Many Voices, One Mission: Aaron Lee's Faith Journey to Publishing
The Story Behind "A Letter to the Asian American Church" and Its Mission to Unite Asian-American Christian Perspectives
Aaron Lee is a worship leader, writer, and content creator whose journey into writing developed naturally from his work in ministry and social media. Born and raised in Chino Hills, a suburb east of Los Angeles, Aaron has made Southern California his lifelong home, now residing in Walnut with his wife Jess and their three children. They adopted their first child locally and hope to adopt internationally in the near future.
Aaron’s path to writing emerged naturally through various creative outlets. From his teenage years writing songs and leading worship at church to maintaining a blog in the 2010s, his love for words has been a constant thread. His Instagram account @diveindigdeep, initially started as a creative outlet while working at a restaurant, has evolved into a significant platform for his thoughts and book reviews.
His marriage to Jess, spanning over a decade, has been marked by their shared love for Disneyland and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Beyond his roles as a husband and father, Aaron finds joy in making music, performing in a band with his best friend, and crafting sermons that blend theological depth with devotional clarity.
Influenced by theological writers like James Montgomery Boice, John Gresham Machen, and John Piper, Aaron has developed his own voice through various platforms, including SOLA Network. While he may have started with a simple AIM screen name of “musicgoon,” his writing now spans multiple formats, from article writing to sermon crafting, all while maintaining his commitment to clear, compelling communication.
Tell us about SOLA Network and your role there. What drove you to create and publish A Letter to the Asian American Church?
SOLA Network exists to influence the emerging generation of Asian Americans and those who lead them with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. All of our articles, book reviews, podcasts, and more can be found at SOLA.NETWORK. We also host in-person gatherings for fellowship and networking, such as our Asian American Leadership Conference and Leaders’ Dialogue events.
I started at SOLA Network as the social media coordinator. My role expanded to become the editorial curator. For our first book, A Letter to the Asian American Church, I was the publishing manager.
A Letter to the Asian American Church was conceptualized when we realized that our SOLA Network council and leaders had much wisdom to share, but it had never been concretely collected together. We’ve had articles and talks online for various topics – but we wanted to get it down definitively in writing, in a book. As we were ideating, I saw that we had an upcoming conference – and the theme of the conference had already been chosen: Writing the Next Chapter. It was the perfect opportunity to tie it all together – we just had to write the book.
What were some of the most surprising or enlightening insights you gained while working on this project?
In terms of scope and scale, this is probably the biggest project I’ve ever worked on in my life. Looking back, I can clearly see God’s hand guiding me and others to get it done well and delivered on time. I’ve been around the Christian publishing industry for a while, but this was my first foray into actually producing a book! The entire experience was an education for me.
On a more personal level, I was amazed to see my wife’s work. She was responsible for the art and design for the book – everything from the front cover to the layout. She typeset the whole thing, and we prototyped several copies before finalizing. I think it’s incredible and I couldn’t be happier. It’s actually quite challenging for us to work together in artistic and professional capacities – so this book is also a testament of God’s hand over our marriage.
Can you share some insights into the process of curating the various voices represented in this book? How did you ensure a diverse range of Asian American experiences were included?
I would actually consider our book very niche, but also broad. Let me try to explain. There is a wide range of diversity within Asian American Christianity. SOLA Network is in alignment with the Confessional Statement of The Gospel Coalition, and our areas of ministry primarily take place in first, second, and third-generation Korean and Chinese churches. In regards to the content, we knew we had to have chapters on singleness, women in leadership, the immigrant church, and the Asian heritage church. We wanted our contributing authors to write to their strengths, while also showcasing the beauty and joy found in the Asian American church.
Working in the publishing industry is a difficult career choice, especially for underrepresented writers. What challenges have you faced, and how did you overcome them? How do you think the unique perspectives in this book contribute to the broader literary landscape?
This is a self-published work, so our biggest challenge was just getting it done! For some of our authors, this may be their only published work. But we still saw their contributions as valuable. So they needed help, but also encouragement. In regards to the broader literary landscape, we are proud to be a part of God’s work in the world. We want to represent him well while being faithful to who he has made us as Asian Americans.
As someone who has been heavily involved in the publishing industry for many years now, what advice would you give to emerging authors?
Allow yourself room to grow. Be open to different opportunities. Take care of what is in front of you (your own relationship with God, family, local church ministry) before you worry about what’s beyond.
How do you think this book can contribute to the ongoing conversation about racial reconciliation and unity within the wider Christian community?
Our book is titled A Letter to the Asian American Church, but we are well aware that others will be reading – and we hope they can learn from our stories and perspectives. As Asian America and the Asian American Church continue to grow, our history will remain important as we push forward into the future. So we don’t want to forget about our current cultural moment, but we want to remember it and allow it to have a positive impact for Christ’s kingdom.
Can you tell us more about other projects you have in the works? Knowing you, there’s probably a pile of them.
We hope to have a digital version of A Letter to the Asian American Church available early next year, and we have some ideas for new books down the line. Our book has actually helped me embrace my own identity as an Asian American Christian, so I want to be a bit more bold with sharing about my life online and in my newsletters. I’ve been keeping busy at church with preaching and teaching, but I would love to turn some of my sermons and lessons into a series of books. It’s been hard to be creative at home – I recently realized that I need private space to get deep work done, so we have a shed that I hope to convert into a cabin1. I want to get started on Substack.2 Relaunch my YouTube channel and podcast. But before all of this, I want to return to my first love of writing and recording music for church and for my band – I’ve just been so busy with books!
The best place to connect with Aaron is at his website, Instagram, and weekly newsletter, Publish Peace, where he shares all of the free eBooks he finds online, as well as book reviews, ministry endeavors, and advice to become better readers and writers.
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Editor’s comment: Build me one, too, please?
Editor’s comment: YES DO IT!
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Thank you for sharing Aaron's work and story today, Tiffany! As always, you are such a generous soul, and it's heartening to learn of all the ways people are using their gifts to spread hope and light in the world and church.
Such an exciting collab! Thanks for featuring Aaron’s work. I’m halfway through the book and have enjoyed the relevant and insightful content!