Kale's Site

K. Kale Yu

Author | Speaker | Clergy | Professor | Church Consultant
K. KALE YU researches world Christianity, missional theology, and American religious history. He has written journal articles and books on the topic of how to support the success of faith engagement, and speaks to churches, college campuses, and conferences on faith and culture, evangelism, and church revitalization. He is also an ordained clergy with over 15 years of local church experience.

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Reviews for Freestyle
Snippets from Freestyle
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Brief C.V.

Reviews for Freestyle: Evangelism as Expressing Jesus

“We are living in a day that calls for fresh approaches to the call to be Christ’s witnesses, especially among younger generations. This book offers an authentic and openhanded expression of the truth we have experienced, and a deep faith in the work of the Holy Spirit to do the evangelizing.” –- M. Craig Barnes, President Emeritus, Princeton Theological Seminary
"This book should be required reading by every pastor. Kale's approach is very embraceable and removes the dread of evangelism. He makes living our Christianity so natural. God's kingdom will truly be enlarged by this book." -- Gayle Chandler, Author of Embrace the Pain and Affirming You
"Rich with authentic insights, the book presents a powerful model rooted in lived experience, offering readers an inspiring and deeply real exploration of faith and growth. Kale's ability to capture both personal and collective experiences with such honesty and clarity, while grounding them in biblical truths, makes this book resonate deeply. A truly impactful and thought-provoking work!" -- Emma M.
Snippets from Freestyle

"How does evangelism go from a core, missional principle of the church to a forgotten footnote? If churches give up on evangelism, the only agency in church life specifically designed to share the good news to people, how are churches supposed to survive?"
"From a freestyle perspective, the best kind of evangelism is authentic. In a world where it can be hard to figure out what's real and what's fake, people are hungering for authenticity."
"Freestyle is a book about evangelism but not in the way you might expect. You won't find a step-by-step formula for how to best explain the gospel. It is not a book that will provide evangelism strategies with new insight to reach people for your congregation."
"'Self-discovery' is not a term that you often hear in evangelism but it is a central theme in freestyle evangelism."
"When individuals freestyle, they are authors of their evangelism....Freestyle is an individualized, custom-made platform designed by the individual to release Jesus."
"Jesus ignites fire in people. The Holy Spirit is the oxygen for the fire. And individuals' passion is the fuel in freestyle evangelism."
To see more, go to "sample pages" on Amazon
Speaking
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In the message, please mention dates, kind of event, and location.
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Brief C.V.

EDUCATION
Columbia University (NY, NY), M.Phil., Ph.D.
Princeton Theological Seminary (Princeton, NJ), M.Div.
Clark University (Worcester, MA), B.A.

ACADEMIC POSITIONS
High Point University, Department of Religion
Courses taught: World Christianity, Religion in America,
Biblical Themes, Contemporary Christian Theology,
Introduction to Christianity
Previously at Nyack College

PUBLICATIONS
Freestyle: Evangelism as Expressing Jesus. 2025.
Understanding Korean Christianity. 2019.
Study: Spiritual Practices for Building a Life of Faith. 2020.
“Interpreting Korean Bible Women from a Terracultural Model of Mission,” in Methodist Mission in an Era of World Christianity. 2021.

“Revisiting Lamin Sanneh’s ‘Western Guilt Complex’ from a Korean Grassroots Perspectives,” International Bulletin of Missionary Research. 2022.
"'Noxious Weed': Persecution in the Development of Korean Christianity," International Review of Mission. 2017.
“‘The Women, the Mothers Mould the Nations’: The Christian Home, Korean Women, and WFMS Missionaries,” Methodist History. 2017.
"Korea's Confucian Culture of Learning as Gateway to Christianity: Protestant Missions in Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries," Studies in World Christianity. 2016.
“‘I Shall Make You Free”: Church, Nationalism, and the, Korean Community in Hawaii.” Journal of Asian and Asian American Theology. 2011.

HONORS AND AWARDS
- Drew University: Florence Ellen Bell Scholar Award
- Yale Divinity School: David M. Stowe Award
- United Methodist History Research Grant and Racial/Ethnic History Research Grant
- Wheaton College: Study of American Evangelicals (ISAE) Grant
- Columbia University: Library Research Award
- Nyack College: Emerging Scholar of the Year Award
- Duke Divinity School: Summer Wesley Seminar
- Harvard University: Harvard-Yenching Library Grant

ORDINATION AND COMMISSION
Ordained Elder, United Methodist Church
Commissioned Provisional Elder

Author | Speaker | Clergy | Professor | Church Consultant

Reviews for Freestyle: Evangelism as Expressing Jesus

Snippets from Freestyle

"How does evangelism go from a core, missional principle of the church to a forgotten footnote? If churches give up on evangelism, the only agency in church life specifically designed to share the good news to people, how are churches supposed to survive?"

"From a freestyle perspective, the best kind of evangelism is authentic. In a world where it can be hard to figure out what's real and what's fake, people are hungering for authenticity."

"Freestyle is a book about evangelism but not in the way you might expect. You won't find a step-by-step formula for how to best explain the gospel. It is not a book that will provide evangelism strategies with new insight to reach people for your congregation."

"'Self-discovery' is not a term that you often hear in evangelism but it is a central theme in freestyle evangelism."

"When individuals freestyle, they are authors of their evangelism....Freestyle is an individualized, custom-made platform designed by the individual to release Jesus."

"Jesus ignites fire in people. The Holy Spirit is the oxygen for the fire. And individuals' passion is the fuel in freestyle evangelism."

To see more, go to "sample pages" on Amazon

Speaking

To invite Kale to speak at your event or service, fill the boxes below.
In the message, please mention dates, kind of event, and location.

Brief C.V.

Author | Speaker | Clergy | Professor | Church Consultant

Reviews for Freestyle: Evangelism as Expressing Jesus

Snippets from Freestyle

"How does evangelism go from a core, missional principle of the church to a forgotten footnote? If churches give up on evangelism, the only agency in church life specifically designed to share the good news to people, how are churches supposed to survive?"

"From a freestyle perspective, the best kind of evangelism is authentic. In a world where it can be hard to figure out what's real and what's fake, people are hungering for authenticity."

"Freestyle is a book about evangelism but not in the way you might expect. You won't find a step-by-step formula for how to best explain the gospel. It is not a book that will provide evangelism strategies with new insight to reach people for your congregation."

"'Self-discovery' is not a term that you often hear in evangelism but it is a central theme in freestyle evangelism."

"When individuals freestyle, they are authors of their evangelism....Freestyle is an individualized, custom-made platform designed by the individual to release Jesus."

"Jesus ignites fire in people. The Holy Spirit is the oxygen for the fire. And individuals' passion is the fuel in freestyle evangelism."

To see more, go to "sample pages" on Amazon

Speaking

To invite Kale to speak at your event or service, fill the boxes below.In the message, please mention dates, kind of event, and location.

Brief C.V.

To invite Kale to speak at your event or service, fill the boxes below.
In the message, please mention dates, kind of event, and location.