OMF - LINK Sports Ministry

Sports are great fun and a fantastic means to connect with people and find opportunities to share the love of Christ. At LINK we have a vision to use sports to meet and build relationships with young adults in the Tokyo area, seeking to share the gospel with them. Many young people in Japan may have never even met a Christian before, let alone heard the gospel or thought about visiting a church.

Job Description

The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. Sadly in Japan there are very few Christian young people - some may have never even met a Christian before, let alone heard the gospel or thought about visiting a church. Yet many young people are open to new ideas and are at a stage of life where they are considering their identity and direction in life. That is why at LINK we want to make the most of this window of opportunity, using sports to connect with young adults in the Tokyo area and share our faith with them.

As a Sports Ministry Worker at LINK you will be able to use almost any kind of sport to find and build friendships with young adults who share the same interest. You can choose to start a sports group or join existing sporting clubs and communities. You may work with other missionaries, and potentially alongside Japanese Christians too, or you may work primarily on your own if you are comfortable to do so. There may also be opportunities to work with churches that have a vision for reaching out to young adults through sports.

Whether you join a sports group or start your own, your key focus will be to meet lots of people and seek to share the love of Christ with them as your friendship grows.

It can be difficult adjusting to the differences of Japanese culture and learning the language. However, sports can help break the ice and open the way to many friendships and opportunities to share about our wonderful God.

Responsibilities

Initial period of language and culture study (usually at OMF's school in Sapporo) and ongoing study throughout your time in ministry.

Meeting and building friendships with people through sports (depending on your preference and the opportunities available, this may involve starting new groups, joining existing groups, running sporting activities or helping out with sporting events and so on)?br>
Attending weekly LINK team meetings for debriefing, fellowship, prayer and planning.

Keeping in touch with people you meet, building friendship and seeking to share your faith with them. You may have opportunity to lead a Bible study with individuals or groups, depending on your gifts.

Supporting the youth work and activities at the local church where you will be assigned.

Qualifications

You are a committed Christian with a passion to share your faith with others
You have interest and experience in a specific sport or sports
Some teaching experience would be helpful but not essential?br>You must hold a tertiary level qualification in order to obtain a visa
Initiative in following up individuals, reaching out to people and loving them
Ability to adjust to a very different culture
A servant attitude, flexible and able to work well with a team
Willing to accept a challenge and have a go at things even if you have no experience
Self-discipline in time management
Emotionally stable and self-sufficient - you may need to work on your own at times and life in Tokyo can be very busy so there may be times when people are not available to meet with you - you will need to be able to cope with the potential loneliness.
Able to get around town on your own, either on public transport or by bicycle

Living Situations

Living in a share house is recommended. In Japan share houses are very popular and range in size from just a few to hundreds of residents. Living in a share house is a great way to meet people, make great friends, have a lot of fun and find many opportunities to share your faith. For more information about this and other accommodation options, please inquire.