A u g u s t 5, 1962 marked seventeen years since the end of World War II. During these years the Church of God has had unprecedented oppor tunity for missionary work in the land of the rising sun. Literally thousands of missionaries, representing over one hundred and fifty agencies, have flooded the land. Testaments, tracts, and booklets have been printed and distributed in staggering quantities to a literate and friendly people. Gospel radio has almost completely blanketed the land for a number of years. Church buildings have been con structed widely in larger cities and the cross has become a commonplace marker. And yet, as all observers of the Japanese scene well know, the nu merical growth of the Church has continued at a snail’s pace. A partial explanation may be that we have over-specialized. We have worked at many good things, but have attempted the best only half-hearted ly. Building local congregations is slow, plodding work — quite in con trast with the accelerated pace of this present age. Thus, it is easy to become discouraged and impatient and to seek for some other activity which will bring quicker results. A study of the present work of missionary personnel in Japan will indicate that a surpris ingly small number are actually en gaged in direct church planting. Further, reports from America indi cate that many missionary volunteers, even before they arrive on the field, are desirous of some type of special ized ministry. It would seem that the lure of house-to-house, face-to-face, mingling-with-the-masses, evangelism has lost its appeal. Coupled with this is the call of large up-to-date cities. The dim lights of smaller places look mighty drab in contrast with the great white ways of the coast. Isolated work somehow does not attract like the homey, social opportunities presented to “ specialists” in larger cities. So, approximately 50% of the present force of 2,000 Protestant missionaries are confined to five major cities. The Christian press can take par tial responsibility for the present im passe. During a long and dreary pe riod we have been reading that the old-fashioned missionary is an out moded product of the Victorian age. Other articles have appeared picturing today’s missionary as a well-educated, cultured, genial gentleman who sits in some type of religious control tow er and presses buttons. One button releases floods of well-edited reading material. One button produces other stimuli geared to reach the minds of the masses. But no button projects today’s missionary into the highways and byways to compel sinners to come
Mr. M eAlpine, graduate of the Biola School of Missionary- Medicine, 1950, serving under The Evangelical Alliance Mis sion, at extreme right. The Unfinished Task: Japan
by Don McAlpine
to Christ. This was the method in the old days, but today things are done differently. However, God is still looking for missionary volunteers who want to meet people face to face — not by remote control. Most succesful sales men have a basic liking for people. The successful missionary must go one step further — he must love all people: the unconcerned, the unre sponsive, the ungrateful. Christ did, and He is ever our pattern. As an evangelist recently said, Japan is like a little girl standing in the middle of the department store, crying. She has a doll in one hand and candy in the other, but she is lost. Japan today has materialism in one hand and pleasure grasped in the other, but she is lost and out of fellowship with God. Very few are really “ calling us to deliver their land from error’s chain,” but still they need to be reached with the good news of the greatest story told. What will reach them? More lit erature? Not alone. Literature advo cates in citing the phenomenal gains of Communists often credit this suc cess to the wide-spread distribution of the printed page. However, literature by itself is a very cold thing. Even the Communist knows this. Thus his distribution program is accompanied by a rabid, passionate, hot-tongued
convert to the party line who throws his complete personality into the bat tle for the minds of men. Just so, Christian words by themselves are not enough. God must have the person- ality behind the words if there are to be results in the distribution of one or one million pieces of literature. How about Gospel radio and TV? W ill they accomplish our purpose? If so, it provides an easy way out. However, it must be admitted that these media lead comparatively few to a definite experience of salvation and build few, if any, churches. But, they do soften the listener for the ap proach of the local missionary — if there is a local missionary! In the unattractive areas of Japan — if the natural beauty spots can be called that — are millions for whom Christ died. The national church is not reaching them — and will not reach them in the forseeable future. If they are to be reached, missionar ies with a little vision, patience and determination will have to do it. There may be a need for “ specialists,” but they had best be those who have spent a few terms on the field and who know by experience what really needs specialization. May God raise up a new group of missionary volunteers from Biola and other Christian schools for the great unfinished task in Japan!”
SEPTEMBER, 1962
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