We’ve been support raising for a long time, and often wonder why God isn’t doing things faster. We want to be in Japan right now, working with Churches, learning the language, reaching out to tsunami victims, sharing the gospel and starting Churches — but instead we’re still here, raising support. We attend and serve at a very small church, which has made support raising difficult for us. Many have suggested that we should find a larger church that has more resources to send us to Japan. However I believe God has us where we are for a reason, and every once and awhile He gives a glimpse of why.
Recently a missionary in Japan, who is doing a lot of ministry in the Tohuku area where the Tsunami hit hardest, said something interesting. He said that because of the economy, most of the missionaries coming to help out were from large churches in America, because they are the ones who have the budget to send missionaries. However this missionary said that he would like to see missionaries from small churches coming to Japan for two reasons.
1. Most churches in Japan are very small. Ministry in a small church is very different from in a large church. Large churches have many people and resources. They are able to put together programs and find specialized people to commit to working in a single ministry. Often large churches can hire full time worship leaders, multiple pastors, youth leaders, Sunday school directors and administrators. The churches in Japan have none of these luxuries. Small churches in the US are much more similar to Japanese churches. As I’ve served in a small church God has blessed me to be able to work in many different ministries: leading Bible studies, Youth Group, serving as an elder and even filling in to preach from time to time. The longer I am here, the more experience I get serving in a small church and the more prepared I’ll be to serve in Japan in a Church with limited resources.
2. People from small churches have to persevere through longer periods of support raising. I used to think this was a negative. However the missionary said that missionaries who got their support easily often had a difficult time adapting to the hardships of ministry in Japan. The truth is, Japan is an extremely difficult country to do ministry in. Things happen slowly, and much patience and diligence is required before much fruit is seen. A long term mentality is needed, along with the mindset of patiently relying on God to work and provide. If support raising were easy for us, and happened quickly, we would be going to Japan perhaps expecting that ministry there would also be easy and happen quickly. However practicing patience and perseverance through support raising in a difficult economy with a limited number of contacts in reality is a blessing as God cultivates in us the character qualities that a missionary to Japan needs to have.
I believe God is putting us through a tailor made missionary training course, designed to prepare us for exactly the type of ministry He will involves us in Japan. He knows all of our weaknesses, He knows all the areas we need to improve in, and He is putting us through situations to refine us and equip us for the work He has ahead.
CORRECTION (9/26/2011): The original post cited the source as a friend of Tomo’s, however it was actually a missionary who relayed this information to Tomo’s friend.