The Japanese represent the world’s second largest unreached people group.
While there has been faithful gospel ministry happening in Japan for many years, the spread of God’s Kingdom has been very slow. Just like in the West, there are many different denominations and churches with well-established traditions and structures. However, most local congregations in Japan are quite small, and Christianity is often perceived as being foreign to Japanese culture.
For a Japanese person to become and remain a Christian often requires great sacrifice. In a culture that places a high value on harmony and belonging to the group, becoming a Christian can feel very disruptive to relationships within the family, at school, at work, and in the community. The cost can feel even greater for a Japanese person to choose to serve as a pastor, church planter, or missionary.
Knowing our own daily need for refreshment in the gospel, the Nagoya team hopes to be a source of encouragement to Japanese Christians. We long to see God glorified in Japan as Japanese church leaders, churches, and communities are renewed by the good news of Jesus Christ.
What We Do in Japan – Nagoya
The Serge Nagoya team has a longstanding partnership with All Nations Fellowship (ANF), a bilingual multisite church in Nagoya. Through the church, the team offers internships and church planting apprenticeships to Japanese students at Christ Bible Seminary. ANF is a place where these budding leaders can test and practice their leadership skills, make mistakes, and eventually be sent out to serve in other places in Japan.
One of our previous apprentices stayed with the church and became the leader of our downtown campus. Other interns and apprentices are currently planting or serving in Japanese churches located in places like Nagoya, Toyama, Tokyo, and Aomori.
We imagine that future teammates might help establish similar partnerships with other local churches.
The Serge Nagoya team partners with the Church Planting Institute (CPI) of Japan to implement retreats and mentoring that focus on gospel renewal for church leaders.
Through CPI, we offer “Grace Week” retreats (based on Sonship Week), which have grown to be quite popular in recent years.
Japan is a hard place to be a Christian leader. Pastors and church planters are a tiny minority of a small sliver of the population, and it’s natural for them to become isolated and burn out before they get much traction.
Our team is always watching for and moving towards current and prospective Japanese church planters and their wives. We want them to know that the Good News they preach to others is also for them. We offer mentoring, training, and practical ministry help when that’s needed; but most importantly, we offer fellowship, prayer, and connection for Japanese church planters and their families.
We intentionally focus on Japanese Christian leaders who are open to planting new churches in Japan. Our team exists to be of support to those kinds of leaders. We see ourselves as catalysts for the kind of spiritual renewal among leaders that will lead to new and renewed churches all over Japan.
Meet The Team
Get Involved
Missions Opportunities: Japan – Nagoya
The team is seeking humble people who treasure God’s grace and desire to encourage, support, and serve alongside Japanese churches and church leaders as they follow Christ and His call to gospel ministry.
Some specific needs include individuals with gifts or experience in: hospitality, evangelism, the arts, mercy ministry, pastoral ministry, and youth and children ministry.
Japanese speakers and those willing to learn this difficult language are encouraged to apply.
Here are the ways you can join our team:
How You Can Pray
- For the church in Japan to grow in unity and love, and to be protected from dissension and the lies of Satan.
- For gospel renewal among Japanese church leaders that will propel them to lead their churches to be courageous for God’s Kingdom.
- For our team to be open and ready to joyfully pursue whatever the Spirit would have for us each day.
- For our team to have the hopeful confidence that God’s power is shown in our weakness and that His Kingdom will come in Japan.
