A new paradigm in Japanese ministry: God at work through Southern Baptists in the Pacific Northwest

Baptist History and Heritage, Summer-Fall, 2004 by Michitsugu Yokoi

Prior to 1989, the mission members had a vision of having their own church building and property. They began giving in 1986 to make this vision a reality, and by 1990, they had accumulated almost $35,000. With a concerted fund-raising effort by its members and a loan from the Home Mission Board (now known as the North American Mission Board), they purchased four acres of property in Tigard, Oregon, for $190,000. With the help of Volunteer Christian Builders from Texas and Arkansas, JIBC completed its 7000-square-foot building in March 1996 and thus became the first Japanese Baptist church west of the Mississippi, post-World War II, to construct its own church building. (12)

Looking Outward

According to Albert W. Wardin, Jr., Oregon Baptists were unable to establish any lasting work among the Japanese during most of their history. (13) While this fact is true of the first one hundred years of Baptist history in the Northwest, the founding of JIBC finally broke the drought. But the new church refused to remain in the comfort of success. Yokoy led the congregation to look outward, to plant new churches, and to continue its mission of going out into all the world.

The first of those sent from the church was Masaomi Takeuchi, a Japanese businessman who came to Christ through JIBC in 1987. After a brief return to his home country, he enrolled in the Pacific Northwest campus of Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary in 1989. He graduated in May 1993 with an M.Div. During Takeuchi's years in seminary, JIBC began its first new church plant in Tacoma, Washington. Yokoy drove from Portland each Monday evening to preach at a Japanese home Bible study. On July 4, 1993, the Bible study became a church, the Japanese International Baptist Church Mission of Tacoma. The new church called Takeuchi as its pastor. (14) This church has since become autonomous and is currently in the process of constructing a building. In 2002, it planted another church in Lynwood, Washington.

During the last ten years under Yokoy's leadership, other new Japanese Baptist churches have been started in cities across the United States, including Boston, Massachusetts; Phoenix, Arizona; San Jose, California; Chicago, Illinois; Ontario, California; Indianapolis, Indiana; Glendale, California; and Eugene, Oregon. To facilitate future church planting, Yokoy, Sasaki, and other Japanese pastors formed the Japanese Church Planting Network (JCPN) in 2003 with the vision of having one Japanese Baptist church in each of the fifty states. JCPN is currently led by Sasaki and holds annual meetings to encourage and equip pastors, to invite new workers from Japan to pastor the new church plants, and to support each other financially and through prayer.

With a Bible school and an English-language school currently in the making, JIBC is still expanding its vision to reach Japanese people in the Northwest and around the world. Yet, the vision has not been limited to Japanese alone. The number of ethnicities and cultures within the church has been growing as well. Korean, Chinese, and Caucasian Americans are among those holding current membership in the church. JIBC has made efforts to reach all people in its neighborhood with the gospel. In 2002, Kenji Yokoy became the church's English pastor. In order to minister to the needs of the non-Japanese in the church, he began an English-speaking worship service on Sunday mornings, held prior to the Japanese service. The process of growth of JIBC has been unconventional for a Japanese congregation. The church has had many failures along with great success. Many seeds have been sown in order to reap the harvest of joy. The ministry of JIBC continues today, and by the grace of God, it will continue to serve Him.