There is no sign for the little church plant in Fukuoka. From the outside, the eight-story building boasts colorful logos for popular department stores, but the seed of spiritual life is discretely located in a rented space on the top floor.
In this modest environment, however, the smallest of the seeds is growing. Songs are sung in a beautiful interweaving of Japanese and English verses. Sermons are preached in the heart language of both the English ex-pats and the Japanese natives. In nine months of existence, this fledgling church has seen five baptisms, one new convert, and an ongoing English class for soft outreach.
This outreach component is one of the biggest challenges for the Japanese church. Unlike America, where the goal of new church plants is to attract those already seeking spiritual community, Japanese missions exists in an environment devoid of seekers. Signs make little difference. Google ads are largely irrelevant. Even most of the “outreach” events common in America are confusing in a culture that lacks foundational concepts like sin, heaven, or a singular God.
Instead, outreach means being intentional about creating personal connections. Making conversations over paper cranes with a stranger in the mall. Playing frisbee and volleyball on the beach with curious youth. Striking up a conversation with a stranger that begins with their In-and-Out Burger t-shirt and ends with an invitation to English Connect class. Broken English with unbroken community is the recipe for outreach in Japan. And none of this requires a theology degree.
Missions in Japan is for all mature believers – the career missionaries, the short-term missionaries, and also the career-minded. Anyone willing to live with intentionality, love, and self-sacrifice is a qualified candidate for paper crane evangelism.
