Two teams traveled to Asia this summer to put their MBA training into practice in partnership with Asian businesspeople.

China

During May and June, InterVarsity MBA Ministries, in partnership with Coram Deo Consulting and the EC Institute, hosted a mission/consulting project with a Kingdom-oriented company in China. The team traveled to eastern China to conduct a marketing study on a new-product offering to North American markets. MBA students from the University of Michigan, MIT, and Harvard attended, as well as two InterVarsity leaders, Matt Cobbett and Kevin Ford. This project represented the first time we’ve worked with a for-profit company in missions. All of our previous projects have focused on traditional mission agencies and ministries.

The team came away with lasting lessons on how Christian faith through business can make a difference. In the words of one student, “The project was a perfect opportunity to put my business education to work in a faith-based environment. Along with receiving valuable international experience, I was able to see how one company has the power to positively transform a community through its faith-based principles and practices.”

Southeast Asia

Then, in mid-July and August, I co-led a team of eight students and mentors to Southeast Asia to work alongside Eagles Communications, a Singapore-based ministry.

In addition to joining Eagles in evangelistic and training events in Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, our work consisted of undertaking a major leadership study. The purpose of our research was to examine how Christian faith shapes the way senior business leaders make people-related decisions at work. As part of our project, we interviewed a total of fifty-four CEOs and senior business and government leaders in three countries: Thailand, Singapore, and Malaysia. We found a range of responses — from faith playing little or no role to a more significant role that informs a wide range of professional decisions. We also saw how cultural influences shape Christian leadership in different parts of the world.

The interviews were fascinating, and the research, I believe, has important implications for the training of pastors and marketplace leaders throughout Southeast Asia. Our partner ministry intends to publish the results and incorporate the findings into its own equipping ministries.