TOKYO, JAPAN

Tokyo is one of the most beautiful, modern and influential cities in the world. But under its wealthy, efficient surface, the changing culture has broken down traditional community relationships and values, and many Japanese struggle with depression. Intense focus on prosperity, success, and perfection has resulted in alienation and frequently, despair. Tokyo is a vibrant, growing city with a deep need at its core for the gospel of grace. MTW Tokyo seeks to introduce many Japanese to that grace through church planting and community arts outreach.

The church planting team works alongside our Japanese partners to plant and grow churches, with a special focus on developing Japanese leaders. The arts team facilitates church planting and evangelism through workshops, outreach events, and active involvement in church life, especially worship music. Both teams long to see Tokyo filled with healthy, growing churches of people who model true faith, repentance, forgiveness, and worship, bringing new life to the culture around them.

MEET THE TEAM

Congdon, Joe & Felicity

Joe and Felicity’s vision is to raise up the next generation of young pastors and church leaders in Tokyo.

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Coulbourne, Craig & Ree

Craig and Ree Coulbourne are building relationships through outreach at Shin Urayasu Grace Church in Japan through MTW.

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Davison, Jonas & Christina

Jonas and Christina minister at the intersection of the Church and the Arts, spreading the gospel among Tokyo's 36 million residents.

Jonas and Christina minister at the intersection of the Church and the Arts, spreading the gospel among Tokyo's 36...

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Drews, Bob & Sharon

Bob and Sharon Drews disciple, mentor, and teach ministry teams in Tokyo, Japan. By discipling, mentoring, and teaching the ministry teams, they enable the Japanese-speaking missionaries to be more focused and effective in direct leadership and evangelism among the Japanese.

Bob and Sharon Drews disciple, mentor, and teach ministry teams in Tokyo, Japan. By discipling, mentoring, and...

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Herren, Gardner

Gardner is returning to serve with MTW in Japan this summer, using her dance background to partner with Community Arts Tokyo in sharing the gospel.

Gardner is returning to serve with MTW in Japan this summer, using her dance background to partner with Community...

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Johnston, Vanessa

Vanessa is excited to spread the gospel through creative expression in Japan this summer, serving in Nagoya and Tokyo.

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Lowther, Roger & Abi

Roger & Abi lead the Community Arts team, resourcing church planting through the arts.

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Nairn, Andrew & Megan

Andrew and Megan are members of the Community Arts Tokyo team, working to facilitate church-planting alongside local pastors and artists.

Andrew and Megan are members of the Community Arts Tokyo team, working to facilitate church-planting alongside local...

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Pfeil, Jon & Sarah

Jon & Sarah resource church planting throughout the nation of Japan.

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Proctor, Naomi

Naomi is going to serve with the team in Tokyo, Japan, for 11 months as an intern.

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Rollman, Phinehas

Phinehas has been given the opportunity to serve Christ this summer with a local church in Tokyo, Japan.

Support needs are met. Praise God!

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Saunders, Jeff & Katie

Japan is a country in desperate need of hearing the message of Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.

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Schafer, Jason & Mandy

The Schafers have a vision for sharing the gospel and helping to establish communities of faith in Tokyo.

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Sprague, Will & Jessica

Will & Jessica will be serving in Japan in the Setagaya ward of Tokyo. They hope to share the gospel with their neighbors, encourage young families, and disciple college students.

Will & Jessica will be serving in Japan in the Setagaya ward of Tokyo. They hope to share the gospel with their...

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GET INVOLVED

Art, Music, Mission

Longer

Additional Trips

Mission Trips

Story Shorts: Japan & Ukraine

A Japanese woman finds hope amid brokenness, and Ukrainian students familiar with war consider the reality of Christ's sacrifice.

Defying Gravity: 10 Churches in 10 Years in Tokyo

In the wake of the 2011 tsunami, amid historical barriers to Christianity, Grace City Church Tokyo planted 10 churches within a decade.

The Bridge of Dance: How Ballet Became a Surprising Gateway to Faith in Japan

I was eager to serve on an MTW summer internship. But I had not expected God would call me to share my faith through dance.

She Couldn’t Resist: A Young Nashville-Bound Songwriter Follows God’s Call to Japan

Alana's heart was being pulled toward Japan, but she'd long had plans to go to Nashville after graduation. Now she had to make a choice.

Karaoke Confessional: Missionary Finds an Unlikely Avenue for Ministry

For one MTW missionary, karaoke has provided surprising opportunities to speak the truth of the gospel into the lives of Japanese friends.

Chieko: A Life Transformed in Tokyo (VIDEO)

After becoming a Christian, Chieko feared she would lose her husband, and even have to permanently set down her beloved Japanese harp.

“Coincidence” Becomes Calling: Debbie Pixley’s Journey From Automotive Engineer to MTW Missionary

Debbie didn't plan on missions—or Japan—but God lined things up, one after another, to set Debbie on a path for His purposes.

A Tale of Two Ministries: God at Work in Endings and Beginnings in Japan

Two ministries in Japan are at exciting turning points, both looking forward to God's continued work in and through them for His kingdom.

Lost in Tokyo as a New Missionary

I was simply making the three-minute drive from a parking garage in Ginza to choir practice to pick up equipment. How did I get so lost?

Celebrating 10 Churches in 10 Years in Tokyo (VIDEO)

"To plant a church in the city center of Tokyo is difficult. Ten churches in 10 years is remarkable. It is clearly a work of God."

Karaoke Confessional: Missionary Finds an Unlikely Avenue for Ministry

For one MTW missionary, karaoke has provided surprising opportunities to speak the truth of the gospel into the lives of Japanese friends.

What God Is Doing in Japan (Audio)

MTW missionary Mark Bocanegra shares what God is doing in Japan and how you can participate.

A Love for Japan: A Vocational Missionary Story

After serving for a two years as an MTW intern in Japan, Anna McLendon is returning as a vocational missionary through the 18.26 Network.

Broken Beauty: Finding the Gospel in Japanese Culture

What if there is beauty in that which is not perfect? In that which was broken and made new?

Making Space for Transcendence in Secular Japan

Japan is one of the least religious nations in the world. How does this influence how we do ministry?

Reaching Japan's Lost Millions (Audio)

Japan shows us that money, health, education, and material possessions do not satisfy the human heart. But God is at work bringing hope.

“Wait, Jesus is God?!”

Through bilingual Bible study in Tokyo, a Japanese woman began to study the Bible. The truths she uncovered there astounded her.

Seven Weeks in Japan: A Summer Intern's Perspective

When I first came to Japan I did not love this country. Now that I've been here for almost two months, things look a little different.

A Japanese Harpist Finds Her True Identity

Her harp had always been her status symbol and identity. To follow Christ wholeheartedly, did she need to give up the instrument she loved?

Community Arts Tokyo: Practical Use of the Arts in Missions and Church Planting (Audio)

How do we practically include the arts in missions beyond a song or dance in worship? Listen to missionary artists share their experiences.

"Don't You Dare Stop Having the Global Missions Conference!"

The PCA Global Missions Conference has played a significant role in helping MTW Japan grow.

"I heard that Christians sometimes pray."

When her sister received a frightening diagnosis, a Taiwanese girl studying in Japan reached out to the only Christian she knew.

How Black Gospel Music Is Changing Hearts in Japan

“I thought: ‘Japanese people singing black gospel music? This will never work.’”

A Conversation that Transcends Cultures

An MTW missionary woman struck up a conversation with a young Japanese lady at English Café Night. It turns out they had a lot in common.

Good News of Great Joy: A Christmas Baptism

This Christmas we rejoiced together with the angels in heaven as Mrs. S professed her faith in Jesus and was baptized.

Relief in Full

Compassion and hope for a devastated people in Ishinomaki, Japan

Church Planting in Japan: A Video

Missionaries and national pastors in Japan are hard at work building the Church. Take a peek at what God is doing!

Why Are the Japanese So Resistant to the Gospel?

We hear of the explosive growth of the church in China, India, Africa, and even in the Arab world. Why not Japan?

"Mom, there's something I need to tell you."

He had been a Christian for about a year, but hadn't told his parents. He was struggling with questions like: "why go to church anyway?"

Video: Why Japan?

What does Japan need more than more people willing to go? Churches willing to send them.

Sinking in Japan

We’d gone from living in a place where we were mostly competent and self-sufficient to one where we were functionally illiterate.

Japan: Lifting the Weight of Societal Pressure

The number of Japanese teachers taking time off from work for "mental reasons" has increased significantly in the last few years.

Give thanks for those God is drawing to Himself around the world, particularly a Japanese who feared she was too broken to be fixed, and several Ukrainian students who are exploring faith in Christ.

Give thanks and pray for a couple in Japan who recently came to faith as they faced the last days of the husband's life.

Pray for believers in Tokyo, Japan, to grow in their faith, and pray for their loved ones to come to know Christ.

Pray for MTW Japan as they grow and expand, transitioning some churches to new leadership and planting in new areas.

Pray for children in Japan who are attending Christian school and influencing their families for Jesus.

Pray for the U.S. church to send workers to Japan where less than 0.5% of people are Christians.

Pray that God would use our Japan teams to open the hearts of the Japanese to God’s presence and love for them.

Pray for Tim Mills (Thailand), Abi Lowther & Roger Lowther (Japan), Joe Congdon (Japan), and Shannon Hinkle (Australia) as they all use their artistic gifts to support the Church in gospel outreach, mercy ministry, and community building.

Pray for the Japanese to realize that money, health, education, and material possessions do not satisfy the human heart.

Pray for those who are coming to faith in Japan. Pray that they would find their identity in Christ and grow strong in Him.

Pray today for those serving in the arts. Pray that God would use their unique gifts and talents to build His kingdom!

Pray for those in MTW's Tokyo Gospel Choir, comprised of both believers and non-believers. Pray that many would come to faith through the music.

Pray for youth around the world to come to faith, and pray for missionaries who minister to the next generation. Young people often impact their whole familes for Christ.

Pray for the relationships missionaries are developing with Japanese men and women. Pray for common interests and connections to be a bridge to the gospel.

Pray for the men and women in Japan who have been attending church to make a public commitment to Christ and to express their faith through baptism.

Please pray for the rebuliding efforts in Ishinomaki, Japan, and for church planting efforts in the region that have begun since the 2011 tsunami.

Pray for God to break through cultural barriers to draw Japanese men and women to Himself. And for God to call more missionaries to serve in Japan.

Pray for Japanese college students wrestling with new faith. Pray that they would have the courage to give their lives to Christ and not fear their family's reaction.

Translate and Publish God of Grace Book in Japanese

Your contributions will help pay for translation of the book from English to Japanese and then distribute it to churches and pastors.

JP Tokyo Marunouchi Partnership

Raising up Bible-teaching servant leaders to fill Tokyo with the gospel.

Tokyo Light Project

Equipping Japanese Christians to be a light for Christ in their workplaces.

MAKE Collective

MTW creatives are becoming part of international church-planting movements.

Community Arts Tokyo

This fund supports church planting and growth in Japan through the use of the arts.

Grace City Church Tokyo

A Japanese-led Presbyterian church in the heart of Tokyo offers the gospel of hope to professionals.