Happy New Year! We arrived smoothly in Japan and are getting settled in for this coming ministry term. God closed 2016 with wonderful family times. January and the beginning of a new ministry term are good times to consider direction and priorities. We want to walk you through our dreams and plans for the coming year(s).
WHY JAPAN?
As we shared during our Home Assignment last year, the Japanese are the second largest unreached people group on the planet. Less than 0.05% of Japanese are believers in Christ. There are cities, towns, and rural areas still without churches. Japan needs a new wave of evangelism and church planting. We want to make a difference in changing the current situation in Japan.
WHAT?
A key ministry goal of Converge Japan is that “we will mobilize churches, pastor, and lay people toward developing a national church planting initiative by June 2020.” This will involve at least three vital ignition points with significant Japanese leaders.
- The Church Multiplication Vision Festa is scheduled to meet in Sendai in July. This group of visionary leaders will also carry the momentum for vision and progress from last fall’s Japan Congress on Evangelism. John will be meeting with the planning team on January 24th in Sendai to consider how to raise the church planting multiplication temperature in Japan.
- Japan Church Planting Institute (CPI) hopes to train 600 pastors, lay people, and missionaries at the biennial conference this October. In February, we will have our most intensive training in spiritual renewal during “Grace Weeks” where John and Elaine will participate. John will have a Leadership Team meeting for CPI on January 10-11. Pray as we further develop our partnerships and networking with other leaders.
- The Global Church Planting Network (GCPN) will have a September meeting in Osaka of the East Asia Regional group. There leaders will dream about a national church initiative for Japan.