The 7th Japan Congress on Evangelism
The 7th Japan Congress on Evangelism (JCE7), one of the largest evangelical gatherings in Japan, was held September 19–22 at the Nagaragawa Convention Center in Gifu City, Gifu Prefecture. JCE7 was hosted by its own steering committee in affiliation with the Japan Evangelical Association (JEA).
Following the event’s theme of “Beginning from the End: Working Together in the Mission of the Church,” each of the three plenary sessions featured a sermon and a panel discussion in the morning, followed by a number of breakout sessions called Action Group Times (AGTs) in the afternoon and evening. There are 14 ongoing JCE Projects, each of which hosted an AGT.
The congress was held in hybrid format, attended both in person and online. Time was allotted for small groups throughout the congress to promote active participation. The congress host made sure that everyone making an appearance on stage during the plenary sessions was under 50 years old in order to prioritize the experiences of the younger generation. JEA’s Mission Research Division also included their official event guidebook, JCE7 Evangelism Guide 2023, which was published by Word of Life Press Ministries.
During the final session of the congress, attendees recited the Tokai Declaration: our prayer “Beginning” from the “End.” The declaration is a call for greater mission cooperation beyond positions, denominations, regions, and cultures.
Among the major issues discussed at the congress were generation gaps, the Japanese diaspora overseas, and the needs of foreigners living in Japan. Case studies were presented regarding a merger of two churches across denominations, and a cooperative missional exercise developed by the United Church of Christ in Japan. Many groups and denominations participating in JCE7 noted shrinking church membership, the decrease in the number of ministers, and general population aging as some of the common issues facing churches.
JCE7 also welcomed guests from overseas, including the general secretary of the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) and the leadership of the Korea Evangelical Fellowship.
Multiple AGTs challenged participants to accept discomfort and to embrace people of other cultures. JCE began as unity under biblical faith and against nationalism, and these issues need to be addressed anew.
On the day before JCE7, the Tokai Festival was held in cooperation with local churches in the Tokai region. Several local music ministry groups performed together and hosted gatherings targeted at children and young people. The Salt & Light Network, a platform connecting local laypeople’s expertise in the church, also met face-to-face for the first time at the event. Masanao Shibahashi, the mayor of Gifu City and also a Christian, made a speech on his view of faith in his career during the youth gathering.
On the evening of September 21, the Global Night program was broadcast with simultaneous translation into five languages: Portuguese, Nepalese, Spanish, Indonesian, and Korean. Members of foreign-language churches in Japan gathered together for singing, dancing, listening to the Word of God, and prayer.
Another post-congress event, the Global Japanese Christian Forum, met on the afternoon of September 22. The program featured a returnee Christian’s testimony and details on a collaborative initiative between receiving churches in Japan and sending churches in Michigan, USA. It was sad to hear that of the Japanese who become Christians overseas, 70% to 80% do not continue in the faith when they return to Japan.
From Christian Shimbun, October 1, 2023 and December 24/31, 2023
Translated by Atsuko Tateishi