by Yoshiya Hari
Director, Asian Access Japan

I became a pastor in 2003 and took over a church planted by missionaries. Ever since, I have been blessed to preach the gospel together with missionaries. Since 2011, I have served as the National Director of the mission organization アジアン・アク セス・ジャパン (Asian Access Japan). This has allowed me to collaborate with local churches in various places in Japan by sending missionaries to them.

When I was asked to write this article, I made a list of the names of all the medium- to long-term missionaries who have worked directly with our church for longer than one year during the time I have been pastor. I was surprised to realize there have been 14 units (counting a couple as one unit) during the past 20 years. As I remembered their faces, I sincerely thanked God for his grace in giving them to us. At the same time, all of the troublesome memories about working with foreign missionaries came back to me—although most of those difficulties happened because of my inexperience.

The blessing of cooperating with missionaries is, of course, that a church can stay on the missional cutting edge. A church can gain centrifugal force and create missional expansion.

In 2014, the Lord guided me to work on getting churches planted in unchurched cities in Japan. During our research, we found that the biggest unchurched city in Japan was Sakura Ward [ed.—pop. nearly 100,000], one of the ten wards of the Saitama City metropolitan area—only 10 kilometers from our church. So as a congregation, we decided to plant a new church there. Three Christians were found to live in that ward, so we shared our vision with them. Since Sakura Ward is home to a university, we decided to start with outreach to university students.

The blessing of cooperating with missionaries is, of course, that a church can stay on the missional cutting edge. A church can gain centrifugal force and create missional expansion.

Around the same time, two missionaries were assigned to our church, so we shared the church planting vision for Sakura Ward with them. We read Luke 10 together over and over and then started outreach by finding children of peace the Lord prepared among the students. Starting with the service of the two missionaries, core leadership living in Sakura Ward was birthed. Presently, two couples are guiding the group as church planting leaders. The missionaries in the project have changed several times, with a total of eight different units having been involved. They serve as supporting members of the planting team under the leadership of church members.

You may be envious to hear that we have received 14 missionary units. However, I would say, “It’s not easy to serve together with missionaries.” There are not only cultural differences, but differing theological positions, differing sizes of churches each missionary grew up in, differing perspectives toward finances, and so on. These factors are all brought into a setting where missionaries have significant influence because of their perceived status. If pastors and church members are not equipped properly, missionaries will be a source of trouble rather than help.

On the other hand, when such diversity comes into a church, imbalance is introduced into the community, a “chemical reaction” occurs, and the church has the opportunity to grow to the next stage.

Japanese pastors may be willing to accept missionaries to help with their current church activities. However, if the church’s missional vision is not clear, it will be difficult when a mission organization provides missionaries. When talking about “church planting,” some churches think of starting another flock in different location as we did. Others might try to reach a people group they have not touched before. For example, now that we are in a post-COVID-19 era, this past June our church started Alpha (an introduction to Christianity course) for people in their twenties. Our current missionary has been bringing more than 10 guests to each gathering, so we have had the chance to share the gospel while providing a meal for them. This can be another approach to church planting.

In order to make use of the good gifts of missionaries, we need to share our vision clearly and provide accountability—while at the same time trusting them and giving them a certain amount of freedom. Sometimes, treating them like ordinary church members and micromanaging them makes them feel suffocated. In this post-COVID time, the number of missionaries who want to commit to Japan seems to be increasing. Actually, each mission organization in Japan has been busy accepting new missionaries and arranging their assignments. This trend is expected to increase. In the meantime, local churches in each region of Japan must take leadership, have a clear mission vision, and cooperate with missionaries. To fill every corner of Japan with the gospel, I dream that churches will continuously be born in cooperation between Japanese churches and churches around the globe.

Yoshiya Hari

(Translated by Tomoko Kato)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rev. Yoshiya (Joshua) Hari is the pastor of Saikyo Nozomi Chapel and has been the A3 Japan National Director since 2011. He works with leaders across Japan to grow networks and inspire a church multiplication movement with an eye for those areas without a church. Due to the Great East Japan Disaster, he had a special assignment to serve for one year in relief work through CRASH Japan and maintains close ties to the Tohoku region.

yhari@asianaccess.org

 More Information

• This article was originally published in Japan Update, Issue #85 Autumn 2023 and reposted here with permission by Japan Evangelical Association.
• Photo credits:
  • Header photo of Tokumeien Zen Garden in Takasaki, Japan by Lucas Calloch on Unsplash [IG: @dreiimos]
  • Photo of Japanese maple with Fall colors (below) in Portland Japanese Garden by David Wirzba on Unsplash
• If interested in serving in Japan through a missional partnership between A3 and SIM International, visit go2japan.org.

主の御名を崇めて賛美いたします。
激動の２０２２年も終わりに近づいている今日この頃、いかがお過ごしでしょうか。
コロナ禍で開催ができずにおりました、アジアンアクセスジャパン大会を開催することになりました。

今回のテーマは『２０２０から２０３０へ』として、２０２０ビジョンを掲げて歩んで来た今までの恵を振り返りつつ、激動する時代の中で考えさせられている現実を共有し、それを踏まえて２０３０年に向けて再出発する時とできればと考えております。

初日には、前アジアンアクセス総裁のダグラスバーザル師と、現総裁のハンドレージョー師をお迎えして今までの歩みを覚え、夜には祝賀会を開催します。
二日目は、現在研修を行なっている、教会指導者研修生とU30牧師研修生の牧師たちから、未来の日本宣教への提言をしていただき、それを踏まえて参加者皆さんでディスカッションをしていきたいと思います。
三日目は、これから具体的にどのように歩んでいけばいいのか、アクションプランなどを自由に考え合い、一緒に出発していきたいと思います。

３年ぶりの対面での開催となりますアジアンアクセスジャパン大会に、ぜひご参加いただけますようにご案内いたします。

対象者は、牧師、伝道師、神学生、信徒、宣教師、日本宣教に関心のある方ならどなたでもご参加くださって結構です。

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The December 2021 Report has been published in Japanese and is now available here...

アジアンアクセス・ジャパン2021年12月号を公開しました。

The December 2021 Report has been published in Japanese and is now available here...

▷レポートのダウンロードはこちらから

▷ Download 202112A2J Report (Japanese)

Originally published by A2/Japan here...

AN INTERVIEW WITH REV. YOSHIYA HARI, ASIAN ACCESS JAPAN NATIONAL DIRECTOR AT 10-YEAR MARK OF 3.11

Translated by Mary Jo Wilson

Q: What are some of your initial thoughts as we stand at the ten-year mark since the Triple Disasters hit Northeastern Japan?

Well, my first thought is that it’s hard to believe it’s been ten years. The time has gone so fast. From this vantage point, it’s clear what a huge turning point it was, both in my life and in the life of my church, and I could say even in the life of the church across Japan and for Asian Access Japan. It’s been a huge turning point.

Q: Tell us more about your personal turning point.

My calling as a pastor and my commitment to serve as A2Japan National Director started before the 3.11 Disasters. I was actually commissioned as National Director just days before 3.11 in 2011. In that first year I witnessed the strength of the Global Church in their massive response with volunteers, finances, donations. It was like a beautiful tidal wave of compassion and blessing and prayer on those tiny, suffering churches. That really impacted me personally. As God’s servant I have to go beyond my Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria and I began to see the importance of that geographical distance in my calling.

Q: How has this experience changed your ministry?

I’ve witnessed Jesus’ heart, his profound compassion. It’s described in Matthew 9:36, “When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” In that same way, so many felt compassion for those suffering from the disasters, they felt the pain and were moved to help, to bring hope. I also felt that deep compassion, my heart was broken when I saw the destruction and suffering.

“When Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” —Matthew 9:36

Then I realized that I looked on these people with compassion because of the disasters, but Jesus looked on them with compassion long before then. He saw them living ‘as sheep without a shepherd’. They were without a church, but no one was saying, “Let’s go help.” When Jesus led his disciples from town to town, it was not a disaster area. It was people just living their ordinary lives. I began to realize the importance of hearing the cries for help from those places where no one is going.

Q: Has it changed how you pray?

After the disaster the scale of work to be done was beyond imagination—moving rubble, clearing mud, delivering relief—but the workers were so few. The passage in Matthew continues with Jesus saying, “The harvest is huge, but the workers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers…” Every day we asked for God to send more workers. As people left, we prayed for more to come. That work is done and all the relief workers have gone home, but we still need to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send workers, workers for a spiritual revival. If you look at it that way, it has nothing to do with the disaster. His compassion, his workers, are needed everywhere. My prayer is that we could send workers to those who are overlooked.

Q: What about the next ten years?

Out of the disaster, we formed disaster relief networks. I’d like to see that go even further, not just networks in response to disasters, but networks in areas where there are few workers. I’d like to see us turn our eyes and join together to go to those places where Christ is least known and there are very few workers. It’s a kind of organic movement where we take what we’ve learned from the experience of delivering physical goods and apply it to the spiritual world. We do this because we are the Church, and personally, I’d like to do that central work of Christ for the next ten years.

Q: How would you like us to pray?

Pray for more workers to be sent to the harvest, especially that God will send workers from this next generation, even those who were teenagers ten years ago and are now in their twenties. I’d also like to see an intentional investment in Fukushima prefecture. Now that ten years have passed it’s clear that Fukushima has not experienced the same level of recovery, of assistance as other prefectures. I’m especially praying for young leaders to be raised up in Fukushima, so we can come alongside them for sustainable work.

Pray that we will take what we’ve learned from our experiences in eastern Japan and begin to see organic connections between prefectures and sending short-term teams all across Japan. That is my prayer.

As the second-largest unreached people group in the world, Japan has almost always been 0.5% Christian. So how does that change, to say 2%? It has to be multiplication, multiplying disciples, multiplying churches. We must pray for the multiplication of workers and disciples across Japan, especially for this mindset to be shared across churches. We’re starting to see this happen.

Q: Any thoughts on the current “disaster”—COVID-19 pandemic?

As the Church, we should take advantage of this season to consider the deep changes that need to take place. That’s how I want people to pray. I think all Japanese were impacted in some way from the disasters in northeastern Japan. For some, it may be just a superficial change, which doesn’t really last. But for others, including pastors and churches, it has caused deep and significant changes. I pray that the pandemic will likewise cause deep changes in us. I include myself. I want to see real change in my life. That’s my prayer.

Yoshiya Hari

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Rev. Yoshiya (Joshua) Hari is pastor of Saikyo Nozomi Chapel and has been the A2 Japan National Director since 2011. He works with leaders across Japan to grow networks and inspire a church multiplication movement with an eye for those areas without a church. Due to the Great East Japan Disaster, he had a special assignment to serve for one year in relief work through CRASH Japan and maintains close ties to the Tohoku region.

yhari@asianaccess.org

More Information

• See other staff members' reflections on the 10-year remembrance of Japan's Triple Disaster:
  
  • Joe Handley: Kintsugi and the Gospel
  • Eric Takamoto: Transformation Through Tragedy
  • Dan & Casi Brown: Remembering 3.11 and the Gospel of Hope
  • Kent Muhling: Learning to Be Good News
• Reflections during the first year following the 3.11 Disaster: asianaccess.org/reflections
• Related posts about Japan's Triple Disaster: asianaccess.org/japan-disaster
• Video clips on the Triple Disaster...

Yoshiya Hari, A2/Japan national director shares a report on a number of ministry fronts... The Church Multiplication Vision Festa held in Tokyo as well as the Rugby World Cup and 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

{vimeo}361451443{/vimeo}

If you don't see a video player, click here: https://vimeo.com/361451443

Below is a condensed summary of Rev. Hari's report.

Hello. Thank you for your prayers and support for Asian Access/Japan. I am Yoshiya Hari, National Director.

The Church Multiplication Vision Festa, which was held in Tokyo was a great blessing. It is confirmed through reports that God is surely growing churches in various parts of Japan, such as Shimokita Peninsula in Aomori Prefecture, Kochi Prefecture in Shikoku, and after a variety of disasters. I was glad to hear the reports of your work. And all the participants were excited.

This year, the Rugby World Cup will be held in Japan, and next year, the Olympic Games will be held in Tokyo, so this opportunity will be received as a tailwind of God. This is refreshing me, and I want to participate in it.

The mission of Asian Access/Japan is: "aiming for a nationwide church multiplication movement, strengthening and organizing leaders who promote healthy church growth and proliferation."

I would like to keep working while dreaming that Japan would be filled with the Gospel and that the church will multiply and proliferate the next generation of churches.

The work of Asian Access is supported by your prayers and donations. Thank you for your prayer and dedication to this end. I pray for God's blessing in you. Thank you very much.

More Information

• Watch on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/361451443