A California pastor, director of missions for his association and president of the state’s Baptist convention, Victor Chayasirisobhon, plans to be nominated for first vice president of the Southern Baptist Convention during the SBC’s annual meeting in Anaheim, California on June 14–15.
Chayasirisobhon, 44, is pastor of First Southern Baptist Church Anaheim, where he has served since 2005. In addition to his role as president of the California Southern Baptist Convention, Chayasirisobhon was elected Feb. 3 as director of missions for Orange County Southern Baptist Association, the CSBC reported.
Under his leadership as pastor of First Southern Baptist, he has led the congregation to plant and sponsor or adopt several churches and is currently overseeing four churches, said Abel Galvan, pastor of Faith Fellowship in La Palma. Galvan shared his intention to nominate Chayasirisobhon through Baptist Press on Tuesday (February 16).
Honored and surprised
Chayasirisobhon noted, “I am incredibly excited and honored to be nominated as first vice president and grateful that there were men and women that I really look up to who wanted to nominate me. I was initially surprised that they wanted to, but after great prayer and meditation, I am glad to accept the nomination and glad that Pastor Abel Galvan will be the one nominating me.”
Galvan noted in his announcement, “Pastor Victor loves the Lord. He loves our convention and has served it proudly. His desire is to see our convention continue to grow stronger as we move out of COVID and into the future, as we come together as a family to try and reach our world for Jesus Christ.
“His hope is that we will serve God as one convention,” Galvan noted, “one Kingdom, where we’re not separated by race or political agendas, but where we come together for the sake of the next generation who will continue to build on the legacy we leave behind.”
Chayasirisobhon holds several post-graduate degrees from Gateway Seminary, according to the announcement. Among them are three doctorates and five master’s degrees, and he also serves as chief administrator of Anaheim Discovery Christian Schools. He and his wife, Theresa, have four children.
