OMF holds a Praise & Prayer meeting once a month at the OMF Headquarters in Ichikawa City. Missionaries from all over the greater Tokyo area travel in to worship (in English), pray, hear important updates, and enjoy fellowship together.
Jake and Malcolm were asked to share their impressions of their time in Japan. They shared what they had learned about Japan, about themselves, and about God. The long-term missionaries were both encouraged and challenged by what they had to share.
Our time together included time to pray about the needs of Japan. A long-term missionary shared what she learned at a recent all-Japan pastors' meeting:
- The average age of a Japanese pastor is 67 years old. Many churches are aging as well and shrinking as they age. A serious shortage of pastors is expected in the coming years.
- Nevertheless, Japanese churches and missionaries need to continue to work to start new churches, and where feasible help dying churches be revitalized.
- The church in Japan needs to understand and reach out to those with developmental disorders (such as autism) and to "sexual minorities."
We also heard a report about Christianity in East Asia, and learned that only 1 in 10 people in East Asia knows a Christian, the least in any part of the world.
How you can pray:
- For God to raise up more Japanese pastors, and revitalize aging Japanese churches.
- For church leaders to be creative with new strategies to dealing with aging pastors and churches.
- For God to send more workers to the unreached of East Asia.
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