The perspective of Asia 3

2. Development of the Mission of the Lutheran Church
From the beginning, the Lutheran church had special concerns about social problems in Japan, especially in the fields of education and social work. In Saga, the first Lutheran kindergarten was built, and in Kumamoto a Lutheran school called “Kyushu Gakuin” was established for youth, in addition to the theological education that was already provided. Also, the Lutheran church established the social welfare institution “Ji-Ai En” for the aged, handicapped, and orphaned in Kumamoto.
Originally Lutheran women’s groups in America prayed for and gave support for the establishment of kindergartens and other educational and social welfare institutions. Lutherans in Japan have devoted themselves to work in the fields of education and social welfare, as well as evangelism, by receiving generous donations of Lutheran churches and women’s missionary organizations in the US.
The Missouri Synod has been deeply interested in the education field and has maintained two independent school bodies in Saitama near Tokyo: Seibou Lutheran School and Urawa Lutheran School. Now both churches, the JELC and the NRK together have a total of about 50 kindergartens, 30 nurseries for infants, 5 school bodies and 50 institutions for the aged and the handicapped around Japan. Through such concrete work of education and social work, the Lutheran church in Japan shares the grace of God in the daily lives of people. Churches, schools and institutions for social work are put into different legal categories under Japanese law, but Lutherans have always understood them to work cooperatively and have drawn on the contributions that each can make in developing a holistic plan for mission work.
This means that education and social work have been a part of the church’s mission in Japan, along with evangelism. Since the Reformation Era, Lutherans have been deeply engaged in social issues. Christians, living by the word of God, are encouraged to love their neighbors. According to the principle of Law and Gospel, Lutherans living according to the Gospel positively work to maintain the order of God’s creation. Working in different fields does not mean becoming disengaged from evangelism. Rather, it is a way to show how Christian faith works in the world.
On the basis of this approach to a holistic mission of the church, Japan Lutheran College has developed its curriculum for producing graduates who will work in the world as well as in church. The college established a new course for Christian Social Work in the theological department in 1976 and developed it into an independent department in 1987. Then the graduate program for social work was provided in 2002. In 1982, the college founded the Personal Growth and Counseling Institute for answering the psychological needs both in the church and in the world. Then the theological department also began a new course for those interested in Christian counseling, in 1992. From this new course curriculum was developed which would form the basis of the Department of Clinical Psychology and the faculty of the Clinical Psychological Graduate Program, in 2005. Lutheran churches in Japan and Japan Lutheran College have decided to engage deeply in social problems through measures such as these.
Lutheran identity must be confessional. Being confessional means having an actual commitment to the lives of people from the standpoint of Christian faith. The holistic mission of the Lutheran church in Japan is a means of actualizing God’s grace in the world. The Word of God must be proclaimed and realized through human words and actions both on Sunday and throughout the week. This holistic mission also has contributed to Japanese society and has been evaluated well by people. It is also really important for the mission context in the non-Christian world. Without obtaining the trust of people, there is no success for evangelization in Japan. In such relationships, Lutheran identity has been formed.