Imagine traveling across a desert. Everything you see and touch is dry and lifeless. Japan is a spiritual desert, where every part of the culture is permeated with atheism. You cannot find the influence of God’s Word, which brings the water of life. Our purpose in youth ministry here is to create an oasis where young people can be refreshed in Christ.

Getting Started in Youth Ministry

Amelia: I grew up in the United States. My impetus for thinking about youth ministry came while I was a student at Geneva College. I was attending the Geneva (Beaver Falls, Pa.) RPC and Pastor Bruce Backensto asked if I would consider teaching the high school girls Sunday school class. It was quite a surprise to me and I felt very unqualified. I agreed to think and pray about it. Soon I found I had a desire to help young people to grow in their faith, and I knew that this was what God wanted me to do. It was my first attempt to teach or mentor youth, and I knew I lacked maturity in many areas, but God used that weakness to show me that it was really Him working in those girls’ hearts. That experience cultivated a desire to help youth, and now I am delighted to minister to youth in Japan.

Kihei: I grew up in Japan. My desire to help youth grew especially in my experience in KGK (Japan’s equivalent to InterVarsity Fellowship). I started a Bible study club in my college with two other Christians, and it grew to 10 people. I was receiving help from my presbytery youth group already, but leading the Bible study club was good training for me to think about how I could help others. My service was like baby steps, but I saw my friends being encouraged through this Bible study group. Through that experience I naturally gained a desire to help youth.

Amelia and I graduated from the RP Seminary at the same time, got married, and came to Japan. Around that time, there were only a few junior high to college-age youth in the Reformed Presbyterian congregations. Because the group was so small, we decided it was even more important to encourage them. We started with only two youth and ourselves.

Youth Group in Japan

Currently there are seven young people, junior high to college age, actively participating in the youth group. Most are pastors’ children. There are not enough youth in our presbytery for individual churches to have their own youth group, so we facilitate a group of youth from all five Japanese RP churches.

Our basic format begins with a Bible study guide going through various books of the Bible. Last year we changed to a lecture style and saw the younger students responding more. We are still trying to figure out how to meet the needs of such a broad age range.

We have had youth camp each summer, which an RP Missions team attends, and that has been good fellowship, a fun time, and an opportunity to study the Bible together. The youth have also planned and put on a kids’ camp or day camp each summer for the elementary school children of our churches. We hope this will help the children to eventually transition into the youth group. Just for fun and fellowship, we occasionally go to a park to play sports or have a movie night. We have begun feeling the need to meet individually with some of our youth, which we have been able to do occasionally in our home.

The Isolating Desert of Japan

Christian youth in Japan face some unique challenges in their faith. American youth are blessed to have Christian ideas permeating their surroundings, but Japan does not have any significant Christian influence. It is a spiritual desert. In school, pagan and atheistic ideas surround students, and the pressure to doubt the truth is staggering. Often, our youth in public school are the only Christians in their school. They often feel isolated and alone, which tempts them to leave the church and be like everyone else.

Fear of man is a fundamental part of Japanese culture, and that creates overwhelming pressure to prioritize work or school over worship and the things of God. Christian young people who want to get married are faced with how small the Christian community is. There are more single women than men by far, so it is a big temptation to marry an unbeliever. All these difficult issues often cause young people to leave the church, or stay but not be active members.

Japanese culture heavily emphasizes outward appearance and behavior, ignoring the inner motives, and this affects church practice. Japanese Christians tend to overlook the importance of objective doctrine in favor of practical teaching. Having a deep understanding of objective spiritual reality is the thing that keeps youth involved in the church. Doctrine is not just logic or abstract ideas. Doctrine represents the most important things in life.

We see two needs as we work for youth ministry. First, we need to focus on teaching doctrine, because the Japanese unbiblical way of thinking takes generations to root out, and because the church is so small in comparison to the surrounding culture. We feel the pressure to think the same way as the world. We really need to teach diligently what we believe and why we do the things we do. Youth especially need this.

Second, we realize that parents have the ultimate responsibility for training their children in godliness, but they are lacking resources. There is a need for families to keep learning and see biblical examples of how to build a Christian family.

How to Encourage Japanese Youth

RP Missions teams have been an important source of refreshment and encouragement. Reformed Presbyterian youth in Japan are lonely and isolated in their Christian battle, and one of the greatest encouragements for them is meeting Christians from other countries. Mission team members show them that God is working everywhere in the world and help them become more outward-focused. The team members’ unquestioning belief in basic truths, like God’s existence, is refreshing. Foreigners can also open doors for evangelism that are not normally open to Japanese Christians.

The RP International Conference is also a great way for youth to find encouragement. In Kihei’s experience, getting to know the RP Missions team made him want to go to the RP International Conference. He knew there would be some people there that he already knew and could relate to. If any Japanese youth attend the International Conference, they would greatly appreciate Christian, English-speaking friends to help interpret the main messages and high school talks. Kihei also appreciated someone letting him know about sports activities. Kihei says, “The International Conference seemed like heaven to me, with so many Christian people! Mrs. Nitta from Higashisuma RP Church gave her testimony there, and at her suggestion the whole congregation sang Psalm 133 in Japanese. It was like a new world, hearing Japanese psalms sung by such a huge congregation!”

Another way you can encourage Japanese youth is by praying for them. Pray that they will diligently learn about God and have joy in that. Pray that they will be protected from temptation and the unbelieving influence around them. Pray that we as youth leaders will have wisdom and be given right words as we seek to minister to them.

It is not an easy job to make an oasis in the desert. We seek to benefit the youth as much as we can, but only God can design a perfect plan for youth. Youth ministry is only a small part of God’s big plan for them. But we know that God works in His covenant children, and we praise God that the growth of our youth is a result of the efforts of Christian parents, many people’s prayers, and the Holy Spirit’s work.