Japan
Evangelical
Association

Japan Update

Autumn 2023 Number 85

A mountain and a pond in autumn colors

Twenty years and 14 missionary units
the troublesome memories about working
with foreign missionaries came back to
Director,
me—although most of those difficulties
Asian Access Japan
happened because of my inexperience.
The blessing of cooperating with missionaries is, of course, that a church canstay on the missional cutting edge. A
I became a pastor in 2003, and took over church can gain centrifugal force and crea church planted by missionaries. Ever ate missional expansion.
In 2014, the Lord guided me to work on
since, I have been blessed to preach thegettingchurches planted in unchurchedgospel together with missionaries. From
citiesinJapan. During our research we
2011 I have served as the National Directorof the mission organization アジアン・アク found that the biggest unchurched city
セス・ジャパン (Asian Access Japan). This in Japan was Sakura Ward [ed.—pop.
has allowed me to collaborate with local nearly 100,000], one of the ten wards
churches in various places in Japan by of the Saitama City metropolitan area—
only 10 kilometers from our church. So
sending missionaries to them.
When I was asked to write this article, as a congregation, we decided to plant a
I made a list of the names of all the new church there. Three Christians were
medium- to long-term missionaries who found to live in that ward, so we shared
have worked directly with our church our vision with them. Since Sakura Wardfor longer than one year during the time is home to a university, we decided to start
I have been pastor. I was surprised to with outreach to university students.
Around the same time, two missionaries
realize there have been 14 units (counting
a couple as one unit) during the past 20 were assigned to our church, so we sharedyears. As I remembered their faces, I the church planting vision for Sakura Wardsincerely thanked God for his grace in with them. We read Luke 10 together overgiving them to us. At the same time, all of and over and then started outreach by find-

Yoshiya Hari

InsideTwenty years and

14 missionary units

1&3

What matters is character2

Blessings and tips in working
with international staff
at KGK

Working together: JEMA's
breakout session at JCE745News and Notes

6&7

Prayer/Editorial

8

https://jeanet.org/(continued on page 3)

Interview

What matters is character
Interview with members of the board at Nerima Church of God
Originally from Singapore, Pastor Waichan Lam
came to Japan with his wife in 2013 to join the pastoral
team of the Nerima Church of God, a Japanesespeaking church in a residential area of western Tokyo.
Six years later, upon the retirement of Senior Pastor
Satoru Kanemoto, he assumed the position of his
predecessor.
How did this local church work through theleadership transition? With Pastor Lam’s gracious
agreement, on a Sunday afternoon in May 2023, Japan
Update interviewed four members of the church board.
Excerpts follow.
Japan Update (JU): I presume it was a major shift
when Pastor Lam took the senior leadership of yourchurch. How did the church board feel about thetransition? How did you prepare for the change?
Chiaki Okazawa (CO): Actually, by the time Pastor
Lam became our senior pastor, he had been wellintegrated into our church. We didn’t prepare anythingin particular because of the fact he’s not Japanese. I
suppose a transition can be challenging, whether the
pastor is Japanese or not.
Takane Okazawa (TO): Over the years, our church
has worked with various pastoral team members fromoverseas. I think we were already somewhat familiar
with leadership by foreigners. Pastor Lam was fairly
fluent in Japanese upon arrival. He made it a point topreach in Japanese from the early stages of his ministrywith us, which I believe helped us get closer to him
quickly.
Yoshinori Morimoto (YM): I began to attend thischurch five years ago, when Pastor Lam was ourassistant pastor. From the beginning, it was quite easy
for me to look to him as a pastoral leader. I readily
accepted the idea of his becoming our senior pastor as
well.
Rieko Ando (RA): In a way, the years leading up
to the transition prepared us well. While working
with him for six years, we were impressed with hischaracter. We saw that he had a clear sense of callingto work in Japan. Over time, the church developed thedesire to continue to walk with him and to support his
vision. In particular, the lay leaders of our church werein agreement with following his leadership.
JU: It’s been four years now since Pastor Lam took
the senior leadership. What blessings have you received
under a non-Japanese senior pastor?
CO: As mentioned, the transition came to pass quite
naturally. As the church board came to an agreement tosupport him as our senior pastor, things were simpler

2

for the other church members as to which way to go.
RA: I like that Pastor Lam is quick to admit his errors
and to apologize.
CO: Yes, that makes it easier for us to talk to him.
Over the years, I have offered him some advice on
cultural matters, but I’ve never felt it necessary toadvise him on matters of faith.
YM: The COVID-19 pandemic started soon after
Pastor Lam was appointed as Senior Pastor. I appreciatethat he quickly responded to the situation and began
online worship services without delay.
RA: He shows us priorities clearly, and doesn’t try to
micromanage.
JU: In the meantime, what challenges have you
experienced during these past four years?
TO: The pandemic, of course, posed a big challenge
for us. Pastor Lam guided our church through eachstep.
RA: Yes, by putting each element of his guidance into
plain words.
TO: I recall, in the early days of our online worshipservices, he wrote in the church newsletter about themeaning of worship.
RA: For us, Pastor Lam is not a missionary, but asenior pastor who happens to be a foreigner.
CO: Perhaps it was good that in his case our church
did not have the kind of expectations that a church
might have for a foreign missionary.
JU: Any advice or suggestions for a Japanesespeaking church in working with a foreign missionaryor pastor?
RA: Pastor Lam and his wife are strongly committed
to living and working in Japanese community. If
someone has that sort of strong commitment, it willshow, and it will help build a trust relationship with any
Japanese church.

Pastor Lam (center) and the board members of Nerima Church of God(continued on page 3)

Feature
What matters is character (continued from page 2)

YM: Pastor and Mrs. Lam are friendly and seem tobe relaxed and comfortable about being in Japan, whichhelps build our friendship.
RA: Some of our church members, including me,
are ministry workers. Since Pastor Lam took thesenior leadership, we have come to be prayed for more
intentionally. I feel reassured and have a stronger senseof being sent out from the church.
Nerima Church of God in Nerima Ward

Twenty years and 14 missionary units (continued from page 1)

ing children of peace the Lord prepared among thestudents. Starting with the service of the two missionaries, core leadership living in Sakura Ward wasbirthed. Presently, two couples are guiding the groupas church planting leaders. The missionaries in the
project have changed several times, with a total ofeight different units having been involved. They serve
as supporting members of the planting team under theleadership of church members.
You may be envious to hear that we have received
14 missionary units. However, I would say, “It’s noteasy to serve together with missionaries.” There are
not only cultural differences, but differing theologicalpositions, differing sizes of churches each missionary
grew up in, differing perspectives toward finances,and so on. These factors are all brought into a setting
where missionaries have significant influence becauseof their perceived status. If pastors and church members are not equipped properly, missionaries will be asource of trouble rather than help.
On the other hand, when such diversity comes intoa church, imbalance is introduced into the community,a “chemical reaction” occurs, and the church has theopportunity to grow to the next stage.
Japanese pastors may be willing to accept missionaries to help with their current church activities. However, if the church’s missional vision is not clear, it
will be difficult when a mission organization provides
missionaries. When talking about “church planting,”
some churches think of starting another flock in different location as we did. Others might try to reach apeople group they have not touched before. For example, now that we are in a post-COVID-19 era, thispast June our church started Alpha (an introduction to
Christianity course) for people in their twenties. Ourcurrent missionary has been bringing more than 10
guests to each gathering, so we have had the chance toshare the gospel while providing a meal for them. Thiscan be another approach to church planting.
In order to make use of the good gifts of missionaries, we need to share our vision clearly and provide
accountability—while at the same time trusting themand giving them a certain amount of freedom. Sometimes, treating them like ordinary church members andmicromanaging them makes them feel suffocated. In
this post-COVID time, the number of the missionaries
who want to commit to Japan seems to be increasing. Actually, each mission organization in Japan has
been busy accepting new missionaries and arranging
their assignments. This trend is expected to increase.
In the meantime, local churches in each region of Japan must take leadership, have a clear mission vision,and cooperate with missionaries. To fill every cornerof Japan with the gospel, I dream that churches willcontinuously be born in cooperation between Japanesechurches and churches around the globe.
(Translated by Tomoko Kato)

3

Feature

Blessings and tips in working with international staff at KGK
Ryosuke Ikebuchi, Pastor, Student Ministry Director and Kansai Regional Director, KGKKGK started in 1947
as a movement voluntarily initiated by a groupof Japanese students.
Thus, unlike a numberof missional movements
in Japan initiated by foreign missionaries, we
make it a point to use
Ryosuke Ikebuchi
the Japanese name of theorganization. The abbreviation KGK derives from theromanized Japanese name of the organization, which
is Kirisutosha Gakusei Kai. I should note, however,that in the early years when the movement was small,missionaries were a constant presence in supporting
the mission activities of KGK. Kenneth Roundhill, thefirst missionary staff of KGK, began to work in 1958
and continued until 1990. He was a member of Worldwide Evangelisation for Christ (WEC). From the early
period until today, a number of missionary staff havesupported the KGK movement and blessed KGK in
many ways.
The first blessing may be the incarnational testimony displayed through the missionaries’ character. I
believe spiritual matters are communicated and passed
on, not only through Scripture, but also by way ofthe character of a person who speaks of and listens
to Scripture with you, and spends time with you. The
committed dedication and character of missionaries
developed through the course of their lives exudes avibrant spiritual message. Missionary staff members
would initially undergo a period of struggle in learning the Japanese language. Even in the midst of difficulty, they would begin to engage in student ministry
and interact with students. The gospel message gets
across to students, no matter what level of language
proficiency a missionary holds. It is their incarnate
testimony that effectively carries the message. As astudent, I was strongly impressed with the character ofthe KGK missionary staff. I believe students today arealso being blessed by the same positive impressions
from missionaries in the frontlines of student ministry.
The second blessing is that missionaries greatly
contributed to the development of the philosophy andculture of KGK as a mission organization. Most KGK
missionaries come to Japan after having been involved
with the International Fellowship of Evangelical Stu-

4

dents (IFES). They have helped form a KGK culture
based on their experience with IFES. Some of the fruitthat remains in the KGK movement until today includes having personal devotions, mutual spiritual andpastoral care, and Bible study and sharing in small
groups. Another contribution by some of the first missionary staff is that they emphasized to staff members that life is ministry. This working style has been
passed down until today. In a culture where people often work too hard, early KGK missionaries cautioned
against a working style that can be described as “ministry is life.” Their “life is ministry” working style
was based on the idea that it is a witness to display ahealthy lifestyle by taking sufficient rest and caring
for one's family well. For decades, this spirit has beenprotecting the families of our staff members. It also
has positively influenced the passing down of faith totheir children. This has been a healthy guideline in directing the overall lifestyle and way we work at KGK.
Third, missionaries have blessed KGK by providing
a broader perspective of mission in Japan in the context of global mission, and by showing what mission
means by their very presence. With great sacrifice,they come from overseas to minister in Japan, andserve right in front of our eyes. They show what it really means to engage in mission. When students heara prayer request regarding global mission, they can
associate the request with the KGK missionary staff
they personally know as a model of global mission.

Ikebuchi and his team in the KGK Kansai officeFeatureWorking together: JEMA's breakout session at JCE7
Simon Pleasants, Vice President, JEMA
During JCE7, JEMA ran a breakout session on
the topic “Missionaries — Asset or Liability?” This
provocative title reflects the reality that while many
missionaries want to come alongside Japanese leadersand help them, good intentions are not enough to ensure
a successful partnership. There are many pitfalls thatneed to be negotiated on both sides.
In the session, JEMA President Nathan Snow notedthat missionaries can enhance ministries in Japanesechurches by bringing many positive factors such as
enthusiasm, creative thinking, and an ability to attract
outsiders. But he also noted that they can be stubborn,
require energy and time, and create misunderstandings
due to cultural differences and communicationdifficulties. This was borne out by an on-the-spot
survey of the 26 in-person participants, which foundthat close to 80% of them had had positive experiencesof working with missionaries, rating them 4 or 5 ona 5-point scale. However, common sticking points
were communication problems (77.3%) and culturaldifferences (72.7%).
Nathan pointed out that the number one reason people
in ministry quit is personal relationship problems. But
he also noted that big wins are usually birthed out ofsteadily plugging away at cooperation. He explainedthat cooperation involves three stages: getting off to agood start; maintaining a good cooperative relationship;
and finishing well. His main focus was on the key areasthat need to be considered when initiating a cooperative
relationship.
He shared that many areas need to be discussed at
the outset. Some of them were fairly obvious topics
such as faith background, ministry experience, andqualifications, whereas others were more subtle such as
things you do and don’t enjoy doing.
As in all enterprises, it is critical for both parties tolay out their expectations for the relationship at the
beginning. This should extend to quite detailed things
such as the form of address used for the missionary, therole of their family, and when and how they will taketime off.
A key thing to discuss up front is finances. Since mostmissionaries are supported by churches in their homecountries, they can usually minister without drawing on
the finances of the Japanese church. Furthermore, many
will tithe their income to the church and even create
income through running programs like English classes.
While this is a great boon to the Japanese church, itNathan Snow speaking at the JEMA session

could create a hole when the missionary moves away.
Nathan noted some creative ways in which
missionaries and Japanese pastors can work as teams.
For example, a Japanese pastor will generally be ata church for the long haul and there is more shamefor him if an initiative flops. So Nathan suggested
an arrangement where the pastor takes the credit
for positive outcomes of joint ventures, while themissionary takes the blame for any failures. This cantake the pressure off the pastor and allow them to takerisks that they might not usually attempt.
In the last part of the seminar, Nathan presented
some thoughts about crisis management. He began
by pointing out that the best way to manage a crisis
is to prevent it from happening in the first place.
Also, after activities prescribed by the Bible such as
praying together, loving each other, and forgiving
each other, he said the best preventative measure isgood communication between parties. It is important
to decide before a crisis the best avenues forcommunication (e.g., SMS, email, telephone, meeting
directly, or going through a third party).
In summing up, Nathan said “I believe that the more
we serve each other, the more we can serve the flock
well together. If not, the sheep will soon find out.” Heencouraged missionaries and Japanese leaders to prayfor each other, encourage each other, and strengthen
each other. He also pondered the mystery of how God
uses imperfect people to accomplish his perfect plans.
Nathan closed by expressing JEMA’s desire to serveboth missionaries and local Japanese churches.
*A PDF of Nathan’s notes is available athttps://jema.org/seminar

5

News and Notes

FCA Japan celebrates 10th anniversary
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, FCA Japan, theJapan chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes,
hosted FCA Vision Night 2023 (“Vision Night”) on
March 30, 2023 in Ginza, Tokyo.
FCA was founded in the US in 1954 as an organization to bring the gospel to (and provide discipleshipfor) athletes and their coaches. FCA has grown today
to be an international ministry engaged in work in 114
countries.
In 2012, when FCA was expanding its sphere of activities to athletes and coaches residing outside of theUS, Will Thompson was sent to launch FCA Japan.
In addition to baseball clinics with professional players, support activities for the 2019 Rugby World Cup
in Japan, and organizing seminars and camps, FCA
Japan has published the Japanese version of Sports
Bible, a collection of testimonies by professional
Christian athletes. Huddles (small groups for coaches
and athletes) are also held regularly in Tokyo.
During Vision Night, Megumi Akiyama of Arise andShine Gospel Dance Company, and Kentaro Shigeta,a professional boxer, shared their testimonies about
how FCA Japan has been impacting their respective
careers. Matt Murton, former baseball player with the
Hanshin Tigers, provided a video greeting in which heexpressed thanks for his connections with FCA bothin the US and Japan.
Dan Britton, Chief Field Officer of FCA, greeted theassembly in person. He looked back over the past 10
years in Japan, during which time God has done wonderful things and provided two Japanese staff members.

Asking for the Lord's blessing on Ōba,the new Board Chair

Motoki Ōba was introduced as the new Board Chairof FCA Japan. He cast vision for the future, including discipleship for sports instructors, encouraging
Christians through huddles so they can be effective

6

witnesses, and revising the Sports Bible while looking
toward 2024. The event was concluded with a prayerfor Ōba as the international leaders of FCA laid handson him.
Christian Shimbun, April 16, 2023
Translated by Atsuko Tateishi

Face-to-face GRC hosted for the first timein five years

GRC23 attendees Photo by GRC

From May 3 to 6, The Global Returnees Conference (GRC), held in hopes of connecting returnee
Christians with Japanese churches and encouraging
the advancement of evangelism, was held face-to-face
for the first time in five years. The 240 attendees werefilled with joy as they gathered to glorify the Lord at
Hotel Evergreen Fuji in Fujiyoshida City, Yamanashi
Prefecture. GRC23’s theme was “Celebrate—an invitation from God.” The theme passage was John
2:1–11, with the central focus based on verse 9,“. . . though the servants who had drawn the water
knew.” (NIV)The guest speakers were Tetsuo Benjamin Kagiwada from Asahi Christ Church, Nobuyuki Toyoda from
New Life Christ Church, and Takeharu Yamaguchi
from New Hope Yokohama. Powerful sermons filledwith love and challenge were delivered each day. The
attendees were made aware of how they have the privilege to celebrate as God’s children through Christ.
Testimonies and mission reports were also sharedthroughout the conference. Various workshops andsmall group activities encouraged attendees to further
mature in their faith. Coming to know Christ is not theend of the story for returnees; many take part in various ministries, some even outside of Japan.

News and Notes

Planning for GRC23 had been tough, with the pandemic situation changing constantly. In John 2, theservants were given orders to bring more wine, andthey continued to fill the jars with water just because
Jesus told them to do so. Some of the servants may
have questioned the reason behind their actions. Somereturnee Christians may be in a similar situation, questioning why they have returned to Japan or the reason
for what is happening around them. But just like “theservants who had drawn the water knew” after being
faithful to what they were told to do, conference attendees, in a way that surpassed their expectations,experienced God’s working and his answer to their
desire to celebrate.
Christian Shimbun May 24, 2023
(Original report by Shiori Kisangala,
GRC23 Committee Leader)Translated and summarized by Hiromi Terukina

Professor Okinaga

A biblical approach to dealing with fear
On May 13, 2023, Missions Connex in partnershipwith Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary(SWBTS) hosted the Suicide Awareness & Prevention Workshop online. Participants in the workshop
received free suicide awareness and prevention training with Professor Jonathan Okinaga and Professor
Cheryl Bell of SWBTS.
Some practical advice was provided by Professor
Okinaga for those who are suffering from fear:• Refrain from caffeine and drink plenty of water.
• Sleep well.
• When consumed by fear, write down when it
started and why.
• Before going to sleep, read one or two online
sermons.

•

Read Ephesians 6 daily and put on the fullarmor of God.
• Exercise daily—go for walks, do workouts, etc.
• Eat a healthy diet—low blood sugar can cause
anxiety.
• Remember, you are not alone. Someday you canhelp another person who is also overcome byfear.
• Understand that life isn’t always perfect. It’s
normal to experience troubles in life.
The most frequent command in the Bible is “donot fear.” When helping someone overcome fear,use biblical truths. God’s Word is necessary inunderstanding that fear is a spiritual problem.
Professor Okinaga also gave some practical tips for
those helping people who are suicidal. Ask the person
suffering from fear whether or not they have felt
suicidal. It’s important to ask direct questions rather
than be vague or indirect. Since this is a life-or-deathmatter, we must be courageous with our words andactions.
Does the person have a specific plan for how they
will end their life? If they do, it means they areserious about committing the act and therefore wemust initiate emergency measures. With your active
behavior, the person will be able to feel your sincere
love and care for them. It may help in diverting themfrom taking action.
In urgent cases, the following points are important.
• The suicidal person must not be left alone until
all emergency measures have been taken.
• Make the person promise to call you (orsomeone else) if they feel like putting their plan
into action.
• Meet with the person daily until their desire to
take their life subsides.
For suicidal people, Jesus is the most important
person. When we share with them how Jesus changed
our lives, we can help them be freed from bondage
Christian Shimbun, October 16, 2022
Translated by Tomoko Kato

7

Please pray for Japan
1. The seventh Japan Congress on Evangelism in Tokai ended
with great success. Thank you for your prayer. Keep prayingthat all the generations in the Japanese church will work together to proclaim the gospel all over Japan.
2. Pray that the Holy Spirit will work through foreigner-friendly
ministries in Japan so that Japanese churches and ethnic
churches in Japan might be united in the bond of love.
3. Pray that more “Kingdom-minded” collaborations will happen among different ethnic churches in Japan and Japanesechurches. There are many opportunities, including ministry tochildren of mixed marriages, and so on.
4. Pray for young Christians and pray that God will raise up thenext generation of Christ-centered, gospel-driven leadersamong young Christians in Japan.

JEA related schedule
DATE		

EVENT

Oct. 23-26

AEA 40th Aniversary Conference Indonesia

Nov. 3		

EMNJ Bless Japan ConferenceTokyo

Dec. 1JEA Religious Liberty Seminar

OnlineDec. 11JEA Board MeetingTokyo

Jan. 20JEA/AEA D6 One-day Seminar

Tokyo

Autumn 2023 - Number 85
English Newsletter of theJapan Evangelical Association (JEA)
Chairman :Isao Mizuguchi
General Secretary : Takahito Iwagami
Japan Update is pub­lished biannuallyby the JEA. Through Japan Update, the
JEA seeks to communicate how God is
at work in Japan and to foster prayer
and collaborative work for the advancement of God’s kingdom in Japan. Views
expressed by in­di­vi­dual auth­ors do notneces­sarily reflect offi­cial JEA posi­tions.
Japanese names appear in Wes­tern order(sur­name last).
Per­m is­s ion to reprint is gran­t ed, butplease give cre­dit and send one copy of
any pub­li­ca­tion con­tain­ing reprin­ted material to the edi­tor.

PLACE

The seventh Japan Congress on Evangelism (JCE7), held at Nagaragawa Convention Center in Gifu, ended on September 22.
About 1,250 Christians, incuding senior andyoung church leaders, and lay people gathered together to think over and discuss evangelism in Japan. I have been priviledged to be part of the JCE7
steering committee.
One of the important topics of JCE7 is working with foreign
missionaries, which is exactly what we focus on in this issue. Of
course, it has not been and is not easy for both missionaries andJapanese churches to work together because of language and cultural differences. In fact, we have been facing many challenges.
It is certain that many foreign missionaries brought rich blessingsto Japanese churches. In this issue we would like to listen to both
voices and use this as a new opportunity to work together more
and more.
Takahito Iwagami, Editor in Chief

https://jeanet.org/

Japan Update

Japan Update Staff
Editor in Chief
Takahito Iwagami
Asst. Editor
Atsuko Tateishi
Translation Editor
Gary Bauman
Translation Staff             Tomoko Kato		       Grace Koshino
Hiromi Terukina
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