Presbyterian Church in Japan

The Presbyterian Church in Japan is a conservative Reformed denomination in Japan, founded by American missionaries in the mid-1900s.

Presbyterian Church in Japan
ClassificationProtestant
Orientationconservative Calvinist
TheologyReformed, Evangelical
GovernancePresbyterian
AssociationsJapan Evangelical Association[1]
Regionin 13 Prefectures in Japan
Origin1993
Japan
Branched fromPresbyterian Church in America
Merger ofthe unification of the Christian Reformed Church in Japan and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Japan to form PCJ
Congregations67
Members2000–3000

History

In the years after World War II, Japanese missionaries and the forerunner of the Presbyterian Church in America evangelists created what is today the Presbyterian Church in Japan.[1]

The denomination was a result of two Presbyterian denominations in Japan. The Christian Presbyterian Church in Japan founded in 1956 and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Japan founded in 1979 begun collaborating in 1980, and united in 1993.[2] The Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions of planted some churches after the Second World War, and helped establish a Seminary. This become the Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Japan. When the PCA merged with the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Evangelical Synod the missionaries begun assist the PCJ.[3][4]

The church had 50 congregations and 2,000 members in 3 Presbyteries in 2004. The Westminster Confession of Faith is the official confession.[2]

As of 2013 the denomination is present in 13 Prefectures, in Ibaraki Prefecture, Saitama Prefecture, Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo Prefecture, Kanagawa, Yamanashi Prefecture, Aichi Prefecture, Gifu Prefecture, Mie Prefecture, Ishikawa Prefecture, Osaka Prefecture, Kagawa Prefecture, Miyagi Prefecture, Tokushima Prefecture.[5]

There are church planting movements in several Japanese cities, including Nagoya,[6] Chiba, Osaka and Tokyo.

Theology

Seminary

The church maintains theological training two institutes:

  • Christ Bible Institute
  • Christ Bible Seminary.[9]

Statistics

The Presbyterian Church in Japan has now 6 Presbyteries and 2,200 regularly worshiping members in 67 congregations.[10][11] The six Presbyteries are Tokyo, Central, Western, Dongguan Higashikana, Musashi and Kanagawa Presbyteries. The church is among the few Christian denomination that are growing in Japan.[12] While other missions are shrinking, the PCA mission of the Japanese Presbyterian Church is growing rapidly.[13] The PCA supports the Christ Bible Institute and the Church planting Institute.[14][15] The Presbyterian Church in America supports short-term missionaries for over 27 years.[16]

Partner churches

Partner churches are the Presbyterian Church in America and the Presbyterian Church of Australia, these denominations aim to plant churches and form Presbytery in Chiba Prefecture. In 1989 3 pastors in the Presbyterian Church in Japan invited the PCA missionaries to serve in Japan to build a Presbytery. The Presbyterian Church in Japan is among the few denominations that are growing in the country.[17][18]

The church maintains close relationships also with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Koshin).[1]

References
  1. "長老教会とは？: 日本長老教会(The Presbyterian Church in Japan)". chorokyokai.jp. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  2. Christoph Fasse. "Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions". reformiert-online.net. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  3. "Japan, Chiba". mtw.org. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  4. Benedetto, R.; McKim, D.K. (2009). Historical Dictionary of the Reformed Churches. Scarecrow Press. p. 342. ISBN 9780810870239. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  5. "日本長老教会 :: 日本長老教会とは". cms.chorokyokai.jp. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  6. "Japan, Nagoya". mtw.org. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  7. "日本長老教会 :: ウェストミンスター信仰基準(日本語訳)". cms.chorokyokai.jp. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  8. "日本長老教会 :: ウェストミンスター信仰基準(英語版)". cms.chorokyokai.jp. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  9. "Japan, Nagoya, Christ Bible Institute". mtw.org. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  10. "Team History - MTW Tokyo / Chiba Team". mtwtokyo.com. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  11. "日本長老教会 :: 所属教会". cms.chorokyokai.jp. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  12. "所属教会: 日本長老教会(The Presbyterian Church in Japan)". chorokyokai.jp. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  13. "Short-Term Missions: Blessing or Bother? | Article |". Archived from the original on 2013-12-17. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  14. "English | おゆみ野キリスト教会". oyuminochurch.jp. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  15. "The Iversons in Japan / Many will come from the east as well as the west ... Matthew 8:11". iversonjapan.com. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  16. "InVision by MTW |". Archived from the original on 2012-12-24. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  17. "APWM: Australian Presbyterian World Mission". apwm.org.au. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
  18. "Partnership | THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AUSTRALIAN PRESBYTERIAN WORLD MISSION" (PDF). 8 February 2013. Retrieved 2015-07-12.
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