (September 2025-January 2026)
   

In our experience of coming alongside Asian American pastors and ministry leaders, we've come to discover that one of the primary issues contributing to the high rates of burnout, anxiety/depression, and thoughts of leaving the ministry - isn't simply due to the rigors of ministry or the immense stress of their jobs.  But rather, we've learned that isolation and loneliness are two of the primary drivers that are contributing to the malaise that many pastors and ministry leaders are reportedly experiencing.

This past year, we've had the incredible opportunity to offer not just one, but two different cohort offerings through Barnabas & Co. (Journey of Wholeness & Be Free).  Through these two cohorts, we were able to offer Asian American pastors and ministry leaders a space of their own - where they can connect deeply with God and with others.  We saw firsthand just how powerful cohorts can be - especially in comparison to standalone retreats and even one-on-one shepherding. Through the JOW & Be Free cohorts, we were reminded that the best formation actually occurs in the context of relationships and community. 

Here are three more reasons as to why we are investing so heavily into our cohort offerings for the 2025 ministry year:
 

• Belonging & Connection: Because cohorts allow participants to engage in shared experiences, discussions, and activities - it creates a greater sense of belonging and connection within the group.
   
• Amplifies Learning & Understanding:  A cohort-based approach to learning actually amplifies and enriches the learning experience because it allows participants to draw from the insights, perspectives, and experiences of others in the group. 
   
• Catalytic & Transformational:  Shared experiences not only foster a greater sense of belonging, it actually catalyzes and deepens the formational process for participants.  

As with all of our ministry offerings through B&C, our desire is to offer these experiences to Asian American pastors and ministry leaders as a grace (no-cost) - as a tangible expression of God's gracious and generous love for us.  We are looking to raise an additional $55,000 for our cohort offerings for the 2025 ministry year.  As a 501c3 religious non-profit organization, your charitable gifts and contributions are 100% tax-deductible.  

We will be sending out more detailed information regarding these two cohort offerings from now until the end of the year.  But until then, would you prayerfully consider giving towards our year-end campaign for our 2025 cohort offerings?