For almost two years, the Japan Assemblies of God have been requesting in-person training, stating, “COVID has identified a real weakness in our Church. We are not reaching for the next generation. Because we have not been able to be together and have not had a lot of training, our use of online technology has not been up to the quality it should be.” In Japan, statistics from internet use are probably the lowest in the world—less than 45 minutes per day. Because loss of face is cultural—not many people like to be out there in digital space and be known. We are trying to break some cultural norms with the leadership’s encouragement and permission. However, the emerging generation is not the way of the majority. There is a generation embracing more online communication as the norm, and the Church is desperately trying to catch up. The need for the Church to engage this new mission field is enormous. Hopefully, we can get 25 or 30 pastors attending, as well as younger students. This is a groundbreaking thing. The Japan AG has also designated building space for a media studio. Missionary Jonathon Lowrance has helped by consulting with leaders. The National Church is making a long-term commitment to media, and we’re preparing local churches to do it with integrity and consistency. The future is bright for Japan churches and media. We’re teaching two classes. The social media class will focus on creating platforms and reaching out, building a model with the goal of engagement. We’re teaching leaders to train digital media ministry teams. They will be able to do short on-camera presentations. We also will teach video production for local Church live streaming and repurposing digital content. Thank you for your continued partnership to see His Message, Multiplied in Japan by training the workers.
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