Pray for Tokyo: A Pastoral Perspective

Addressing the Need

Isaiah writes, “So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it” (Isa 55:11 ESV). God’s Word will work God’s purposes wherever it is sown. That was true in Old Testament Israel, and it’s no different here in Japan. As a pastor of an international, bilingual church in Japan, I am encouraged to see God’s purpose unfolding here through the faithful proclamation of his Word.

Three particularly encouraging observations stand out.

First, both international churches and fully Japanese churches are using English effectively to reach unbelievers. They’re making connections to Japanese men and women who want to learn English. These connects are resulting in evangelism and biblical proclamation. Our church’s ESL outreach has seen two ladies come to Christ. Our English Café has connected us to two neighbors who have now come several worship services. English-speaking missionary partnerships with local churches and mission organizations are making these kinds of ministries possible even in Japanese churches.

Second, in addition to English-language outreach, we have seen an increasing number of missionaries coming to Japan. Many of these missionaries are strongly committed to doing missions through biblical methods that rely on accurate contextualization and proclamation of biblical truth. They’re committed to either strengthening churches that already exist or planting new churches that faithfully and boldly present the gospel.

Third and finally, there are several vibrant church-planting networks that are becoming more active in Japan. Though that have some differences, they’re all centered on the gospel and oriented around the local church. So much is happening in Japan that is centered on God’s Word.

The Need Remains

And yet, the effect of all this Bible-centered work is just a drop in the bucket. Japanese are the second largest unreached people group in the world. There are approximately 600,000 Protestant Christians in Japan, which is roughly .5% of the population, five people out of every 1,000.

The greater Tokyo Metropolitan Area is the largest metropolitan area in the world. In fact, it’s the largest city that has ever existed in history. In 2013, there are 2448 Christian churches in Tokyo. That’s 1.8 churches for every 10,000 people. More churches die every year, so those statistics are likely too generous. Keep in mind that most of those churches are likely not evangelizing. They may not even believe the biblical gospel.

Although Buddhism and Shintoism could be seen as the two national religions, according to a Japan National Broadcasting company (NHK) survey, 62% of the country doesn’t believe in any religion. So the majority of people you meet will have never opened a Bible or heard the gospel in any form.

How do we meet that need?

1. Missionaries

We need missionaries who are willing to stay for decades—to learn the language and the culture; to build deep relationships in their neighborhoods and cities; to support small, but faithful churches; to evangelize their friends, even in the face of apparent fruitlessness.

To state it simply, we need missionaries willing to spend a lifetime sowing gospel seeds in hard soil, missionaries won’t be shocked by the slow growth and the great need. Earlier this year, I baptized a Japanese lady who had come to Christ. She’d been attending our church for a little more than a year. In her testimony, she mentioned four different ladies who spent time helping her understand her sin. Over and over again, they explained that Jesus died and rose again to save his people from the penalty of sin.

It takes time for the gospel to take root. So long-term relationships are vital to build trust and allow a person time to understand and ultimately believe the gospel. Short-term missions activities have their place, but the heavy lifting will be through long-term missionaries.

2. Churches

Existing churchesneed to be strengthened. So many churches are dying, and a large number have no pastor. The average age of Japanese pastors is between 60 and 70 years old; the average church member is 64 years old.

The need for missionaries intersects with a need for churches. A few established churches regularly partner with missionaries. These churches, along with newer church plants, proclaim the gospel. They tend to be the most healthy and growing churches. Put simply, we need more! We need missionaries committed to strengthening weak, existing churches, and missionaries committed to planting new ones.

3. Funding

Money doesn’t solve the problem of lostness. But all of this work requires considerable finances. Planting a church doesn’t require a building, but some form of physical presence in the community leads to opportunities for the gospel.

Not everyone can or should go, but all churches and all believers can be senders. Financial support is one key way to spread the gospel to needy places.

Jesus saw a field “white for harvest” (John 4:35). All of us have been called in some way to work in the fields both around us and around the world. I pray that God would send more harvesters to the fields of Japan.