Mission to the World
JPM/MTW Japan Vision: A Biblical Church Planting Movement that is healthy, reproducing, and increasingly indigenous
History
The Presbyterian Church in America’s (PCA) Mission to the World (MTW) is our current agency, but our roots go back to Bible-believing Presbyterian missionaries in 1948. They began Japan Presbyterian Mission (JPM) and Tokyo Christian Theological Seminary (TCTS). Several graduates started churches that later became the Presbyterian Church in Japan. TCTS later joined Tokyo Christian College to form Tokyo Christian University.
The Presbyterian Church in Japan
Church plants in the 1950s grew into a solid, indigenous church of 2,500 worshipers in 64 churches. JPM continues close partnership with the Presbyterian Church in Japan (PCJ), but we are not “under” the PCJ. Japanese Christians have loaned JPM about US$800,000 in church bonds since 2001 to help us purchase four ministry buildings in Nagoya and Chiba, reflecting the close trust relationship that continues.
Increased from 15 to 60 career missionaries since 1996
Our USA “Japan Partnership” borrowed the theme “Pray for the 70!” from OMF’s history. (Hudson Taylor borrowed it from Luke.) God is answering these prayers. More than 50 of our 60 missionaries had a Japan short-term mission connection. Since 1996 over 1,000 short-term team members, gap-year interns, and other short termers have come, including hundreds to serve in the tsunami relief effort. Many have now become career missionaries or are in the process. A healthy PCA stateside church base, and partnerships with Australian and Korean evangelical Presbyterians also helps us grow. Pushing the compelling need of lost Japan and inviting all candidates to serve on church planting teams seems to help mobilize this generation.
Church planting priority over revitalization
It is clear that JPM has helped Kingdom advancement most by starting new churches. We give some resources to church revitalization and we pray. But new birth is less difficult than resurrection. New churches generally grow faster, have more baptisms, younger people, and mobilize more leaders for the future.
Missionaries also doing church planting
Some modern “experts” are against this. But Japan is the world’s second largest unreached people group. We need aggressive church planting by God-called workers regardless of their passport country. We long for more Japanese church planters, of course. Our missionaries often work under Japanese pastors. But we gladly have those of our missionaries gifted as church planters do church planting. The Great Commission trumps recent extra-Biblical mission philosophy. Healthy new churches birth new Japanese workers.
Tokyo city center church planting
Since 2009 we began putting significant resources into this in partnership with Redeemer PCA of New York City (see Tim Keller’s video at www.mtwjapan.com). Grace City Church Tokyo already averages about 160 worshipers. The worship venue near Tokyo station costs ¥180,000 for five hours each Sunday. God is blessing the investment with much fruit. Our Community Arts Tokyo ministry was also born from this work. Two more churches began worship in 2015. Roppongi International Presbyterian Church is next, Lord willing.
Christian schools for Japanese and missionary children
JPM started the International Christian Academy Nagoya (school) in Nagoya and Covenant Community School International in Chiba to deepen our ministries in these cities.
Christ Bible Seminary(CBS)/Institute Nagoya
Japan desperately needs more Japanese church leaders. We started CBS recently to provide seminary training for the Nagoya region. God provided a large four-story building near Nagoya JR station. CBS sponsored “Love Japan” with John Piper in 2014. We pray that God will use CBS to raise a host of godly, well-trained laborers for all of Japan.
Gospel-centeredness our most important value
The gospel is our greatest need for ourselves and for our ministries. We confess with John Newton (and the Apostle Paul) that we know two things: I am a great sinner, and Jesus is a great Savior for sinners.
We pray for Holy Spirit power as we attempt great things for God, and continue to expect great things from God for the lost in Japan.