Diaspora Returnee Ministries Field worker with the Japanese based in New Zealand

Job Description

Japanese Diaspora Returnee Ministries is part of the Diaspora Returnee Ministries Field. This is the newest field in OMF and rapidly growing. This is a truly exciting time as we see the Lord bring the people of East Asia to our home countries.

Our vision is to see:

The worldwide movement of East Asians discipled to build up the body of Christ among their own people and beyond.

The Diaspora Ministries Field currently operates in nine countries around the world. Our field members reach out to Diaspora peoples from Japan, China*, Indonesia* and Thailand*.

From this you can see that our desire is that our Diaspora Ministries contribute to the larger Mission and Vision of OMF—to see indigenous mission movements and an indigenous biblical church planting movement in each of the people groups of East Asia. So we reach out strategically, not to all East Asians, but to a select few, including the Mainland Chinese*, Japanese, Indonesian* and Thai*. We do this in a focused way so that we can be more effective, and also with a deliberate focus on ministering to and preparing returnees for ministry to their own people and beyond. 

All of us are concentrating on in-depth discipling, training, coaching and intentionally preparing returning scholars, academics and business people. We build viable, flexible and secure returnee networks with our Asian Fields and contacts. We also train others to be effective in reaching East Asians in an appropriate and contextualized way, partnering with the local church and other agencies/organizations.

We have the privilege of being able to go full circle with people as we work together not regardless of where we are based but because of it— as we work across the globe, we can follow-up individuals continue the discipleship process from e.g. the UK to Germany* to China*, Japan and back. Our East Asian friends while in Diaspora contexts are reached and mobilized, through Diaspora workers they are discipled and coached and by Diaspora returnees, new indigenous mission movements are springing up in their own countries.

Cities where we are currently looking to place workers are: Auckland and Christchurch

Responsibilities

As part of one of our Diaspora Returnee Ministries teams, you could be involved in:

Evangelism and discipleship in the form of: 

-Leading Bible studies

-Leading small groups

-One on one relationship building

-Large outreach events

-Setting up returnee groups to prepare students for their return home and model Church in their home country

-Showing hospitality

-Offering conversation practice in the local language

-Helping with adjusting to life in New Zealand 

You may also be involved in offering training for groups/ churches/ organizations who are working with Japanese. This may include:

-Supporting and equipping local Christians in their own outreach to Japanese

-Directing them to good literature

-Offering advice

-Helping in their relationships with Japanese - perhaps with communication in the mother tongue where necessary

Qualifications

We are distinct from the other organizations who reach out to Internationals in that our field members specialize in the language and culture of the people group to whom God has called them. To be a field member you would need to be willing to learn the Japanese language and be willing to gain experience of living in Japan.

This would involve going to live in Japan for at least two years.

If you are already proficient in Japanese but would be relocating to be based in New Zealand then you may find yourself living and working in a third culture and then you would need time to adjust to it yourself.

You will need:

-A good level of English in order to function as part of our team

- Perseverance

- Flexibility and acceptance that you may have a constantly changing group to whom you are reaching out. (This is due to the returnee focus of our ministry mentioned above)

- A pioneering spirit to be able to reach out to and disciple students/scholars and to perhaps start a new work in cities where none exists

- It may be necessary to work in a virtual team if no other team members are in your location.

- To be happy to work cooperatively with other missionaries, other mission organizations and possibly with local ethnic Churches.