The Needs of the Church in Japan

“What makes missions in Japan so hard?”

When I lived in the United States, I heard versions of that question all the time. I’d answer and almost always hear versions of this response: “How is that different than other countries?”

I get this response, because it’s partly true! The struggles I will highlight in this article are not unique to Japan, but they are worth describing nonetheless, even if it’s only to bring to our attention what some already assumed was the case.

But before I focus on the obstacles, I want to highlight the good work God is doing here. I was born in Japan, and I’ve known Japanese Christians my whole life. I’ve worshiped in an English-speaking international church, a bilingual church, and a Japanese-speaking church. These churches differ in many ways—soteriology, ecclesiology, philosophy of ministry. But they all preach the gospel. I’m very thankful for the pastors, missionaries, and local Christians that spread the gospel to this part of the world.

The fruit of their labors can’t be denied:

• Japanese Bibles translated from Greek and Hebrew
• Protestant parachurch student ministries
• Interdenominational Protestant Bible schools
• Books written by Japanese pastors in Japanese
• Several evangelical networks of churches

And yet, even amid God’s guiding hand, Japan faces some real struggles. I will focus on two: low biblical literacy and a lack of expository preaching.

Low Biblical Literacy

The vast majority of Japanese people are literate. This is yet another grace from God, especially in light of the complexity of the Japanese language. However, biblical literacy is another story. Most Japanese don’t have the ability to read and understand the Bible themselves. Yes, we have multiple Bibles translated from the original languages. The text is in front of us. But we struggle to read and understand.

Why? The reasons are many. Some aren’t helped by a liberal or neo-orthodox understanding of Scripture. Others are hindered by well-meaning evangelicals who, in an effort to simplify the Bible, ultimately obscure it. These groups treat the Bible with a more “reader-response” hermeneutic. They ask, “What does this passage mean to me?” and not, “What does this mean?” This approach can have some negative consequences, especially when it happens in a culture that idolizes a pastor’s opinion above all else. In Japan, the pastor is the one who reveals the meaning of Scripture to his people.  Although the Bible is presented in some way as “God’s Word,” there is no real way to understand it. The biblical authors’ intent is often neglected.

All of this leads to a second problem: the lack of expository preaching.

Lack of Expository Preaching

The “expert’s” subjective hermeneutic leaves regular Christians with little hope of understanding the Bible for themselves. The Bible’s meaning is not regularly explained to the Japanese believer. They rarely hear preaching in which the main point of the passage is also the point of the sermon.

Faithful preaching is how Christians grow in biblical literacy. Most Japanese pastors fill their sermons with historical details and interesting observations about the text. These can be helpful if they convey the biblical author’s argument. However, many sermons simply bounce between interesting observations and interesting stories. The text is not actually explained; it’s glanced at and referenced.

This leads to two other problems: little application and little gospel. When the text of Scripture is left behind, its exhortations and encouragements are also left behind. Application and gospel proclamation take a back seat to other things that are deemed more important. As a result, Scripture becomes dry and bland.

So what can help this situation?

First, Japan would benefit from people who know how to create a community where Christians get together simply to read and talk about the Bible. Yes, I know that sounds a bit simplistic. But a Bible-reading culture can go a long way.

Second, we need pastors who are committed to expository preaching, and church members who expect it.

If you want to be a missionary in Japan, learn how to read the Bible well with others and train your taste buds for biblical preaching in a healthy church. The majority of Japanese pastors are aging out in the next 10 years, so this need is all the more pressing today.

So whether you pray, give money or time, send, or even move here one day, I and many others would greatly appreciate your support. We want to see God’s people in Japan discipled well.