Pioneers Japan

Pioneers Japan has a small but growing presence in Japan. Our desire is to share the gospel of Jesus Christ to those areas of Japan that have little Christian influence. Wherever possible, we partner with national churches to support and strengthen the believers. We currently have people serving in Kamaishi, Ishinomaki, Nagoya, Hiroshima, Shimonoseki, and Fukuoka.

Our Vision

Pioneers’ vision statement is to mobilize teams to glorify God among unreached peoples by initiating church-planting movements in partnership with local churches.

Core Values

Our core values serve as the heart and focus of each team.

1. Passion for God—The Great Commandment is our motive for the Great Commission. We want to live our lives fully surrendered to him so that all nations may know that he alone is God.
2. Unreached Peoples—Pioneer focuses on those with the least opportunity to hear and understand the gospel.
3. Church-planting Movements—We want to see new believers united in fellowship with other believers, forming churches that plant churches—until all peoples are reached.
4. Ethos of Grace—Understanding that each person bears the image of God, we endeavor to cultivate an atmosphere of mutual acceptance and respect in all our relationships, encouraging each one to attain his or her full potential in Christ.
5. The Local Church—Pioneers partners with sending churches to plant new communities of Christians. We also work alongside local, indigenous fellowships wherever possible.
6. Team-centered—Teams that are both task- and member-focused are the core of Pioneers. This is crucial since many of the world’s remaining unreached peoples are in difficult and isolated pockets of the world.
7. Innovation and Flexibility—Reaching the world’s remaining unreached peoples requires creativity and sensitivity to the unique calling, vision, and needs of each missionary.
8. Participatory Servant-leadership—Pioneers has a decentralized leadership structure. We are principle-driven rather than policy-driven, applying an interactive approach to decision-making that is based on trust.

JAPAN Launch

To prepare new missionaries for long-term service and fruitfulness in ministry, Pioneers Japan has developed JAPAN Launch, which is a two-year process designed to:

• Support new missionaries as they systematically study Japanese language and culture.
• Provide skills and knowledge to evangelize and disciple in the Japanese context.
• Journey with new missionaries as they enter a country of intense spiritual warfare and learn to battle spiritually.
• Practice the skills necessary to flourish on a Pioneers team.
• Encourage character and spiritual formation as God prepares them to serve in a new context.

Pioneers Japan desires to partner with other mission organizations to become more effective at evangelizing and discipling our Japanese friends. We eagerly anticipate joining with God as he reaches this country.