Is It Possible to be Japanese and Christian?

Brianna Langley • Aug 15, 2017

When Kira* accepted Christ, she thought she had everything she needed.

Kira and her friend, Azumi*, found Jesus while living in America for their husbands’ jobs. They both joined a large church that was full of energy and strong ministries.

But after five years overseas, Kira returned to Japan , and quiet loneliness engulfed her like a fog.

No one understood her new beliefs, including her own husband. He wanted her to stay home on Sundays because those were his days off from work. When she found a Christian mom’s group, he discouraged her from going because of the money she would have to spend on bus fare.

Additionally, her young sons’ grandparents insisted they participate in Buddhist coming-of-age ceremonies.

Kira became confused and discouraged. Was it even possible to be both Japanese and Christian?

In the years to come, she and Azumi would answer that question in two very different ways.

The Paradox and the Pressure

“It’s important to, if you find [a Japanese national] who’s really open and does confess faith, get them to study the Bible on their own before they come back to Japan,” says TEAM missionary Roberta Peabody. “Or else, you’re just sending somebody back who has no clue what it is to be both Japanese and Christian.”

Since 2011, Roberta has worked with Japanese Christian Fellowship Network (JCFN) to minister to Japanese Christian returnees, people who leave their country for work or school and return with a brand new faith.

While they are away, Japanese nationals are much more likely to embrace Christianity because “they’re on their own without their nonreligious parents or their Buddhist parents,” says Roberta.

However, American Christians don’t always know how to effectively disciple new Japanese Christians.

“It’s a whole education process because some [Americans] who work with Japanese students think they’re fine once they’ve accepted the Lord and that they’ll go home and find a church, but they don’t realize … there could be a whole bunch of family pressure placed on them when they get home ,” explains Roberta.

Japanese returnees are expected by their family, friends and culture to still participate in Buddhist and/or Shinto rituals like praying to dead ancestors.

Women are expected to marry as soon as possible instead of waiting for a Christian spouse.

Men are expected to find work in a good company by whatever means possible, regardless of Christian moral standards.

Without training on how to live their new convictions in Japanese society , Christian returnees are often discouraged to the point of abandoning their faith.

“They get to a point within the first two years, if they don’t find some fellowship or a church, where a lot of them will just cast their Christian faith away, thinking, ‘Well, that must have just been part of my overseas experience ,’” says Roberta.

That’s where the returnee ministry comes into play.

Keeping It Personal

Roberta says the key to a successful returnee ministry is to focus more on person-to-person interaction than anything else.

“It’s not just getting returnees to our events,” she says. “It’s getting them to meet other people like themselves.”

Some Japanese congregations welcome returnees; others are suspicious of the American Church’s influence because they believe American churches are too liberal.

“There’s a big gap between American church style and Japanese church style, and that’s one of the problems,” says Roberta. “It’s one of the reasons people… don’t feel comfortable here like they did in America.”

While American churches tend to have more casual and progressive services, Japanese churches tend to be more traditional and formal.

Sometimes the fear of landing in an unwelcoming Japanese congregation can paralyze returnees into not going anywhere.

But Roberta and her co-workers walk with returnees, connecting them with other returnees and encouraging them as they search for the right church home.

Aside from a main returnee group in Tokyo, JCFN has several regional small groups scattered throughout Japan that meet on a regular basis and actively seek out other Christian returnees to connect with.

Roberta also uses Facebook to communicate with Christians who are discipling Japanese believers in America.

Azumi’s Story

Unfortunately, Kira didn’t hold onto her faith in Jesus. Despite her friendship with Azumi, the lack of support she received at home made it difficult to stand firm in her new beliefs.

Azumi, on the other hand, was able to deepen her relationship with the Lord thanks to a variety of factors.

Although Azumi’s husband doesn’t believe the Gospel, he supported Azumi in finding a local church family and strengthening her faith through community.

She also met Roberta shortly after returning to Japan, who then connected her with JCFN and the returnee ministry.

The spiritual encouragement Azumi received from the returnee ministry then propelled her to start an English Bible class in her hometown for a group of Japanese ladies who’d also been in the States with her and whose husbands all work in the same company and underwent the same international transfer.

Now, four years later, the class is still meeting and studying the Bible on a regular basis. Half the class members are Christians, and the other half are getting to hear the Word of God, perhaps for the first time.

Because of the returnee ministry’s impact on Azumi, many others now have the opportunity to learn about Christ’s love. And if you have given to TEAM or prayed with us, we want to thank you for making that possible!

*Names changed

By Suzanne Pearson 19 Mar, 2024
Previously on the TEAM blog, we sat down with Justin Burkholder (pictured above at left, with TEAM's Executive Director of Communications, Aaron Catlin). Justin will become TEAM’s next International Director on July 1, 2024. Justin shared about his background, family, and the journey that led him to TEAM. Check out that interview here . Today, we pick up the conversation as Justin shares how God called him to the role of International Director, and what he sees for the next chapter in TEAM’s work in the global Church. Q: How and when did you first consider applying for the position of International Director? How did the Lord reveal Himself to you as this opportunity presented itself? A: For some time, I have been evaluating how God wants me to use the gifts He has given me. Jenny and I have had a fruitful ministry in church planting in Guatemala and would happily continue doing so as God leads. However, as God blessed my efforts in TEAM leadership, there were friends and family who expressed that I should consider using my gifts in the International Director role. I don’t believe that everything necessarily rises and falls on leadership, but I do believe that it is a core component in the body of Christ. Using the gifts God has given me is a way that I want to bless the body of Christ in TEAM, making my contribution to the global purposes of God’s mission. Jenny and I spent a lot of time praying about this and decided that I should put my name in for consideration, trusting God’s guidance. We had a tremendous amount of peace throughout the entire process and were blessed by the prayer-filled process that the board undertook. Q: This is a key role in a large and complex organization, and I’m sure this was a big decision for you and your family. What were your fears or concerns? Why did you ultimately decide to accept the position? A: You say “were” like the fears have passed! I still am quite aware of my youth and inexperience - of the responsibility and weight of this role. Mostly, I’m afraid of leading an organization like TEAM in the flesh. Many of the fears that I have faced have been fears rooted in fleshly desires and concerns. I have no desire to succeed in the world’s eyes and fail in the Kingdom of Jesus. Why did I ultimately decide to accept the position? I’m convinced that the Good News about Jesus is true. The tomb is empty, Jesus is King, and the world needs to know, because Jesus is coming back. He will put things in order. He will establish righteousness, peace, and justice for all mankind, and He has commissioned His Church to proclaim and demonstrate His rule and reign. I want to use my gifts to do whatever I can to amplify the proclamation of this message and the multiplication of His Church around the world. Q: What are your goals and vision for the future of TEAM? A: This is something that I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about. I’m certainly not ready to present a fully-shaped vision and goals for TEAM’s future without the input of other people in different contexts in TEAM. But, I will share a few things that I think are important: First, we need to model God-Dependence . I am hopeful that as leaders in TEAM, we can continue to model God-Dependence. As Hudson Taylor said years ago “…God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” I am hopeful that we can increase our sense of faith in God, prayer, and seeking direction from the Spirit. Secondly, we must strengthen our relational fabric . Due to the changes that we have experienced by decentralizing our home office functions, and the challenges from the pandemic, we have experienced a loss of relationships. It is imperative that we intentionally prioritize the building of relationships with one another. I plan to visit our workers and staff, and I am expectant that other key leaders and staff will be doing the same. Third, we must pursue the greater presence of the global Church. The Kingdom of Jesus Christ doesn’t look like any single geopolitical, ethnic, or racial culture. If we want to truly see the Kingdom of Jesus come on earth as it is in heaven, then we as citizens of this Kingdom must learn from one another, submit to one another, and grow with one another. The missional potential of the global Church has been unleashed by God’s Spirit since Acts 1, and we have an opportunity to learn from many brothers and sisters in Christ who can help us to better model and proclaim the Kingdom of Jesus to those who have yet to believe. Lastly, we must increase our Gospel boldness . There are still many places of great spiritual blindness and spiritual brokenness around the world. The apostolic impulse of cross-cultural organizations should call us to the to the edges of where the Kingdom of Jesus is not penetrating. Whether spiritual blindness and brokenness exists because of lack of access, idolatry, injustice, or any other myriad of reasons, I prayerfully hope to see more and more TEAM workers continue to move into spaces of great Gospel need.
By Suzanne Pearson 08 Mar, 2024
Through God-ordained partnerships and creative connections, TEAM worker Keith Moore sees the global Church advancing in amazing ways. In the global missions landscape, a phrase that comes up often is “from everywhere, to everywhere.” God is calling His global Church in literal new directions, as He raises up cross-cultural workers to be sent from places that were once on the receiving end of missions work. We call this movement “polycentric sending.” TEAM workers Dawn and Keith Moore have seen first-hand this transition taking place. Their story involves the unlikely but beautiful intersection of Charlotte, North Carolina; Tegucigalpa, Honduras; and Memphis, Tennessee...and beyond. The Path to Honduras Keith and Dawn joined TEAM in 1991 and served as church planters for nine years in Bogota, Colombia. After safety concerns precipitated their return to the States in 1999, they knew they wanted to continue serving in Latin America. The Moores felt called to Honduras but wanted to connect with a strong missional church to help send them. The Lord orchestrated a collaboration with Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. “Some people asked, ‘Why Honduras? Missionaries have been there for 100 years. It’s already reached,’” Keith says. “But there’s a whole section of Latin America that had not been reached - the upper crust.” Keith goes on to explain that he and Dawn felt called to reach college-educated professionals in Honduras – a ministry vision that resonated with the missional goals of Bellevue Baptist. Impact and Growth With the support of this new church partnership as well as another sending church in Birmingham, Alabama, the Moores embarked on their next adventure. Keith and Dawn started Impacto Honduras Church from scratch, and in less than 20 years, the church grew into four locations with 1600 total members. The Moores and other TEAM workers also created a “Bible school” type training program to help professionals who feel a call to ministry to make that transition. Throughout this period of explosive growth, church partnerships played an integral role. “It’s such a different vision when you have a church that says, ‘OK, this is our deal, we want to make this happen,’” Keith explains. “They helped us with everything. They took away every single obstacle to growth. Every time we needed something, they were there.” In 2017, the Moores once again found themselves on the verge of another decision. Was it time to leave Honduras? “I had no desire to leave,” Keith recalls. “People were coming to Christ every week! It was just so amazing.” However, back in the U.S., Keith and Dawn’s parents were in their 80s and would soon be in need of more care. “We realized that either we would leave in a crisis, or we would leave strategically,” says Keith. The couple began to implement a careful succession plan. By the time they left, the four churches were established with strong, Honduran leadership ready to carry on the work of the Gospel.
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