FWBIM (Free Will Baptist International Missions)
Free Will Baptist International Missions (FWBIM, of which Japan Free Will Baptist Missions is a part) has moved from pioneer-type work to facilitation and partnerships. Thirty years ago many of our workers went to places to pioneer the only existing evangelical church. Today we find ourselves talking with mature leaders from our FWB works in places like Brazil, Cuba, Cote d’Ivoire, India, Japan, Panama, etc. We are asking God to help us all reach farther together. We have moved from jack-of-all trade people to specialists who facilitate ministry by training, mentoring, and working alongside local workers.
FWBIM sent its first missionaries to Japan in December 1954. Less than two years later in August 1956, following language school in Tokyo, the Calverys moved to Abashiri, Hokkaido to plant a church. In 1961, they moved to Bihoro, and planted a church there too. These churches form the center for our rural outreach work in Eastern Hokkaido. The team of national pastors and missionaries has a vision that includes the unreached and under-reached towns and communities in this region of Hokkaido.
In October 1966 our mission started our first church plant in Sapporo. Sapporo and surrounding cities have become the center for our work in central Hokkaido. We have five national pastors and six churches partnering with our missionaries to reach out to the more than 2,000,000 people who live in this area.
Our mission efforts in our third main area, Kanto, began in 1961 and continue today. Several new missionary families have joined our veteran missionaries and national workers who have been faithfully working in Kanto. The new workers bring with them energy, talents, and vision for the future. We look forward to the good things God has in store for Kanto and Japan.
At FWBIM, we realize we are not the only ones charged with the task of mission. We work alongside and in conjunction with other like-minded Great Commission Christians to take the gospel to the least-reached peoples of the world. We have dedicated the first 80 years of our existence as a mission (61 in Japan) to this task and the task hasn’t changed. But we are adapting to current needs to be the best stewards of the resources God gives us, as well as striving to be strategic in our efforts in a new era for Christian missions.
In 2015 we have 16 career missionaries and 4 missionary interns assigned to the field of Japan. This is the largest number that we have ever had assigned to our field here. However we are not closing the door to others who might wish to join us in laboring with the body of Christ to fulfill the Great Commission. It is all for His glory.
