Japan
People Group
Japanese, Kanto, Tohoku, Okinawa
Major Religions
Shintoism, Buddhism
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SEND’s Ministry
The growing SEND Japan team offers opportunities for you to use your unique gifts and talents to proclaim Christ. We welcome creativity in ministry! Our teammates develop evangelistic relationships through Bible studies, conversational English classes, helping farmers harvest seaweed, cooking classes, YouTube videos, concerts, Christian education, and camp and youth ministries.
If you want to explore missions, our short-term Discipleship House (D-House) internship programs offer hands-on experience in cross-cultural ministry with an emphasis on discipleship.
No matter what type of outreach, in Japan you can help make disciples of Christ, with the goal of starting churches that will go on to start more churches.
Spiritual Climate
The Japanese are the world’s second-largest unreached people group. While Shintoism and Buddhism are major religions, materialism, ancestor worship, and group conformity also influence Japanese culture. Most Japanese consider Christianity a good, but irrelevant, foreign religion.
Team Goals
In the next five years, SEND Japan will:
- Begin actively engaging in the startup of five new reproducing churches in the Kanto region by 2030. We will cooperate with existing churches and deploy 30 SEND disciple-makers to this initiative.
- Engage people in the prefecture of Fukushima (one of the disaster-stricken zones from 2011) to bring the hope of Christ in word and action.
- Concentrate on discipleship in all our ministries.
- Develop a full program for 1- to 2-year missionary workers.
- Complete the second phase of the “Next Generation for Christ” project at Okutama Bible Chalet to develop new outreach and discipleship programs, build a new dining hall, and increase staff.
Life in Japan looks like:
- Open doors for evangelism
- The excitement of connecting every day with people in your community who have never heard the gospel
- Excellent public transportation and urban biking
- The beauty of seashore, forests, and mountains
- Amazing food
- Helpful, understanding people who know their language is hard and show grace toward foreigners who are learning to speak it
- Celebrating every step on the journey people take toward Jesus
- Praying for friends who know the gospel but struggle to trust Christ fully
Would you be a good fit for this team?
Japan’s unique culture attracts missionaries who enjoy developing long-term relationships. You will need patience, as Japanese people tend to slowly grow in their knowledge of and commitment to Christ. Flexibility, willingness to adapt to the culture, and perseverance in language learning will help you thrive in Japan. SEND Japan is our oldest field, and our well-established team structures mean you will have ample support as you grow in ministry.
