Reyong knew there were people in Bangkok the church was struggling to reach—because he was one of them.
As a successful Thai businessman from a family that owned Thailand’s largest natural rubber company, Reyong saw professionals, business leaders, and upper-middle-class families all around him with little connection to the gospel. In a country that remains less than 1% evangelical Christian, he believed this was a community the church could not overlook.
When he met Mesa Worker, Gregg, who had already served in Bangkok for nearly 20 years, Reyong shared his vision.
“I want to plant a church that reaches the upper middle class in Bangkok,” he told him. “All the missionaries that come to Thailand want to work with the poor, the tribals, or the prostitutes.” But there’s a missing link: the middle class remains largely unreached. “No one wants to work with people like me! Business people need Jesus too.”
Gregg understood what Reyong was seeing. Missions in Thailand had often focused on marginalized and tribal communities, and Gregg estimates that 42% of Christians in Thailand are from tribal communities. But barriers within Thai society could make it difficult for those believers to reach people in more affluent and influential circles.
Reyong was uniquely positioned to reach them.
Years earlier, while studying in the United States, Reyong had lost a significant amount of money and was struggling with a gambling addiction. In desperation, he called out to God while watching Billy Graham preach on television and surrendered his life to Jesus. He later took classes at a U.S. seminary before returning to Thailand to work in his family’s business.
Now, he wanted people in his own community to have the opportunity to know Jesus too.
Gregg and another missionary came alongside him to help make that vision a reality. Together, they began building relationships with English-speaking Thai professionals and families connected to Bangkok’s international schools. They met parents for coffee after school drop-off, offered parenting classes, and created opportunities for relationships and conversations about faith.
Slowly, a church began to take shape.
In the early years, Reyong and Gregg carried much of the ministry themselves. As the congregation grew, so did its local leadership. Eventually, a Thai seminary professor was called to serve as pastor, helping establish the church for a future led by Thai believers.
Today, Bangna Christian Fellowship welcomes more than 120 Thai worshipers each week, including doctors, businesspeople, lawyers, blue-collar workers, and families. Members of the congregation teach the Bible, lead the church, and generously use their resources to serve others in their country.
What began with one Thai leader recognizing a gap in his own community has become a church equipped to continue reaching it.
For Gregg, Bangna Christian Fellowship is a picture of what can happen when missionaries come alongside local leaders and the vision God has given them. Reyong knew a community that others had struggled to reach because it was his community. Gregg could bring training, encouragement, and support, but the church’s future would ultimately rest with Thai believers.
Years later, Bangna Christian Fellowship continues under Thai leadership—a church shaped by its context, led from within its community, and equipped to carry the gospel forward for generations.
