How one Japanese congregation responded to the COVID-19 pandemic 

WHEN I TALKED TO PASTOR YOSHIYA (JOSHUA) HARI, THE NATIONAL DIRECTOR FOR ASIAN ACCESS JAPAN, his church had already been dealing with its own crisis before the coronavirus came. After over 20 years in the same location, in 2019 the congregation of Saikyo Hope Chapel was told they had to vacate the building they were leasing because it would be demolished. Finding a similar facility for the same price proved to be extremely difficult, so from February 2, 2020, they found themselves alternately renting one of two local community centers for services each Sunday.

Recently I met with a Japanese Christian leader to catch up on each other’s lives, to discuss the challenges of the spread of the gospel in this nation, and to dream a bit about how to build upon the many partnerships that have been developing between Christian groups in Japan. During our conversation, he surprised me with an unexpected  comment: “The leaders of the church community in Japan need to come from outside the church community!”

“What do you mean?” I asked...

Lesson from Japan's triple disaster

Makito Matsuda is pastor of Oasis Chapel in Rifu, Japan, one of the key hubs for relief efforts after the triple disaster in northeast Japan. Pastor Matsuda, a graduate of Asian Access’ leader development program, is one of the emerging generation leaders in Japan.

Immediately following the disaster, people...