A Church Plant Full of Challenges
VANITY AND A DESIRE FOR HONOR
In 1998, I was sent to Okinawa as a domestic missionary of the Evangelical Free Church. Back then, the Evangelical Free Church was one of the most developed denominations in Japan. Even if they planted a new church themselves, it would become independent in three or four years. However, I had heard that the church in Okinawa was in a difficult situation. In fact, the first pastor quit after six months. After that, several pastors were dispatched, all of whom served for less than three years and were far from independent.
I thought, I can be different. I can afford to be independent immediately. I think we can do it in at least a couple of years—a year at the earliest. Let's aim for a new record here! I was enthusiastic. I was proud that I was already entrusted with a church while I was a student in seminary, and had given sermons in various places from Hokkaido to Okinawa—and some people were saved. My sermons were good! Great, even! I firmly believed that I could lead this church without a doubt.
Of course, I knew there was a burden on Okinawa. When I thought about the church’s situation, I felt pain and wanted to do something about it. But at the same time, my vanity and desire for honor were deeply mixed into that concern. At the time, some senior pastors like Dr. Sakano in Urawa advised me not to rush or get over-ambitious. While I knew they were great teachers, I couldn’t help but think, “What unbelief they have!”
I figured there were so few Japanese churches because pastors weren’t working hard enough. You can grow, I thought, if you make an effort. The reason why there were no results was that we had not tried hard enough to realize them. The Japanese minister is skipping out on work! With this mindset, I went to Okinawa with the misunderstanding that my future was rock-solid. In reality, it was on thin ice.
THE REALITY OF PIONEERING A CHURCH
The reality was different. Even though the church had already been sown, it didn’t sprout easily. I didn't see the growth and results I wanted: More people should have been saved, the tithes should have increased, everything is different from the schedule I had planned. I became more impatient with each passing day. I suffered from the idea that if I did everything properly, it would be rewarded. Therefore, if the church wasn’t growing, it was because my strategy and methods were bad. So, I tried various improvements. If I still didn't get the results I expected, I blamed other things—the location is bad. The buildings are bad. The people are bad. The country is bad. The times are bad. And I also blamed myself over and over and over for not being good enough. But no matter how much I blamed my circumstances or myself, I still felt as if I was going crazy with no hope of a solution.
The organization I belong to has a general meeting once a year, where the number of congregants, baptisms, tithes, and more are reported. In addition, as a domestic missionary, I had to stand in front of all of the members to report my church’s statistics. It was torture for me at the time. One year, a neighboring church that didn’t have a pastor was growing. What have I been doing for a year? I asked myself. The church without a pastor is growing. Is all of this hardship really worth my effort? Every year, it was hard to get up in front of everyone. I had to drag my pain up there with me! After all, I was evaluating myself in comparison to others. What was born from it was pride in good times and subservience in adversity.
TWO ENCOUNTERS
DR. SHINJI YUKI—UNDERSTANDING THE GOSPEL
Under these circumstances, God changed me through two different encounters. One was with Professor Shinji Yuki. After pastoring a relatively large church called Yokohama Uenocho Church for 33 years, he came to the countryside of Yomitan in Okinawa to evangelize. There are many pastors who move from small churches to large churches, but not vice-versa. Even to evangelize in the remote countryside of Okinawa is rare in itself. I will omit the details, but thanks to the kindness of Dr. Yuki, I began to learn practical pastoral care once a month. The first thing that surprised me was my own personality. Until then, I had heard that Dr. Yuki was a strict teacher. I was prepared for strict guidance. But instead of simply correcting my mistakes, he told me about his own mistakes. Dr. Yuki generously talked about why he failed, how he worked on it, and how the Lord led him to a solution. He worshipped the name of the Lord throughout his hardships, saying that a good teacher focuses on the truth of the Lord’s faithfulness.
I suffered from the idea that if I did everything properly, it would eventually be rewarded
The most important thing that he taught me (repeatedly) was truly understanding the gospel. Until then, the cross and the resurrection were the extent of the gospel to me, and I didn't understand how the story of Jesus is woven throughout the entire Bible. I had fallen into legalism. For example, Jesus told us to become “salt of the earth.” in Matthew 5:13. I took this as instruction to be a good, top-notch Christian! It is God's will that we serve more than anyone else, gather at meetings, read the Bible, and pray—that’s what makes God happy. Dr. Yuki stated that when he actually could do all of that, he became arrogant, and when he couldn't, he became a hypocrite who hid that fact from others. However, Dr. Yuki opened the Bible and said, “Mr. Fukushima, what does it say? ‘You are the salt of the earth.’” Despite being sinful, God has already transformed us into salt of the earth by grace. There is a difference between becoming and being. It is a small difference in Japanese, but the meaning is as different as heaven and earth. Because the Lord has already made us salt, we pray and read the Bible. Starting from this, I realized how I had been reading the Bible solely in a legalistic way, and how important it is to stand in the gospel’s grace and understand the full Bible. It was like removing the pieces of a suit of armor I had covered myself with, one by one.
MY ELDEST DAUGHTER
Another encounter that God gave me was my eldest daughter, who happens to have an intellectual disability. As a result, there are times where she may not catch up to those who aren’t disabled, even if she tries harder than them. One time, my three daughters all dressed up in preparation for going out. Two of them quickly changed their clothes and fastened their buttons. However, the eldest daughter did not go quite as fast. Time went by—she can't move her fingers as fast as she wants. But as her parent, I never once thought, “Oh no, I’ve got to wait on this kid again.” She’s my daughter whom I love! God made me aware of my heart. After all, he too understands the efforts and circumstances of his eldest daughter rather than simply comparing them to those of his other two daughters.
Through this realization, I began to think that the same might be true when God looks at me—viewing me and my situation as uniquely me, not just comparing me to other people. Previously, I had decided that both the church and I were useless compared to others. However, the Lord still loves me. He never abandons his followers, and still loves the things that only progress slowly. I noticed the eyes of God the Father. I blamed myself and the church for not growing as much as I wanted, and thought that I was no longer loved by God. I tried to evangelize so that I could become loved and pleased, not because I am loved and pleased, and started spinning my wheels. But the Lord did not change and continued to love me. What a very fresh and sweet discovery this was!
These two encounters changed my view of leading my church in Okinawa drastically. And eventually, we did achieve our goal of becoming independent from our sending church. Far from being the shortest record for becoming an independent church, three years passed, then five years, then seven. I ended up breaking the longest record for domestic missions—it took thirteen years!
FOR THOSE ABOUT TO START LEADING A CHURCH:
I would like to recommend three specific things to those who are about to start developing the church.
1. HAVING A RELIABLE COACH
Pioneer evangelists face a variety of challenges. And when you’re alone, it's easy to be selfish and slip into the wrong motives. Be aware of your weaknesses and have a coach who can consult with you. I cannot stress how important this is! If you’re married, it’s even better if both of you can meet with a coach and his wife.
2. DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS
We judge the value of ourselves and others in comparison with other people, but oftentimes these judgments have little point and prove harmful to the way we view our worth. While some people will judge you based on your church’s numbers alone, church formation often does not lead to numbers. Above all, the Lord is the one who knows everything and evaluates it correctly. The important thing is to look up to the Lord, not to people’s expectations.
3. HAVE A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING OF THE GOSPEL
As I mentioned earlier, my understanding of the Bible was founded on legalism, which ended up hurting others. A church that stands on the gospel is full of grace. Churches of any size can be full of Christ when his story is preached in full with love and truth and we realize our true identities as sons and daughters of our heavenly Father.
These are some of my failures in planting a church. Though not without sin and full of mistakes, this journey is still the work of the Lord. It is because of him that the church has been built so far, and nothing else. Because of that, we can walk in the love of the Lord who does not give up, does not retreat, and is poured out onto us daily. Last but not least, I praise the name of the Lord who has guided and built the church so far, and sincerely pray that both God’s church and its leaders are with patience, love, and encouragement.
About the Author
Born in Okinawa in 1969, Kazunari Fukushima began believing in Jesus Christ at the age of 14. After graduating from Tokyo Kikyo Theological Seminary, he was sent to Okinawa as a domestic missionary by the Evangelical Free Church of Japan in 1998 to cultivate a church. He is now the pastor of Naha Evangelical Freedom Church, and he and his wife have three daughters.
