Southern Baptist Asian NextGen leaders at a gathering earlier this month.
INDIANAPOLIS – The third annual gathering of the Southern Baptist Conference (SBC) Asian NextGen Pastors Community is about to be “the best ever,” leaders say.
Together with a luncheon for pastors, leaders and their wives, the occasion is about for 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 10, in Rooms 143-145 of the Indianapolis Conference Heart.
“The theme of this luncheon is ‘Family Discipleship,’” Terrence Shay informed Baptist Press (BP.) Shay, household pastor of First Chinese language Baptist Church in Walnut, California, is nationwide co-coordinator of the group began by Filipino chief Peter Yanes in 2021.
“Family Discipleship was the focus of this year’s online Book Club that connected our pastors from all over the country,” Shay continued. “We will have Dr. Jeremy Pierre of Southern Seminary teach, followed by a panel of Asian NextGen leaders and wives to expand the conversation towards real life. There will be times for singing, sharing and networking as well.”
Household Discipleship by Matt Chandler and Adam Griffin is the identify of the ebook mentioned over the past 9 months in the course of the Asian NextGen ebook membership’s month-to-month Zoom name.
Pierre is dean of the Billy Graham Faculty of Missions, Evangelism and Ministry at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS.)
Register for the occasion at sbcasiannextgen.com. Price: $5/individual till June 1; $10 till June 9; $15 on the door.
The NextGen group offers a spot and a approach for second- and third-generation Asian, English-speaking pastors and church leaders to “encourage and equip one another through friendship, collaboration, connection, mentoring and resourcing,” in keeping with the Community’s web site.
“There is an affinity that is experienced when we know another person knows what we have been through and understands our cultural priorities, inherited or developed,” Shay stated. “For example, when we talk about the importance of filial piety or academic achievements, they are often experienced in similar contexts across Asian ethnic groups. Certainly, we are not monolithic but there are fewer barriers to break down towards contextualization in this Network.”
The good thing about the Asian NextGen Pastors Community “is the genuine friendship and collaboration among pastors from all over the U.S. who are serving in an Asian ministry context,” Dillon Le informed Baptist Press. Le is senior pastor of First Chinese language Baptist Church in Phoenix. “Pastoral friendships are really underrated and overlooked but can be so helpful for healthy longevity in ministry.”
The Asian Collective (instigated by Yanes in 2018) was carried out to deliver collectively the SBC’s 2,000 Asian church buildings talking a minimum of 27 languages within the U.S. and Canada. The imaginative and prescient for a definite community connecting English-speaking pastors from the SBC’s 10 ethnic Asian fellowships gave rise to the Asian NextGen Pastors Community in 2021.
“We lean into the shared reality and experiences of living as Asian American/Canadian church leaders in North America within the white majority culture,” Hyung Lee informed Baptist Press. Nationwide Co-coordinator of the SBC’s Asian NextGen Community, Lee, of Korean ancestry, is pastor/elder of Dwelling Rock (multi-ethnic) Church of Pasadena, in California.
“We believe embracing the diversity of Asian backgrounds brings value and wisdom to the SBC at large,” Lee continued. “We are not just defined by our ethnic group, but by our commitment to make disciples among all NextGen ethnics.”
Mentors for the NextGen regional and nationwide groups are leaders of the SBC’s Cambodian, Chinese language, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Myanmar, Vietnamese and Thai fellowships.
“We embrace our cultural differences recognizing that there are commonalities among the various Asian ethnic groups but also a shared immigrant experience that binds our histories,” Shay stated. “We’re positively extra numerous than how we glance, in the identical approach that numerous European peoples shouldn’t have the identical languages, cuisines and customs.
“Our pastors’ network brings together the various ethnic fellowships represented in the Asian Collective so that by the friendship and trust we share, we are able to demonstrate the unity across ethnic groups that illustrates the oneness of the Body of Christ,” Shay stated. “Simply said, when people in one ethnic group in our network serve and love people in another ethnic group with Christlike humility, we offer compelling evidence toward the power of the Gospel to build bridges and transform hearts among otherwise distinct people groups.”
Le, a father with younger youngsters, stated Pierre’s speak will likely be related as he’s “just beginning this journey of disciple-making for my own family,” he stated. “I want to hear and learn from the experiences of others.”
“I want to hear and learn from the experiences of others,” Le continued. “Then, hanging out with old friends and making new ones is a big part of the NextGen meeting for me as well. Being from Arizona, I’m really looking forward to meeting new people from this region of the country and the local churches of Indianapolis. The annual meeting can be a really great place to make friends and care for each other long after the meeting ends.”
John Paul “JP” Arceno, senior pastor of Union Neighborhood Bible Church in Union, New Jersey, additionally talked with Baptist Press.
“Since I began pastoring an SBC church in New Jersey, I have been looking for a way to connect with other NextGen pastors who at least share a similar context with our ministry,” stated Arceno, of Filipino ancestry. “I’ve seen via this group that my experiences in ministry aren’t that totally different from theirs.
“This group encourages and helps me resolve my ministerial queries about NextGen and this year through the book club, family discipleship topics,” Arceno continued. “Indeed, friendship, connection and cooperation are vital in the gospel ministry for pastors who are just beginning their ministerial journey.”
Stephen Yee, household pastor of Northwest Chinese language Baptist Church in Phoenix, informed Baptist Press he attends the SBC annual assembly every year to “do my part in support and participation as a messenger of a cooperating church with the Southern Baptist Convention.” The Asian NextGen luncheon is a bonus.
“The luncheon is a great time of encouragement and equipping as we not only share a meal together, but we will also focus in on the topic of family discipleship and seize the opportunity to encourage those in attendance to grow in leading their families to know, love, and serve Jesus,” Yee stated. “As a pastor of an Asian ethnic church, it is a blessing to connect, collaborate, and celebrate with other pastors that lead in a similar context. This collective gives us an opportunity to walk alongside each other in ministry even though we may be ministering thousands of miles apart. We share with one another, we pray with one another, we encourage one another, and we grow together.”
(EDITOR’S NOTE – Karen L. Willoughby is a nationwide correspondent for Baptist Press.)
“Well bless their hearts.”
