What I’m Excited About as a Pastor in Japan

Japan has been described as a graveyard for missions. Despite nearly 160 years of continuous evangelical missions work, evangelical Christians comprise less than 0.5% of Japan’s 125 million people. Local churches and foreign missionaries have faithfully served this country for many years, but the number of Christians hasn’t increased much. In recent years, it seems to have even decreased. 

So what could be exciting about being a pastor in Japan?

Culture

Japanese Culture is rich in tradition. The food is incredible. The customer service is beyond anything you find in most other countries. There is very little crime, especially violent crime, as well as an excellent education and healthcare system. 

Japanese culture is also decidedly unchristian. The cultural values of honor and shame make it difficult for people to come to Christ. Anything that puts someone outside the accepted social structure should be avoided. To be honorable is to be socially Buddhist and Shinto; many family gatherings and civic events are rooted in those false religions. For a Japanese person to follow Christ they must find a new place in Japanese society. Conversion leads to family problems; it can even lead to problems at work or among friends.

Wait. So why am I “excited” about this culture? Because the church creates a new culture, a counterculture, where Japanese Christians can find a new family in Christ that loves each other despite their differences. Japanese society hammers down the nail that sticks out, but the church provides a family for all those who are in Christ. Japanese churches that stand firm and remain distinct from the culture will reflect the love of Jesus. They will also see lives change as people come to Christ. 

Traditionally, our church was for English-speakers and expats. Now it’s a bilingual international church that’s reaching Japanese people who hunger and thirst for truth and love. 

People

Pastoring is a call to humbly serve, and God has given me the incredible experience of serving Japanese people. There’s no Christian pretense in Japan. As I have spoken to Japanese friends about Christ, they are quick to say they are not Christians even if they don’t understand who Jesus is. 

Like everyone else in the world, Japanese people are seeking genuine caring relationships. If you’re willing to invest long-term, they will bear fruit. We’ve seen many Japanese people come to Christ and be baptized after years of investment. They heard the gospel many times and had genuine Christian friends who faithfully cared for them and showed them that whatever they gave up by following Christ, they will receive what they lost and more as part of his family. The people of Japan are known in the missionary world as being among the hardest to reach. I’m not sure that’s the case. They’re image bearers who need to hear about Jesus. 

Gospel

This leads me to say that the gospel itself is what makes ministry in Japan exciting. As Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” 

When you look at the landscape of churches in Japan, it’s easy to be discouraged. There are so many stagnant and dying churches. But there is power in the gospel. We must commit to faithfully proclaiming God’s Word. Too many churches and Christians want to go along with the predominant culture so that they don’t upset the social harmony or WA (和). While certainly we must faithfully contextualize the gospel, we must be true and clear in our proclamation of that gospel. God’s Word is sufficient and powerful: “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” (Isaiah 55:11).

It’s exciting to me that God has called me as an American pastor to equip Japanese saints—and saints from other countries—for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:12). These followers of Christ are going out into the world and boldly sharing the powerful gospel with others.  

Partnership

Recently, a number of like-minded churches have discovered each other and have begun partnering together to plant more gospel-centered churches. The two churches our church has planted are seeing people get saved and baptized. Are we seeing massive, rapid growth? Not at all. But the Lord is at work. 

Our church has also recently built relationships with four different RTIM missionary families that plan to come to Japan to partner with us for language learning and church planting. How thrilling. People are eager to move to a place where the gospel is desperately needed and so seemingly absent. 

Continue to pray for Japan. Pray that the gospel would advance, that the Christians here would boldly live out their faith. And finally, consider whether God would have you join us. Japan doesn’t have to be a missionary graveyard. May God give us the eyes to see that the fields are white for harvest (John 14:35).