Tokyo Partnership
We at Onward have a heart for local ministry in Auburn, but we believe also that we are called to go and make disciples of all nations.
Since the beginning of Onward, we have believed that the Great Commission calls us not only to local ministry in Auburn, but also to making disciples among the nations. From the earliest days of our ministry, international missions has been a central part of our vision and prayer.
In 2020, we began praying and seeking wisdom about where the Lord might lead us to establish a long-term international partnership. Through a series of providential relationships and opportunities, the Lord continually directed us toward Japan and connected us with pastors and ministry leaders in Tokyo. During the COVID years, while Japan remained closed to international travel, we prayed faithfully for the Lord to open doors in His timing.
When Japan reopened in 2022, our team traveled to Tokyo praying specifically for three things: a local church partnership, a university where we could engage college students, and a place for future teams to live and serve. In just a few days, the Lord answered all three prayers.
Today, Onward partners closely with Bread of Life Church in the Waseda area of Tokyo. Together, we are engaging in evangelism, discipleship, and relational ministry among Japanese and international college students, particularly around Waseda University.
In the summer of 2023, we sent our first short-term team to Tokyo. Since then, the partnership has continued to grow each year through both short-term and long-term ministry efforts. Every summer, Onward now sends a seven-week summer missions team to Tokyo focused on serving the local church, building relationships with students, sharing the Gospel, and helping connect students into ongoing discipleship and community.
Onward now has a long-term ministry presence in Tokyo through a 1–2 year missions program. Our current team is living and serving in Japan alongside Bread of Life Church, building deep relationships, studying Japanese language and culture, and laboring faithfully to make disciples in one of the least-reached nations in the world.
Japan is often considered one of the most spiritually difficult mission fields on earth, with less than 1% of the population identifying as Christian. Yet we believe the Gospel is the power of God for salvation, and we are praying for the Lord to raise up a generation of Japanese believers who will know Christ and make Him known throughout Japan and beyond.
Please pray for the students and relationships that have been formed through this partnership, for Bread of Life Church and its leaders, and for the Onward staff and students currently serving in Tokyo. Pray that the Lord would continue to open doors for the Gospel and raise up long-term laborers for Japan for years to come.
For more information on Onward’s Partnership in Tokyo, Japan, contact Charlie Gross -
See below a slideshow that Bread of Life Church made of our team’s trip!
See below a gallery from our 2023 Summer Project to Tokyo, Japan.
