Asburians Share Business Expertise and Outpouring Testimonies at Christian Conference
August 14, 2023
Assistant Professor of Business Robin Lim and Media Communication student Canaan Yan ’25 shared business expertise and Outpouring testimonies at “Arise Asia,” a Christian conference that ran from July 25-29 in Bangkok, Thailand. Asbury Theological Seminary President Dr. Timothy Tennent also shared about his Outpouring experience at the event. Co-hosted by the Lausanne Movement, the gathering brought together students and young leaders across Asia and the Middle East, passionate about their Christian faith and intent on learning more about missions and God’s work around the world: ariseasia.org.
A significant part of the conference was its inaugural innovation lab which championed business entrepreneurship, business as mission, and innovation. Lim served as an innovation partner, judge and mentor for young leaders.
“This conference was significant for the Asian region and was catalytic in empowering young women and men for Kingdom work, especially as it pertained to business as mission,” Lim said. “Projects ranged in topic from creation care and missions funding to mental well-being and Bible literacy. It was a privilege to partake in this major event and to represent Asbury in the region.”
As a pastor and industry leader in banking, Lim joined the Asbury faculty in January after graduating with his M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary. Over 16 years, he held various corporate leadership roles and various board directorships in Australia. Learn more about Lim’s work and research interests: https://www.asbury.edu/about/directory/robin-lim/.
Yan ’25 served as a plenary speaker, highlighting how God moved in his life during the Outpouring. With his testimony translated into 12 languages, Yan shared his story to more than 2,000 leaders from India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Pakistan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
“I experienced a sense of boldness when speaking that was not my own,” Yan said. “I’m honored to testify about God’s goodness, and I’m excited to see how He multiplies the impact.”
Yan expressed one example of God’s touching a conference attendee’s life.
“At the conference, one young lady from Pakistan suffered from depression and turned away from her faith after her father passed away last year,” he said. “She was so angry at God and felt betrayed, but during worship after the main event on July 27th, the Lord embraced her with His tangible presence. She said that she saw hope amidst hardship, and she was reconciled with the Lord.”
Yan studies Media Communication at Asbury, where he gains experience working both as a student ambassador in the Office of Admissions and as a student worker in the Office of Strategic Communications.
As an industry leader committed to Christ, Lim intertwines business with mission in Asbury’s Dayton School of Business.
“Everything we do is ministry, whether we are at boardroom tables, behind pulpits, helping in client spaces, or teaching,” Lim said. “The Lord is raising up businesspeople to be ministers of the marketplace.”
The Dayton School of Business (DSB) offers five majors (accounting, business administration, finance, marketing, and sport management), five minors (accounting, business, entrepreneurship, marketing, and sport management), two master’s degrees (the Master of Business Administration and the Master of Science in Accounting), and the Online Business Management undergraduate program. Learn more: asbury.edu/dsb.