In conversation with Joshua, he shares how a business consulting framework is opening doors to one of Vietnam’s least-reached groups – and why patience, trust, and genuine service are at the heart of the work.
What first led you to focus on reaching businesspeople in Vietnam with the gospel?
I felt called into missions at the age of nine, and in my pre-teen and teenage years I was deeply influenced by a Chinese family friend who pointed me toward business as missions. I went on to build a career in financial analysis in my 20s, but it was not until I was 30 that missions abroad became a reality.
Over the past several years in Vietnam, I have served on a church planting team that helped establish what is now a thriving church of over 50 people, while also running my own small business. During that time, I saw how God uses businessmen and women to meet very practical needs within the church, especially finances and legal cover.
Business professionals can be difficult to reach, as their relationships tend to form around shared ventures and experiences. Even so, their strategic importance to the Vietnamese church, combined with their limited gospel engagement, drew me to focus here. My own business background, time in Vietnam, and lessons from both ministry and business failures left me well placed to try.
What vision is shaping this new ministry venture, and what are you hoping to see happen through it?
The vision is to see businessmen and women come to faith in Christ and become connected to healthy local churches. We pursue this by providing a genuine business service that adds real value to our clients.
For perspective, our city is home to 8 million people, yet only about 7,000 are Protestant Christians – just 0.09%. A small fraction of those believers are business owners, yet they make it possible for many existing churches to function. Imagine how God might use them to multiply the church in Vietnam as more come to faith!
Our approach is to serve companies through a consulting framework that strengthens their operations while naturally intersecting with biblical principles. These touchpoints create opportunities for spiritual conversations and, as relationships develop, introductions to Vietnamese Christian business professionals.
In our experience, most adult Vietnamese who come to faith do so through the influence of another Vietnamese believer. Because of this, building relational bridges to local Christians is central to what we hope to see happen.
What does the ministry look like in practice—can you share a typical example or story?
Our consultations follow a structured framework helping businesses improve operations by focusing on fundamentals that drive long-term success. Many of these principles align closely with biblical truth – good business practice often reflects the design of its Creator. The framework itself is not explicitly evangelistic, but the people delivering it are, and we proactively pursue conversations about faith.
One example is a man named C, who first encountered the gospel through this ministry. He did not come to faith immediately, but the seed was planted. Later, hearing the gospel again through a Vietnamese believer, he gave his life to the Lord and was baptised — and eventually his daughter followed. At one point he told a group of 10 fellow businessmen that the greatest value he received from our consultations was salvation!
What unique opportunities—and challenges—come with engaging business communities in Vietnam?
One of the greatest opportunities is the depth of relationship that can be built through business. Relationships never begin in a vacuum – most people form meaningful connections through shared values, interests, or work, and business provides a natural context for all of these. When understood as creating mutual value where both parties benefit, it becomes a meaningful way to serve both practical and spiritual needs, building trust that is fertile ground for deeper conversations about faith.
The challenges are just as real. Running a business and delivering genuine value requires significant time, effort, and skill. It is important that the service we provide is truly helpful and not a poor substitute for what clients could find elsewhere. Building and maintaining a strong offering takes sustained effort, and because this work touches people’s livelihoods, it must be handled with care.
How can we be praying for and supporting this work?
Two things come to mind. First, be patient with missionaries working in unfamiliar models – meaningful impact often requires significant groundwork before fruit is visible. Second, consider how this model creates new opportunities for involvement from home. We regularly engage retired business professionals whose experience adds credibility, gives them a direct role in reaching an under-reached group, and can reinvigorate their Great Commission focus.
Pray that God would prepare hearts to receive the gospel and guide the right people to engage with this work. Pray for a harvest of souls and for lasting blessing to the church in Vietnam as a result.
