Cory Ishida and Graham Hill discuss “Growing and Planting Healthy and Disciple-Making Asian American Churches.”

Cory Ishida is the pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church of San Gabriel Valley. He was called as the senior pastor of Evergreen Baptist Church in 1977. At that time, only 35 worshipers came on Sundays — mostly elderly, and mostly Japanese-Americans, and only one family with young children. Slowly, though, some young Chinese-Americans began trickling in, attracted by the church’s English services. “We knew then our calling was beyond Japanese-Americans,” said Cory Ishida, whose grandparents were Japanese immigrants.

In 1988, the church moved six miles to suburban Rosemead. Under Cory Ishida’s leadership, the church decided to reach out to Asian-Americans of all ethnicities in their area. Soon, an equal number of Japanese-Americans and Chinese-Americans make up the bulk of worshipers, joined by Koreans, Filipinos, and Southeast Asians. Their numbers swelled to around 1,200.

In 1997, Cory Ishida planted Evergreen Baptist Church of San Gabriel Valley, where he currently pastors. He is a veteran pastor, committed to prayer, pastoral care, mentoring, the preaching of Scripture, and local mission.