Acclimatizing to Japan
Attending a multilingual church can reduce transition stress for new missionaries
As a fishkeeper, I know that a new fish cannot be released straight from its bag into my tank. Rather, I must first float the bag in the water of its new home. When the temperature of the bag water is the same as the aquarium water, I then slowly add water from the aquarium into the bag before finally releasing the fish in my tank. This process is called acclimatization, without which the new fish might die from shock due to the sudden change of environment.
The principle of acclimatization in my fish-keeping hobby applies in member care as well. In the same way that a fish goes through this process to ensure its initial survival in a new place, new missionaries need help acclimatizing to the mission field. Otherwise, they may suffer significant cultural and linguistic stress that reduces their overall quality of life and, in turn, creates the desire to return to their home countries prematurely.
Acclimatization in the context of member care can take the form of allowing time for new missionaries to adjust slowly, to help them set up a new “home” base in Japan, and to start learning the language.
A place for multilingual churches
In addition, new missionaries should ideally have a place to worship with other believers as part of their ongoing spiritual growth. In the past, many missionaries had no choice but to attend local Japanese churches, even if they hadn’t started learning the Japanese language. To use the fish-keeping analogy, they were released from their bag straight into the new aquarium. Sink or swim, they had the hard task of starting from the deep end of church life in Japan.
Church is supposed to be a place for connection with God and with God’s people. But because of language and cultural barriers, many new missionaries feel a disconnect with God and local Christians when attending a Japanese church. Of course, some fish are hardier than others and can survive being released straight from the bag into a new environment. Likewise, some missionaries prefer to be immediately immersed into a Japanese-only church and even thrive there. Others, however, find the experience disorientating, isolating, and discouraging.
Thankfully, there are churches in Japan that are either multilingual or international. I happen to serve in one such church. In 2022, we had a missionary couple attend my church for six months before they moved on to an all-Japanese church. Here is what the couple wrote about their time:
As new missionaries in Japan, everything was quite new to us: the language, the culture, the food, and even day-to-day errands. The adjustment was drastic. We were placed at this church for the first half year or so. I think it was a great location for us as we were just starting our ministry in Japan. The church had a good mix of Japanese and English, so it was a great place to practice the Japanese we were learning at language school while still being able to use English to communicate with the pastor and other congregants. There were also several foreigners at the church who had lived in Japan for many years, so they were able to answer questions and give advice as we adjusted to our new life.
It was a place where both our spiritual and physical needs were being met. When one moves to a new culture, there are many things you will face that you didn’t anticipate. The adjustment period is crucial for new missionaries and their long-term service. It was helpful having a church community that could support us as we adjusted to life in Japan. We are grateful for our time there, as it provided a church community where we could slowly adjust to full-time ministry and life in Japan.
This is only one story; it does not mean that all new missionaries should be placed in an international church, even if the option is available. But it highlights the potential of multilingual or international churches for acclimatizing new missionaries.
Settling into a new environment is always stressful, so perhaps such churches may be one answer to reducing stress that new missionaries face. Doing so might enable them to overcome the initial hurdles and eventually thrive in Japan.