June 22, 2025
COVINA, Calif. – First Southern Baptist Church here consists of a Chinese congregation and a multicultural English-language congregation; the building purchased from the association in 1991 with name unchanged because “we appreciate the conservative values of the Southern Baptist tradition and its emphasis on the Bible. That is why, to this day, we remain committed to these principles,” Pastor Jack Chen says.
Both groups meet at 11 a.m. Sundays. The Chinese congregation meets in the worship center; the English congregation meets in the fellowship hall.
“I’ve been getting more involved with Southern Baptists,” Eltiti told Baptist Press. He is a part of the Asian NextGen Pastors Network, among others. “We want to encourage English-language pastors, to strengthen all of us, since we lead in this unique context with unique challenges.”
English-language churches that are part of an ethnic church are both an independent congregation and one that is part of another. An English-language pastor is both the lead pastor of one congregation and a supporting pastor of another.
“There can be a lot of tension between the Asian and the English pastor,” Eltiti said. “You want to be one church, but it’s like two in one.”
Eltiti said he has a great relationship with Senior Pastor Chen, and he wants other second-generation pastors to have the same.
“We deeply value and cherish our English congregation,” Chen told Baptist Press. “Initially, the children in the English congregation were those of our Chinese congregation members. As they grew up, they moved out and got married. Today, many of the children in the English congregation are no longer our own, but we thank God that, under the leadership of Pastor Dean, they have found stability in the church and continue to learn the Bible.
“The children in the English congregation are like our own, and we hope to see their growth and development, attracting more local children to join our church,” the Chinese-language pastor continued. “We aspire to support and encourage one another so that our church will continue to grow and bring joy to God.”
Eltiti has written an essay to help smooth the way to good relationships between Asian pastors and the English-speaking pastors that are part of the church.
By the start of the 21st century and even earlier, the children of immigrants who began arriving in the 1970s became Americanized in language and culture. English-language “departments” were started (for those who preferred to speak the English they used at work and school) in some of the larger churches that in most cases grew, as children became adults, into separate congregations to include those more comfortable with English.
The often still language-deficient Asian pastor had to trust that the English-language pastor was not leading his congregation doctrinally astray. At the same time, the Asian pastor – nearly always an immigrant himself – needed to be alert to cultural changes even within the Asian community, so he could continue to lead effectively.
“Trust is the most important asset in pastoral ministry,” Eltiti writes in his essay. “It’s so difficult to build trust back up again when it is broken.” He was referring to trust between Asian and English-speaking pastors, and between English-speaking pastors and both the Asian and American congregations.
Trust was No. 7 in a list of 10 ways for NextGen English-speaking pastors to thrive.
A “high view of Scripture and the church” was No. 1. Cultivating a genuine love for Asian as well as American members came next, followed by establishing a common bond as a way of building relationships.
Servant leadership was No. 4. Theological triage – primary issues essential for salvation, secondary ones that affect the health of the church, and tertiary matters of personal opinion – was followed by patience. Be a good model, be adaptable, and join with other NextGen pastors for support in building up the Kingdom of God; these round out the 10 steps to successfully navigate ministry as an English-language pastor in an Asian church.
“I have found it so helpful and rewarding to have partners on the path to building up a healthy church,” Eltiti said. “I have been enriched by having strong connections with my fellow brother pastors.”
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This story first appeared in Baptist Press. Pastor Eltiti's essay can be found at the bottom of that article.
