10月 22,2008
Since the fall of 2007, the Kyodan’s Commission on Ecumenical Ministries has
been planning a “Thank-you Tour” to visit retired U.S. missionaries who had
served in Japan, as a prelude to the 2009 celebration of the 150th
anniversary of the beginning of (Protestant) evangelism in Japan. It was
thought that this milestone should not be approached without expressing
gratitude to the missionaries who labored to bring salvation to the Japanese
people as well as to the churches that sent and supported them. Also, with
JNAC (Japan-North American Commission on Cooperative Mission) having been
dissolved a few years ago and the Council of Cooperative Mission having been
dissolved last year, the Kyodan is searching for new ways to continue its
relationships with the churches in North America.
At first commission members groped in the dark for some sense of direction,
knowing both the time limit for organizing a tour and the numbers and
geographical distribution of the missionaries to be visited. It seemed like
a nearly impossible task. However, with the patient and persistent
negotiations Commission on Ecumenical Ministries staff members and the
loving and passionate support of the retired missionaries in each location,
each obstacle was overcome. When the April 14-23 schedule was set the plan
became a reality, and everyone was deeply grateful.
In spite of the rather sudden invitation and the inconvenient timing at the
start of the new church year, 17 people agreed to join the tour. This was
the first such tour ever organized by the Kyodan, but participation was not
limited to representatives of the Kyodan. Representatives of the Japan
Christian Social Work League and of the Christian School Council on
Cooperative Mission also participated because the work of missionaries
extended to these areas as well.
After leaving Japan the group went first to Claremont, California to visit
Pilgrim Place, a resident community for retired church workers, and held a
reunion with 40 retired missionaries to Japan. This was a truly rich time of
fellowship. During the discussion, many penetrating questions about the
Japanese church and the world of the church were raised. Those of us from
Japan were encouraged and stimulated by the continuing deep concern and
prayers of the missionaries.
We also expressed our gratitude and deep appreciation that during the over
60 years since the end of World War II, the churches of North America sent
1,700 missionaries and several hundred million dollars to support Christian
work in Japan. Especially we remember that 700 missionaries came to Japan
soon after the war to bear the burden of helping us in our hour of need.
Now, however, only 60 missionaries are scattered and isolated throughout the
country, and we face the urgent task of adapting to this changed situation.
From Claremont we divided into two subgroups. Group A went to Holland,
Michigan. Group B traveled to Pleasantville, Tennessee and to Asheville and
Black Mountain in North Carolina. As deep fellowship with the retired
missionaries continued, their heart felt gratitude and detailed concern was
more and more evident.
Through this journey I became not only more grateful for the 30 or 40 years
of service and the evangelistic spirit with which these missionaries faced
many difficulties and overcame many obstacles but also came to see that the
true way to show gratitude to the missionaries is to commit ourselves again
to evangelizing our nation. Through witnessing how the missionaries, even
now, are continuing in service I was taught that there really is no
retirement from mission. I will never forget the image of these
missionaries, with tears in their eyes, saying their parting words:
“Greetings to the people of the church in Japan!”? (Tr. GM)
?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Yamakita Nobuhisa, moderator
?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Kyodan General Assembly
?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Shinto no Tomo (Believers’ Friend)
10月 22,2008
The Executive Council of the 35th Kyodan General Assembly period met for the
5th time, July 14-15, in the Kyodan conference room. The main issues
addressed at the previous meeting, namely the “recommendation for a minister
to resign” and his “admonition,” were carried forward to this meeting, and
the debate was vigorous indeed. Before the vote was taken, four council
members walked out in protest, deepening the division further. Likewise,
there was strong debate concerning the proposal now being drafted for
presentation to the upcoming Kyodan General Assembly this fall to change the
Kyodan structure radically through a revision of its bylaws. With only three
months to go until the assembly, it is uncertain what will happen.
The following two articles taken from Shinpo (The Kyodan Times) summarize
these two points.?
I. Resolution to “Pursue the Admonition” Passes: Debate is Hot Concerning
the Legal Basis and Appropriateness of the Procedures
As the second day of deliberations came to an end, the “Petition to Carry
Out Admonitions Against Kitamura Jiro”was passed. This means that the matter
will be taken up by the Commission on the Ministry, which will determine
what actions will be taken against him.
Based on the decisions of the third meeting of the Executive Council in
October 2007, Kyodan Moderator Yamakita Nobuhisa sent a formal letter to
Pastor Kitamura stating that if he did not immediately cease from offering
communion to unbaptized persons, he would be asked to resign as a minister
of the Kyodan. Since Kitamura did not respond to this letter of admonition,
a new resolution was passed at the next meeting in February, to the effect
that if he continued this practice without the consensus of the Kyodan as a
whole, the Executive Council would be forced to follow through with its
admonition. He was asked to respond by June 20, 2008.
As Kitamura did not abide by this request, a formal admonition was passed on
the basis that his continued offering of communion to unbaptized persons was
in violation of the first and second articles of the Kyodan Constitution and
brought disorder to the church. During the debate swirling around this
issue, council member Umezaki Koji expressed his dissent, stating that the
Executive Council could not itself be the plaintive in this dispute, and
following Moderator Yamakita’s response, Umezaki walked out, stating, “I
cannot be a part of this illegitimate discussion, as you have not spelled
out the legal basis for this in the bylaws.” Council member Matsubara Shigeo
likewise walked out after expressing his opposition to the proceedings.
Council member Mukai Mareo expressed his opposition by posing this question:
“You say that offering communion to unbaptized persons is not permissible,
but where is this stated in the Kyodan Constitution and Bylaws? The Kyodan
is based on local church autonomy, and there are also examples of churches
in other countries where this is practiced.” Ushiroku Toshiya claimed that
the procedure under consideration was outside the stipulations of the Kyodan
Constitution and Bylaws, and expressed doubts that the motion should have
even been introduced. Likewise, since such an indictment and admonition
require a two-thirds majority of council members to pass, he urged caution.
Others also expressed their opposition, including Saito Jin’ichi, who
likewise left the room, followed by others who walked out as the roll was
called.?
Those who supported the admonition were led by Moderator Yamakita, who
stressed that the regulations for church membership in the Kyodan
Constitution and Bylaws clearly included baptism as a prerequisite, and so
the very concept of unbaptized persons receiving communion was
inconsequential. Likewise, since unbaptized persons cannot participate in a
local church’s annual assembly, they would be left in limbo. Council member
Sasaki Michio chastised those who walked out, saying, “This debate requires
us to all be on the same playing field. I want these illegitimate actions to
stop.” He further stated that since it is the role of the Commission on
Ministry to carry out an admonition and it is the Kyodan General Assembly
that handles matters pertaining to the administration of communion, it is
only natural for the moderator to bring to attention any practices in this
regard that causes discord.
In response to one lay member’s remark that this “is not a matter of life
and death or one that involves human rights,” another lay member countered
that the matter is of? “supreme importance to the laity, since it relates
directly to our walk of faith.” The exit of the several council members
caused the session to be extended for 15 minutes. When the final vote was
tallied, 16 of the 19 remaining council members had voted in favor of the
measure.?
II. Elimination of the Commission on Mission Proposed
On the second day of the meeting, after revision of church regulations
related the Board of Publications was dealt with, the following issues were
also discussed:?
1.? Revision of the Regulations on the Research Institute on the Mission of
the Church,?
2.? Dissolution of the Commission on Mission and Revision of related Bylaws,
3.? Revision of the Regulations Concerning Ministerial Qualifications,
4.? Application Process for Recognition as a Minister Under Special
Appointment, etc., and
5.? Cooperative Mission Covenants with the Presbyterian Church USA and the
Reformed Church of America.
As the proposals on revision of the regulations of the Research Institute on
the Mission of the Church and the dissolution of the Commission on Mission
and revision of related bylaws overlapped, they were discussed
simultaneously. Moderator Yamakita presented both proposals on the basis of
the report of the Special Committee on Church Structure. The proposed
revision of church regulations on the Research Institute on the Mission of
the Church is intended to clarify both the original purpose for establishing
the institute and its present role. The moderator explained that part 1 of
Article 41 of the Bylaws and Articles 3 and 8 of the regulations on the
Research Institute on the Mission of the Church have not been adhered to
since the time of the Kyodan’s internal struggles. Thus, clarifying the role
of the Research Institute will result in the clarification of the
overlapping activities under the jurisdiction of the Commission on Mission,
which supports a proposal to eliminate the research institute.
Other reasons cited for the proposal include the fact that while the
research institute rethinks such things as basic mission strategies and
basic social action policies, it is the committees under the Commission on
Mission that actually do the work, so the committees under the Commission on
Mission could not do overall basic strategy planning. Therefore, the
proposal is to abolish the Commission on Mission and have its committees on
evangelism, education, and society become separate commissions. Various
bylaw changes will be necessary. There were 17 votes in favor of adopting
the changes in the regulations on the research institute. Likewise, the same
number approved presenting to the General Assembly this fall the proposed
changes in the bylaws that would abolish the Commission on Mission.
The regulations on the Research Institute on the Mission of the Church can
be revised by the Executive Council, but abolishment of the Commission on
Mission involves changes in the bylaws, which requires the consensus of the
Kyodan General Assembly. Council members opposed to the proposal stated that
bylaw changes should be dealt with first, before revision of regulations on
the research institute. On the other hand, the following quotes were
representative of those in support of the proposal: “The research institute
has not operated according to the purposes of its inception.”? “Because
evangelism was placed under the Commission on Mission, evangelism has
stagnated.”? “This is representative of the face of the Kyodan to come.”
Other proposals that were approved included sending aid to churches that
suffered typhoon damage, resolutions relating to the celebration of the
150th anniversary of Protestant Christianity in Japan, and revision of
Article 4 of the ministerial qualifications. (Tr. TB)
Katsuyama Ken’ichiro
?Executive Secretary
10月 22,2008
Under the above headline, the Korean Christian News published the following
report on the visit of Kyodan representatives to the Korean Methodist Church
in Seoul, Korea.?
‘Bishop Shin Kyoung Ha, president of the Bishop’s Council of the Korean
Methodist Church, held an interview with representatives of the Kyodan in
Japan on June 8 at the Korean Hotel, thus promoting exchange between
Japanese and Korean Christian Churches. The various churches in Taiwan,
Japan, and Korea gather periodically, and various representatives of the
Kyodan who had participated in the Northeast Asia Church Mission Conference,
where the churches share their vision about mission, came especially to
visit the Korean Methodist Church to broaden their interaction with them.
‘In 1967, three Christian churches in Korea established an agreement with
the Kyodan and have promoted continual, reciprocal exchange. This agreement
was revised in 1992, and the Kyodan continued to engage in ongoing exchanges
with the Presbyterian churches in Korea but has not been able to actualize
exchanges with the Korean Methodist Church.
‘During his meeting with Kyodan representatives on June 8, KMC’s President
of the Council of Bishops Shin Kyoung Ha took steps to improve that
relationship and to develop reciprocal interchange. He is planning to attend
the Kyodan General Assembly this fall and then to invite representatives
from the Kyodan to the Korean Methodist Church’s Assembly in October,
intendng for this reciprocal exchange to be the starting point for expanded
interaction. ?
‘The representatives of the Kyodan who visited this time were Kyodan General
Secretary Naito Tomeyuki; Katsuyama Ken’ichiro, pastor of Takeoka Church in
the Chiba Subdistrict of Tokyo District; Kishi Norihide, pastor of Chiba
Honcho Church in Chiba Subdistrict of Tokyo District; and Takada Kazuhiko,
pastor of Tachikawa Church in West Tokyo District.” (Tr. RT)
Recalling the visit, General Secretary Naito made the following entry in his
diary.?
“On June 8, I made an official visit as Kyodan General Secretary to the
Korean Methodist Church in Seoul, Korea. In 1967, the Kyodan joined in a
mission covenant to promote exchange with three Korean churches: the
Presbyterian Church of Korea, the Korean Methodist Church, and the
Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea. In 1992 the covenant was
revised, with the aim of adapting to a new era and striving to improve
cooperation further. However, as compared to interaction with the
Presbyterian Church of Korea and the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of
Korea, fellowship with the Korean Methodist Church had come to a standstill
in recent years. Therefore, the Kyodan needed to work toward improved
relations and broader opportunities for fellowship.
‘On that very evening, in the plaza in front of Seoul’s city hall, there was
a large-scale candlelight demonstration mostly attended by Korean youth. On
their placards were slogans protesting the importation of American beef and
sharp criticism of the current government’s anti-American policies. The
shouting of the thousands of protesters echoed among the buildings in a
noisy uproar. I think that the juxtaposition of this candlelight
demonstration and the meeting with the Korean Methodist Church’s President
of Bishops will always remain firmly etched in my memory.” (Tr. TVB)
6月 07,2008
The 2007 Missional Planning Conference was held on March 10-11 at Fujimicho Church. The main topic was “Kyodan’s Evangelism and Cooperative Efforts in that Endeavor” and the subtitle was “150 Years Since the Beginning of Protestant Evangelism in Japan.” The 72 participants were able to delve deeply into the topic at hand and significant insight and learning were achieved as they fellowshipped together.
Takahashi Jun, chairperson of the Commission on Ecumenical Ministries, stated that “although the question has been raised as to whether it is even possible to have a missional planning conference without a plan, we all agreed that without the delegates coming together to deliberate, there would be no progress.” In his greeting the host said, “It is important to have representatives from all the districts gather together to reach a mutual understanding of the present circumstances unique to the various Kyodan districts and churches and to learn lessons from history as we plan for the future.” Korean Christian Church in Japan General Secretary Park Sookil expressed his prayer that a fruitful harvest would come out of this conference as he shared greetings filled with humor.
Three lecturers made presentations. In his presentation entitled “Reflecting on the History of the Kyodan,” General Secretary Naito Tomeyuki stated that the 150-year history of the Protestant Church in Japan can be divided into three 50-year periods. The first period focused on ecumenism. There was a great emphasis on church unity as opposed to the sectarianism and denominationalism that was prevalent in Europe and America. The second period was a time of militarism and war. It must be acknowledged that the church was unable to escape this influence while attempting to protect its confessional beliefs. At the same time, although political and military pressure cannot be denied, it was this conviction of the ideal of ecumenism that played an important role in the formation of the Kyodan.
In his discussion of the third period, Naito shared vivid recollections from his own experience of the Kyodan General Assembly and other events and examined them through the paradigm of the ecumenism of the church. Given his historical perspective and ecclesiology, Naito was critical of some of the events that have occurred since the 16th (1969) General Assembly. However, he concluded by referring to the hope that lies ahead.
While all three presenters dealt with very deep subjects, Yamaguchi Takayasu particularly did so in his lecture. Just as he promised, he condensed the contents of his book into one hour. The lecture was entitled “Evangelism from the Viewpoint of the (Kyodan’s) Confession of Faith and Constitution.” Organizationally independent from the government, the Kyodan is founded on its own constitution and confession because ecclesiology is the characteristic of a church and not of an association. Yamaguchi’s boldness was persuasive as he went against what is often considered to be common-sense understanding of the meaning of the Kyodan’s Constitution and its Confession of Faith.
Tomisato Church Pastor Uchida Hiroshi presented the third lecture, which was entitled “Cooperating in Evangelism.” From his background in church planting and cooperative mission, Uchida gave a very practical and well thought-out presentation. His first example was of how Shikoku District is working together cooperatively to do church planting. He emphasized how Shikoku District’s cooperative system has created the fellowship that exists between pastors and supporting churches. The second example was “church planting with the cooperation of a parent congregation.” The parenting church congregation organized a loose union to found a church located on the Hokuso train line. There are three reasons that were offered for why Chiba Hokusou Church was able to be established: responsible people, trust relationships, and the vision borne out of home gatherings.
Ou District Moderator Ohara Muneo, Tokai District Executive Council Member Nishinosono Michiko and Higashi Chugoku District Vice-moderator Miyakawa Tsunenobu gave their reports. All three seemed to be eagerly working at the task of finding concrete solutions. (Tr. AK)
─Takezawa Chiyoshi, chief editor
Shinpo (The Kyodan Times)
