[1]ORLANDO, Fla. – At one point during Bishop A.B. Vines’ message, he had his more than 200 listeners join hands in a double-room-size circle. Vines – identifying himself as “disunity,” he said, – failed to break through peoples’ arms in several places around the room because everyone in the circle was intentional in keeping him out, he explained.
Vines, a Black Southern Baptist pastor of New Seasons Church in Spring Valley, was guest speaker for the Asian Collective’s Kickoff celebration Sunday, June 7, at the Orange County Convention Center. The Asian Kickoff was one of several events preceding the 2026 SBC annual meeting.
“Unity can change everything,” Vines preached. “Unity takes guts and intentionality.”
Vines preached from Psalm 133:1-3 about God’s plan that His people live in unity to accomplish His purposes. Unity is not uniformity; there will be differences, but the important thing is to not let unity be quenched by a lack of uniformity, Vines preached.
“The world wants us not to be together,” the bishop continued. “The world wants us not going to safety. Why does the world want us to be divided? Jesus said, ‘a divided house cannot stand.’ Disunity destroys our testimony. What will happen when God takes the refreshing dew of the Holy Spirit and unites us as His body? What will happen when we bring the world a refreshing sense of God?”
Before he preached, Vines was awarded the “first of its kind” Kingdom Unity Award by Victor Chayasirisobhon, executive director of the SBC Asian Collective of 10 Asian ethnic fellowships – Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Myanmar, Thai, Vietnamese – and two support groups: Asian NextGen Pastors Network and the Ethnic Research Network.
[2]“This award is presented to Bishop A.B. Vines in recognition of his faithful leadership, gospel-centered ministry and distinguished service in the Southern Baptist Convention,” Chayasirisobhon read from the award. “[Vines’] commitment to Christ, his church and Kingdom matters has strengthened believers across cultures and generations.”
A.B. and First Lady Karen Vines together received an award of appreciation for their 25 years serving at New Seasons Church.
Several others received appreciation awards from the Asian Collective including those whose generosity made the Kickoff possible. GuideStone Financial Resources was named a “mega sponsor.” Others included the International Mission Board, North American Mission Board, Chinese Baptist Fellowship, California Southern Baptist Fellowship, Philippine International Christian Fellowship, Hmong Baptist National Association, and the Orange County Southern Baptist Foundation.
Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, was the first of five men to bring short messages. Iorg spoke of the history of Asian churches and the SBC.
At one time, Asians were objects of Southern Baptist foreign missions focus. Then Asians became objects of Southern Baptist missions focus in the United States.
“In my lifetime,” Iorg said, “Asian churches no longer are objects of mission. They are partners in the mission of getting the Gospel to all the world, working together to get the work done. This means you start seeing yourselves as a giving, sending people, not just a receiving kind of people. That you see yourselves as standing with Southern Baptists to give to missions through the Cooperative Program, special missions offerings and to give even beyond that to special offerings and opportunities to the specific people group in which you minister.”
[3]Charles Grant, the SBC Executive Committee’s associate vice president for convention partnerships, expressed his thanks for the partnerships he’s experienced with various SBC sub-groups.
“When we talk about enhancing cooperation, one of the tools that has been helpful is [the booklet] ‘Navigating the SBC,’” Grant said. The downloadable publication already is available in English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese and French-Creole (Haitian) languages, with more languages yet to come.
“Navigating the SBC is one of the tools that has been helpful as we seek to educate churches further in understanding what the SBC is all about, how it’s structured, and how to engage it and how to have a voice,” Grant said. The publication is available through his office.
Todd Lafferty spoke for the International Mission Board. Now a vice president at the IMB, he previously served 29 years in Asia and South Asia. There has been a global realignment, Lafferty told his listeners.
“The Gospel has reached so many people groups and is moving in so many different ways that the hurch has grown up all over the world,” Lafferty said. “And now the harvest field has become the harvest focus. And you are a sign of that sitting right here.”
At last count, 380 Asian missionaries serve through IMB. Lafferty suggested doubling that number within the next 10 years, which will involve losing churches’ best members, for the best possible reason: spreading the Gospel message worldwide.
Zero is the goal for 2033, Lafferty said. Zero unreached people groups.
“Will you join us in praying,” the IMB vice president asked, “that we would arrive at zero unreached people groups by the year 2033, the 2,000th anniversary of Jesus’ resurrection?”
Carter Tan, president of the Ethnic Research Network, presented several demographic slides on the growth (and a small one-year decline that is now back up) of Asian churches across the U.S. The Asian Collective now is the size of the ninth-largest state convention, edging out California, Tan said.
More demographic stats – of all ethnicities – are to be discussed at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Room 204 B and C of the Orange County Convention Center at the annual meeting of the Ethnic Research Network.
Hyung Lee, co-coordinator of the Asian NextGen Pastors Network, spoke of that meeting for pastors and their wives who are Millennial age or younger. It’s set for 11:30 a.m. Monday in room 315A of the Orange County Convention Center. There are to be two discussion options – Ending Well, a retirement strategy; and the need for pastoral friendships.
Worship was led by the praise team from Philippine International Christian Fellowship of Lakeland, Fla., where Lito Lucas is pastor and president of the Filipino Southern Baptist Fellowship of North America.
Chayasirisobhon, in his characteristically ebullient manner, closed the meeting – which midway through included a four-course dinner – by expressing his deep love for and passionate protection of the churches and ethnic groups that are a part of the Asian Collective.
“We are not a collection of Asian churches,” Chayasirisobhon said. “We are a collective because the bonds that make us a collective are the bonds of love in Jesus Christ.”
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