posted on January 1, 2024
aXcess: Church Planting in Sendai, the Hub of Northeast Japan
Help start a church in the heart of Sendai. Join a church-planting team to bring the gospel to the unreached by finding creative ways to reach out into the community and to build relationships in order to share the gospel, disciple new believers, and develop future leaders. Partner with an experienced couple who will mentor you as you learn the language and culture.
Position Type
- International worker (IW)–aXcess–Clergy Track
- Church planting, discipleship, ESL/TESOL, evangelism, leadership development, youth
- Partially funded
- Single or couple
Responsibilities:
- Learn the local language to a full professional proficiency
- Make a healthy, positive adjustment to local culture and customs
- Gain an understanding of the field, ministry in a Japanese context, and one’s gifting
- Build relationships and learn to share the gospel in this context
- Become part of a church-planting team
Required Qualifications:
- A recognized bachelor’s degree
- Completion of at least 30 hours of Bible/theology/ministry and 15 hours of intercultural studies
- Spouse must hold a recognized bachelor’s degree and have completed at least 18 hours of Bible/theology, 12 hours of missions/ministry studies (with a minimum of 6 hours in cross-cultural or missions studies)
- Completion of Alliance Polity course
- Completion of Alliance ordination/consecration
- Minimum of two years successful Alliance Licensed Ministry Experience
- A minimum Modern Language Aptitude Test (MLAT) score of 80
- Church-planting ministry experience or attend a church-planting boot camp/training
- Experience in ministry whose focus and fruitfulness has resulted in lost people being brought to faith and maturity in Christ
- Ministry experience that indicates the ability to initiate a new ministry
Biblical Characteristics Desired:
- Kingdom-minded
- Biblically grounded
- Spirit-dependent
- Competently skilled
- Self-aware
- Self-disciplined
Timeline for Deployment:
Summer/fall 2025. All appointees are required to attend a cross-cultural and language acquisition program and pre-field course/experience prior to deploying.
General Information:
The new worker will live in Sendai. Japan has a long and distinctive cultural and historical heritage. This has given rise to ways of thinking and customs different from those of the West. Knowing how to approach these differences actively and thoughtfully can facilitate the necessary learning to adapt gracefully to your particular situation and setting. You will seek to introduce others to Jesus Christ, disciple them, and participate in the church-planting projects of the Japan Alliance mission. Freedom of religion is guaranteed to all by the constitution, and visas for religious activity are readily available. Evangelicals are less than 0.5 percent of the population.
World Factbook – Japan
Joshua Project – Japan
Language Expectations:
Language is an essential part of ministry. Those who do not know the language will attend a language study program. The goal will be to speak, read, and write the language at a functional level in order to mentor, teach, and train others.
A major part of your time during the first term will be devoted to studying the language with two years of study and gaining an understanding of the Japanese culture. Learning the language should be a lifelong goal. This will greatly enhance ministry and ability to impact people for Christ.
Health Considerations:
Japan has good health-care facilities and well-trained doctors, and most medications are readily available.
Expectations for Spouse:
Spousal roles vary based on the spouse’s gifts, training, and abilities as well as the needs of the team. It is expected that both spouses will be meaningfully involved in meeting ministry objectives depending on the nature of family roles, children, etc.
The applicant’s spouse is expected to learn the language and engage meaningfully in fulfilling ministry objectives based on his or her gifts, training, the team’s needs, and their family’s needs.
Children’s Educational Plan and Options:
Tohoku International School is a good school in Sendai. Local schools are also an option for elementary school.
Compensation Package
The successful applicant(s) will receive a full compensation package with the expectation that, once appointed, efforts will be made to raise a portion of support costs through the applicant’s network of friends, family, local church, or other resources. Information on support costs will be made available upon application. Training and/or coaching in fundraising is available.
Whole-Life Health
As part of an evangelical denomination, we are committed to biblical holism, which is modeled and reflected through our work. Due to this commitment, part of the required qualifications includes optimal emotional, spiritual, and physical health. These will be assessed during the application process.
Importance Clarification
Applicant(s) should be aware that serving in the international world often requires a higher degree of grace and flexibility. For example, overseas teams can be suddenly and unexpectedly impacted by illness, government decisions, financial realities, team changes, or other factors beyond the team’s control. The challenge for applicants is that these factors can sometimes necessitate the sudden redefining of a position, which may take place before, during, or after the application/interview process has begun or is completed.
Questions?
Please email the IPO office at [email protected].