Am I called to Japan? Is this just a passing feekubg or something God is orchestrating?
Many people find themselves unsure about what to do next to make sure they are heading in the right direction. Here’s what we often see as people move through the stages of missionary interest and exploration. Sometimes, people contact missionaries to get a feel for the work, and later want to visit for themselves.
Whether you are still in the initial exploration stage or taking a survey trip, below are some details you will want to include as you reach out to missionaries.
In missionary speak, we call this kind of trip a “survey trip”. This is where you survey the place you are praying about going so you can prayerfully take informed next steps.
Make sure that YOU are clear about your intentions for the trip. Is the intention to make sure that Japan is the place for you? Or is it to figure out what specific ways you might be able to plug in? There is a big difference between trying to figure out if you should be in Japan and already being committed to coming to Japan and trying to figure out the details. You will want to know this because it will help the missionaries you connect with know how to guide the conversation.
A lot of unnecessary time is spent going back and forth for details we need to effectively help people in their next phase. Since we have had countless interactions with people who are looking for advice, below are general points of information that most missionaries will want from you so they can better assist you in your survey trip.
What to include when contacting a missionary
Below are basic details we’ll need from you to understand your situation and offer helpful advice.
Name, age, marital status
Whether someone is 19, or 49 with 3 kids drastically alters how to plan things. If we don’t know how old you are and what life stage you are in, we don’t have enough information to provide helpful information. You can do missionaries a favor by including this because if you send a DM or email, we can’t guess and risk giving advice that doesn’t match your situation.
How you got Saved
Before we talk missionary work, we want to know you are actually following Jesus. Sometimes this gets taken for granted, but we REALLY need to know this. You can keep it brief, but we want to know you have placed your faith in Christ and are continuing to walk in the faith. Also mention how long you’ve been a Christian. Our advice to someone who has been following Jesus for 6 weeks vs 16 years might look different and is an important piece of the puzzle.
Current church and Church background
The local church is essential in preparing and sending missionaries. We often tell people that the path to the mission field is through the local church. We don’t understand your acronyms or most of your cool church names. FBC? That could be one of the thousand Faith/First/Freedom baptist churches in America. Renew church? We’re glad you have a cool name but have no idea where that is or what that means. You will want to provide the name of your church as well as city/state (or city country if outside the U.S.).
That being said, we don’t know where you go and what your background is. Knowing what church you go to can help us know what kind of theological perspective you might be coming from. Additionally, if you grew up with a certain denominational background (baptist, pentecostal, reformed etc), we can better know how to communicate with you because we will have a general sense of what you might be familiar with. House church? say so. Mega church? cool. The fact is, your experiences shape your understanding and perspective on ministry, so providing this information helps us better understand where you’re coming from.
Ministry involvement up to this point
Talk is cheap. The idea of serving in Japan might be a cool idea. But if you don’t have a track record of serving in ministries already, then nothing is going to change when you get to Japan. If you are not currently plugged in and serving, then you will want to re-consider your plans.
On the other hand, if you are serving in some way (sound, kids, teaching etc), we want to know about it. This will help us understand the skills, tools, and experience you have. We don’t want to talk to someone as if they don’t know what they’re doing. Neither do we want to talk to someone and have everything fly over their head.
Theological training/education
If you have attended a bible college or program through your church, we need to know about it. Often people who want to come to Japan are zealous but need some more training. If you have graduated from somewhere, then this will help us better understand your background. Also, if you went to a particular school, but also disagree on something major that they teach, briefly mention this.
Reason/background for interest in Japan
We don’t just want to know the what (that you are interested in ministry in Japan) but they WHY. What has led you to this point? Have there been circumstances in your life that got you thinking about ministry in Japan? We want to know a little of the back story. Knowing that God has already been working in your life and this isn’t just a feeling you had last night helps us know how to guide the conversation. What leads you believe God might be directing you to Japan? We want to know.
The purpose of your visit
Now that we know who we are talking to and why you are talking to us, we want to know the purpose of your visit. Again, this is going to change the direction of the conversation as well as what time together would look like. If you are still trying to figure out if you are supposed to be in Japan, then say so. Maybe you already feel strongly that Japan is the place and your church is sending you out to flesh out the details. Maybe both! Either way, YOU need to clarify why you are communicating and then let the missionaries know the purpose.
Additionally, please ask for specific dates to visit if you want to meet in person. If we know that you are passing through Nagoya on specific days, that helps us know if we can be available. If you have plans to meet others and want to include time with our family during your trip, letting us know will help us get a better idea of what you will be learning elsewhere and how to guide the conversation during your time with us.
Reservations/concerns
If you have already been researching Missions in Japan, you’ve likely already read articles and watched some videos. based on your situation and experience you might have some reservations or concerns for what moving forward might look like for you. Whether it’s your kid’s schooling, food allergies, language learning or visits back to the states, sharing these questions up front helps us understand what you’re processing
A final word
Be sure to check out our LIVE seminar about planning a survey trip so you can have some realistic expectations about what your time in Japan will/should look like.
Additionally, we’ve put together a list of 50 questions to think through. Glance over it to identify any knowledge gaps you hope to fill during your trip