About the role

Full-time Lead Pastor for Hanoi International Fellowship (HIF), founded 1995; one of Hanoi's largest expat churches.

~500 average Sunday attendance across two locations: Detech Tower (Hanoi) and Ecopark.

~300 members from 100+ nationalities; 142 members actively serving; ~800 engaged in discipleship pathways.

11 paid staff; Associate Pastor leads roughly half the team and shares preaching.

Church is in a season of growth and planning a strategic facility relocation.

Collaborative governance model: Lead Pastor serves in partnership with an Elder Board.

Apply by sending résumé to Bruce Dingman at Bruce@dingman.com.

Key responsibilities

Shepherd the congregation spiritually and provide clear, humble senior leadership.
Preach and teach Scripture with biblical depth and cross-cultural accessibility.
Develop staff and multiply volunteer leaders across ministries, fellowships, and both locations.
Strengthen the Try–Join–Grow–Serve–Go discipleship pathway for newcomers and long-term members.
Build and maintain relationships with local Vietnamese churches and broader Hanoi community.
Help guide the church through a multi-location future and eventual facility relocation.
Lead city-facing initiatives continuing HIF's Love Hanoi outreach heritage.

Requirements

Seminary or equivalent theological training from an accredited institution.
Proven ministry experience at a complexity and scope comparable to HIF.
Cross-cultural intelligence; ability to lead across nations, generations, and denominations.
Gifted preacher-teacher who forms disciples through Scripture.
Organisationally capable: sets direction, delegates well, and develops healthy teams.
Evangelistically effective and able to equip others to share Christ.
Willing to learn conversational Vietnamese as a practical ministry tool.

Theology & Culture

We want candidates to know exactly where we stand before they apply. Hanoi International Fellowship has shared the following convictions:

Women in Ministry

Unclear

This church hasn't published a clear position on this. We'd recommend asking during the interview process.

Sexual Ethics

Traditional

Affirms historic Christian teaching on marriage as a covenant between one man and one woman.

Life in Hanoi

Hanoi is one of Southeast Asia's most compelling cities — a place where French colonial architecture lines tree-shaded boulevards, ancient temples sit beside buzzing street-food lanes, and a rapidly modernising economy is producing a new generation of globally connected Vietnamese. As Vietnam's capital, it carries a different energy from Ho Chi Minh City: more measured, more historically layered, and in many ways more liveable. The expat community is well established, with international schools, modern hospitals, and a social infrastructure that supports long-term residency comfortably. Cost of living is low by Western standards, and the food — from the steaming bowl of pho at the corner stall to the growing restaurant scene — is exceptional. The climate runs from cool and misty winters (by tropical standards) to hot, humid summers, with a rainy season that softens the heat without overwhelming daily life. Vietnam requires some navigation: visas, bureaucracy, and the particular textures of ministry in a Communist-governed country all demand patience and cultural agility. But for the right person, Hanoi offers something increasingly rare — a major Asian capital that still feels genuinely exploratory, where relationships run deep and the work of the church carries unusual weight.