Rev. Lam Thien Loc, an evangelical leader from Vietnam, pastors a church of over 200 members in Dong Nai Province, neighboring Ho Chi Minh City. He is the vice general secretary and director of education of the Vietnam Evangelical Alliance (VEA), an organization representing 650,000 evangelical Christians in Vietnam. In addition, he served as a translator during the large-scale evangelistic crusades held in Vietnam in 2023 and 2024 by Franklin Graham, chairman of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
In a recent interview with China Christian Daily, Rev. Lam shared insights about the situation of evangelical churches in Vietnam, following an earlier conversation in which he recounted his family's faith journey and personal testimony.
China Christian Daily: Could you introduce the current situation of Christianity in Vietnam, particularly evangelical churches?
Lam Thien Loc: After 1975, when the country was united, religious control became much stricter. Many churches were closed down, including seminaries. Pastors and evangelists began gathering in small groups to pray and explore how to share the gospel with people.
Things started to change in 2005 when Vietnam sought to build stronger connections with ASEAN countries and especially with the United States. The government began to open up toward churches and religions, allowing them to carry out activities. Since then, the government has started issuing licenses to churches.
There are three types of licenses issued by the government. The first and lowest level is a license for local church members to gather and worship regularly. Local churches holding this license must submit an annual plan of religious activities to the local government by October 15 each year, outlining all activities planned for the coming year.
When a church expands to include multiple local branches, it can apply for a national license. Before receiving it, however, the church must go through a second transitional stage and wait five years while the government reviews its submissions. Once approved, the church can obtain a national license, allowing it to conduct religious activities across the country—but still within the framework of the law. Large-scale events, such as evangelistic rallies in stadiums or major charity programs, require separate permission.
Currently, eleven denominations have obtained national licenses, allowing them to operate officially with government permission.
I have noticed that the church grows whenever members are free to gather for worship. Church members are encouraged and inspired by their leaders to worship together, learn God's Word, love God and others, and share the gospel. This has led to growth—small groups have emerged in many places, and as they share the gospel, their numbers increase and develop into local churches.
China Christian Daily: What are the main challenges facing the churches in Vietnam today?
Lam Thien Loc: First of all, there is an economic crisis, and Vietnam is still recovering. Many people must work long hours to support themselves and their families. As a result, church members have limited time to care for others, serve in church ministries, or share the gospel. Moreover, materialism is becoming increasingly influential in Vietnamese society. People strive for a better life—pursuing higher education and higher living standards—which further reduces their time for church-related activities.
The second challenge involves religious regulations. We do have freedom, but only within the framework of Vietnam's laws. For conducting all kinds of church activities, we need to have the corresponding license.
China Christian Daily: What do you think are the critical factors for the healthy development of Vietnam's churches in the future?
Lam Thien Loc: This is something we, as church leaders, care deeply about and often discuss and plan for.
For me personally, the critical factor is unity. The church must be united. We must share resources with one another and not rely on outside help to do God's work. For many years, during difficult times, many churches looked for help from abroad. But now is the time for Vietnamese churches to come together, stay together, and share resources together. God will bless this unity.
Today, we are making great efforts to unite as many churches as possible in Vietnam. There are now more than 100 different denominations and independent churches in the country. The Vietnam Evangelical Alliance (VEA) includes at least 40 of them. Among these, many are large denominations with hundreds of thousands of members. We actively seek to connect churches, striving to make them one body of Christ in Vietnam. Over the years, the church has grown because of this unity and partnership among many churches.
China Christian Daily: How would you describe the relationship, communication, and collaboration among evangelical churches in Vietnam?
Lam Thien Loc: In 1996, we established the Vietnam Evangelical Fellowship (VEF), which mainly focused on churches in southern Vietnam. Five years ago, in 2020, we founded the Vietnam Evangelical Alliance (VEA), which covers the entire country.
Almost every month, leaders from different denominations come together to pray, fellowship, and share with one another. Sometimes we also collaborate on joint projects—such as events, evangelism campaigns, youth activities, and various ministry programs. Working together helps us grow closer and strengthens our relationships. We also share resources within the alliance and fellowship.
China Christian Daily: What challenges have you encountered in promoting church unity?
Lam Thien Loc: Even within a family, a father and mother may have differences, and siblings may have different perspectives. But we must remember why we come together as a family.
Sometimes we do disagree or quarrel, but at the end of the day, we resolve our problems and return to our main purpose. We must accept our differences but never lose sight of why we unite: because God wants us to be one body, and we need to support one another as part of Christ's body. In John 17, Jesus prayed to the Father that his disciples would be one, just as he and the Father are one.
When we come together, everyone must humble themselves. No one should say, "I am number one; you are number two or three." Instead, we must come with humility.
We are thankful that even with our differences, we can still come together. Today in Vietnam, more and more denominations and church leaders are applying to join the VEA. We hope this unity can serve as a model to reduce division and promote greater fellowship.
China Christian Daily: You served as an interpreter for Franklin Graham's crusades. Could you share some memorable experiences?
Lam Thien Loc: In 2023 and 2024, we organized crusades with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) and Rev. Dr. Franklin Graham. In 2023, the events were held over two nights in a stadium with 45,000 attendees. Then in December 2024, another city hosted similar events, with over 25,000 people attending each night.
I am thankful to God that these crusades brought many leaders, churches, and Christians together in unity and partnership. We worked hand in hand.
The most memorable moment for me happened when Rev. Graham invited people to come forward to open their hearts and accept Jesus Christ—what we call the "altar call." At that moment, only Rev. Graham and I stood on stage facing the crowd. When I looked out, thousands of people began to move forward into the prepared area. I was deeply moved and cried. It was a joy to see so many people willingly come forward to accept Jesus Christ. No one forced them—God touched their hearts. That moment will stay with me forever.
China Christian Daily: How did the church obtain approval to hold such large-scale evangelistic events?
Lam Thien Loc: We must apply for approval to hold such events, but not all applications are accepted—some are refused. Whether an application is approved depends partly on the speakers. Reverend Franklin Graham is an internationally known figure, which helped our application.
Building a good relationship with local authorities is very important. We show them that the church benefits the people and serves the community. When we applied for permission to hold the crusades with the BGEA and Franklin Graham, the government paid special attention to our charity work. We therefore presented evidence of our community service—supporting widows, helping the poor, building houses for those in need, distributing wheelchairs, and providing food to the hungry.
We encourage all VEA member churches to do good works for their community. Each local church can share resources, and when one church cannot do enough on its own, others can contribute and cooperate with local authorities to help. We believe the gospel cannot be effectively preached without accompanying good works.
We focus on three things: justification by faith in Jesus Christ, sanctification (living a holy life), and good works. When the government sees these good works—when they see the church contributing to the community—it becomes easier for them to work alongside the church.
China Christian Daily: What can Asian churches learn from American and European churches? What pitfalls should they avoid?
Lam Thien Loc: One thing I highly appreciate about Western churches is their love for God and for people—not only for people in their own countries but also for those in unreached places.
Missionaries first came to Vietnam officially in 1911, from North America—the United States and Canada. They sacrificed greatly, facing persecution and hardship to obey God and share the gospel. Many even died in Vietnam and other parts of Asia. We must learn from them—to have a heart of love for all people and to obey God's call wherever He sends us.
Western churches also place great emphasis on education. You can see many excellent universities, schools, and seminaries in the United States and Europe. We need to learn how to develop education for our churches.
Additionally, Western churches prioritize charity and good works. Jesus taught His disciples to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world, and this is what Western churches practice. We need to reflect on this, learn from their example, and put it into practice.
However, we should also avoid their mistakes. Many American churches today have become very liberal. They accept same-sex marriage, the LGBT movement, and abortion. Some churches no longer pray to the Lord or study the Bible. They teach practical things in society in the church, like knowledge, skills, or general information.
We must protect our churches from such liberalism. We need to remain conservative, stay evangelical, and focus on God's Word. Scripture—the Word of God—is the most important thing for our churches. I always encourage our members to study the Bible and pray continually.
China Christian Daily: How can Asian churches contribute to the global church today?
Lam Thien Loc: First, we must contribute through prayer. We should pray more and more for churches in the Western world. Second, we must be good examples—light and salt—even to the churches in the United States and Europe. We must trust God and keep our faith in Jesus Christ. Third, it is now time for Asian churches to give back. It is our turn to go to the Western world, preach the gospel, and share the message of salvation in Jesus Christ.
China Christian Daily: What kind of support or assistance does the Vietnamese church hope to receive from the global church?
Lam Thien Loc: First of all, we need prayer from churches around the world. We truly believe in the power of prayer and know that when we pray, God does mighty things.
Secondly, we need support for education. We want to open more seminaries and Bible schools, but it's not easy in Vietnam. Even so, we can still organize short-term training programs to equip church members and leaders. Christian education support is crucial for us.
We also hope to build more partnerships with churches around the world in various ministries—youth, children, women, and charity ministries. We need more resources to help the Vietnamese community.
China Christian Daily: Finally, do you have a message or blessing for the church in China?
Lam Thien Loc: I actually eat more Chinese food than Vietnamese food—so I have a close connection to Chinese culture in that way. Over the years, I have prayed a lot for China. My wish for the churches in China is that you will continue to stand firm in the Lord Jesus Christ—love God, love people, and share the gospel with others.
We are living in the end times, and we don't know when Jesus Christ will return. But our calling is clear: to carry out the Great Commission that the Lord Jesus gave us—to preach the gospel to the ends of the earth.
I also hope that the relationship between China and Vietnam will continue to grow stronger, both between our governments and between our peoples.
