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You are here: Home / Buddhist World / Using Media To Reach The Lost In Japan

Using Media To Reach The Lost In Japan

By Frank Johnson on December 11, 2019 0

Justin Canavan, Media Missionary to Japan
Photo courtesy of Jonathan Lowrance, Assemblies of God missionary with Asia Pacific Media.
Used by permission (personal correspondence)

Justin Canavan has a wealth of experience in using creative media. He has served as a videographer, producer, director, camera operator, lighting director, stage manager, tech team facilitator, director of photography, etc. He graduated cum laude from Evangel University with a Bachelor of Science in Film with minors in Broadcasting and Biblical Studies.

But in all his experience, you will find a common thread. He uses creative media to spread the gospel. Whether he was serving as a media intern at a local church, fulfilling several roles within Evangel University’s media programs, or acting as a camera operator for various television programs and films, Justin’s passion has been finding ways to use media to declare the message of God’s love to an increasingly visually-driven world.

The other thread which runs through Justin’s life is an obvious love for the people of Japan (where less than one percent of the population are believers in Jesus). In the spring/summer of 2014, Justin spent three months in Tsukuba, Japan ministering to college students as part of an Evangel University Chi Alpha team.

Tsukuba is a university town where three fourths of the population are PhDs. It’s the location of the “Tsukuba Science City,” a center for research and education that has contributed to the development of the city of Tsukuba into a hub of scientific innovation. As you might imagine, the population of Tsukuba is naturally comfortable with technology and media. Justin’s skills were a wonderful fit for the outreach the Christian community in Tsukuba has undertaken.

After the completion of his three-month term of service with Chi Alpha, Assemblies of God missionaries to Japan Chris and Lindsey Carter asked Justin to return to Japan as an Assemblies of God MAPS missionary (MAPS stands for “Missions Abroad Placement Service”). Justin returned to Tsukuba in the fall of 2016 and spent one year working alongside the Carters as the media/production coordinator and associate pastor at Tsukuba International Christian Assembly. This involved creating video promotional packages for the church, managing and creating social media content, installing and creating new production tools, directing and training the church’s new production team, preaching and pastoral duties, and much more!

While serving this one-year term, Justin’s love for and passion to reach the Japanese people continued to increase to the point that he began to ask the Lord if it was His will that Justin would dedicate his life to reaching the Japanese people through media and preaching the gospel. Justin’s question went unanswered for six months, but then as he was reading Hebrews 11, he saw that Abraham went to a foreign land, to a people not his own, because God told him to go. The Lord used that passage to call Justin to serve in Japan.

In response to God’s call, Justin has been appointed as an Assemblies of God Media Missionary to Japan and is preparing to move back to Tsukuba so that he can provide ongoing media resources and training for pastors and churches throughout Japan, all so that more Japanese people can come to know Jesus.

If you’ve read our pillar articles (which can be reached through the tabs at the top of this website), you know that our conviction is that all believers should be part of a team seeking to reach the unreached. Some will go, some will pray, some will provide financial support, some will provide logistical support.

One of the things I love about Justin’s heart that I see reflected on his website and in his social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where his social media savvy is readily apparent) is that he calls the church to at least three of those avenues — encouraging us to pray, give, and go.

We would encourage you to learn more about Justin’s ministry and consider if God is calling you to be part of a team dedicated to reaching the unreached in Tsukuba, Japan!

Here are four ways you can be a part of Justin’s team:

  • You can join Justin and the team in Tsukuba by subscribing to his newsletter and committing to pray for him on a regular basis.
  • You can commit to supporting him financially.
  • You can consider physically joining Justin and the rest of the team in Tsukuba to aid them in their work. Learn more.
  • If you are a pastor or missions leader in your church, we would encourage you to get in touch with Justin to see how he might be able to encourage your people for the cause of missions in Japan and also to find out how you can be of service to him.

COUNTRIES IN THIS ARTICLE: Japan
WORKERS IN THIS ARTICLE: Justin Canavan

Resources For Ministry In Japan

Multiplying Churches In Japanese Soil by John Mehn. Since the beginning of missionary efforts in Japan in the sixteenth century, the Japanese church has never managed to take root as a truly indigenous church-despite great effort toward that aim. Why? What factors have contributed to the Japanese remaining largely unreached? Mehn examines the current state of affairs and then, with some careful analysis and case study, delves into effective models and leadership for planting churches in Japan that not only grow, but are also equipped to reproduce and multiply.

Overcoming Barriers to Evangelization in Japan by David J. Lu. This book follows Paul’s teaching and deems the Japanese people as worshiping “an unknown god” (Acts 17:22-31), and tries to emphasize common grace at each turn. It will tell you how to engage in conversation with non-Christians while providing an insider’s view of Japan’s rich cultural heritage. Its main purpose is to obtain conversion among the die-hard Buddhists, Shintoists, and traditionalists. When that is done, God’s kingdom will be enriched in a manner similar to the time when Saul of Tarsus became Paul the apostle.

Jesus For Japan: Bridging the Cultural Gap to Christianity, by Mariana Nesbitt. Christian growth in Japan has been slow. This book fills a cultural gap. It is a collection of insights from Japanese literature, the arts, and religion that will help solve the problem of making our ministry less foreign to the Japanese heart and mind. No other work to date has attempted to include this much information in one book, focusing on and using Japanese opinions, research and theology.

Japanese Redemptive Analogies:: Bridging the Cultural Gap to Christianity, by Mariana Nesbitt. Ever wished for a Redemptive Analogy for Japan like Peace Child, the redemptive analogy that sparked off a great turning to Christ in Irian Jaya? God has blessed Japanese culture with plenty of redemptive analogies that we can use. The riches of Japanese culture and literary genius has produced novels, theatre, poetry, stories and history that we can mine for nuggets of gold! We can use many of these to teach the Christ of substitution, sacrifice and redemption.

The Japanese and Christianity: Why Is Christianity Not Widely Believed in Japan? by Samuel Lee. Since the mid-sixteenth century, Christianity has been notably active in Japan, and yet Japan remains one of the least- evangelized nations in the world. The Japanese and Christianity is an attempt to work out an appropriate response to the question, “What are the main reasons why Christianity has not yet succeeded in Japan?” It investigates various factors, i.e. the societal, cultural, historical, missiological and political dimensions of Christianity in Japan, in searching for possible answers.

To Japan and Back: A Missionary Journey of Despair, Hope, and Joy by JT Stoll. Joey Stoll had no clue what he was getting into when he went to rural Japan as a long-term missionary. He left full of excitement and arrived in a world very different from what he expected. Compiled in short chapters written as stories, devotions, and journal entries, this is one missionary’s strange journey to the Land of the Rising Sun and an equally strange journey of returning to his own culture.

Belong, Experience, Believe: Pentecostal Mission Strategies for Japan by Noriyuki Miyake. Why don’t Japanese people become Christians? Miyake brings a pastor’s heart and a researcher’s mind to a question that has been asked many times in Christian mission. After reviewing Japanese social and religious life and evaluating the history of mission strategies so far, he highlights two key ways that Japanese people relate to religion: first, they look for a sense of belonging to a community, and second they receive religious truth through first-hand experience rather than through abstract doctrine. From this basis he develops a new strategy for churches to reach out into Japanese community.

Shintō: the Gospel’s Gate by Brian T. McGregor. Christianity has been present in Japan since the mid-1500s and yet it is still not widely followed in Japan. Could it be because we insist on explaining the Gospel in terms of guilt-innocence instead of shame-honor? Shintō: the Gospel’s Gate develops two major redemptive analogies; introduces an indigenous name for the Creator God; the Shintō concept of sin; and solves a 3,400 year old biblical mystery.

Sowing the Gospel in Japanese Soil: Understanding Japanese Religious Beliefs by John Wm. Mehn. How do we sow the Christian gospel in Japanese soil so that it thrives with multiplying disciples and healthy churches? To be effective in sowing the gospel we must know our seed and the soil. This book is written in two parts, the first explores the soil of Japan and the second focuses on sowing the gospel in Japan. Each chapter will attempt to answer several key questions in the quest to penetrate the beliefs and worldview of the Japanese.

Sowing in Tears, Reaping in Joy: The Life Story of Florence Miller, Missionary to Japan by Florence J. Miller. Florence Miller was faced with the challenge of being one of the first North American Baptist missionaries to Japan, blazing a trail for those who would follow. From 1951 to her retirement in 1989, she sought to sow the seed of God’s Word in the lives of people who had been steeped for centuries in Buddhist and Shintoist traditions. She is credited with planting several churches in Japan, frequently encountering situations that took her far beyond her comfort zone.

Operation Japan Prayer Guide – 5th Edition by Don Wright. The Operation Japan prayer guide will help you to understand the needs of Japan, while providing the information you need to effectively pray for the country and its people. It draws on multiple sources to provide detailed statistics on every prefecture, along with specific prayer needs and concerns, and includes up-to-date information on each prefecture in Japan, a system for praying through the nation in one year, and key prayer targets and issues.

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About Frank Johnson

Frank is a 1985 graduate of Bethany College in Scotts Valley, California (B.S. Ministerial Studies) and a licensed minister with the Northern California and Nevada District Council of the Assemblies of God. Frank has been an internet strategist for over 20 years, applying principles of digital media strategy to spread the gospel. In addition, he is the author of Find A Job Through A Temporary Service, “Bringing in the Outcast” (under pen name, John Norman) in Issue 43 (January 1, 1988) of Discipleship Journal, and numerous articles in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

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Our Daily Declaration

Lord Jesus,

This day, we cast our souls upon Your sacrifice as our only hope for purpose, meaning, and fulfillment here on earth and for life in the age to come.

This day, we swear allegiance to You, our King.

This day, we pray that You would set our hearts aflame for Your cause and for the over 3 billion people in this world who have yet to hear Your name.

We long for the day that we will stand before Your throne, surrounded by the most diverse community ever formed — from every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation — those whom You have purchased with Your blood — as we cry out together “Worthy is the Lamb!”

Until that day, we commit ourselves to loving our brothers and sisters in Christ — no matter what their people group, no matter what their language, no matter what their race, no matter where they are from — and to living in community with them — that the world may know that the Father loves them and that He sent You to save them.

This day, we devote our lives — our time, our money, our passion, our mind, our strength, our everything — to see Your gospel proclaimed in every corner of this world.

And we thank You for the astounding privilege of playing a small part in carrying Your name to the nations!

Pray for the Tsukuba Express Church Planting Team

Tsukuba Express Line

  1. Please pray for the areas surrounding these twenty rail stations: Akihabara, Shin-Okachimachi, Asakusa, Minami-Senju, Kita-Senju, Aoi, Rokucho, Yashio, Misato-chuo, Minami-Nagareyama, Nagareyama-centralpark, Nagareyama-otakanomori, Kashiwanoha-campus, Kashiwa-Tanaka, Moriya, Miraidaira, Midorino, Bampaku-kinenkoen, Kenkyu-gakuen, and Tsukuba
  2. Pray that God would raise up church planters and send forth laborers into the harvest fields surrounding these stations (Luke 10:2-4).
  3. Pray that God would help these church planters identify persons of peace in the areas surrounding these stations (Luke 10:5-8).
  4. Pray that God would enable these church planters to speak the word of God with boldness in these areas (Luke 10:9b).
  5. Pray that the proclamation of God’s word in the areas surrounding these stations would be accompanied by demonstrations of God’s compassion and power (Luke 10:9a).