Japanese Presbyterian Church

Call for an Associate Pastor

Church Information

Church Mission Statement: 

God calls Japanese Presbyterian Church (Presby) to live by faith, share God’s love and bring hope to the world so others will know the life found in Jesus Christ.  We believe our ministry and outreach must be relationally oriented; relationships are the window through which those around us see the hope we have in Christ.  We see Presby as a ministry center where we are built up and equipped to be the light and salt in the life of others.  The urban location of Presby reveals part of God’s plan for us; many at Presby have been called to partner with neighboring inner-city ministries such as ministries to the homeless, at-risk high school youth, and neighbors in need.  We have a unique ministry to share and the liberating message of faith, hope and love to proclaim to the world in English and Japanese.  The founding of Presby itself is a demonstration of God’s power, and our 100 year history reflects our perseverance, determination, and courage to follow Christ.  Two major experiences ground this church to the rock, Jesus Christ.  Many of our older members were interned in relocation camps during World War II, and the church doors were closed.  After the war, faithful members and friends returned and the doors were opened again.  Years later, the church underwent a split, and as painful as it was at the time, both congregations are now vibrant.  God’s mission for Presby is a mission the Lord embraced on earth by identifying Himself with the prophetic words of Isaiah 61:1-2 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  (Luke 4:18-19)

Description of our church/organization programs and accomplishments: 

Presby is an active, medium sized congregation whose members seek to love Christ and one another.  The name of our church reflects the history behind the original members.  We are primarily Asian American, English speaking members, who commute to the church from up to 30 miles away.  The paid staff consists of the pastor, the youth director, a part-time children’s ministry director and several support staff. 

The congregation has a huge range of ages from newborns to members with over 50 years of attendance. The English speaking membership comprises 90% of the regular Sunday attendance, averaging 225 people per week.  The remaining 10% worship in a separate Japanese language service.     At peak attendance of ~230, the Christian Education program (nursery through adults) is well supported by volunteer teachers for all ages.  Our church is governed by the Session and assisted in ministry by the Board of Deacons and the Ministry Roundtable.  Consisting of a representative from all church ministries, the Roundtable gives people a place to share any ideas for further ministry, and is valuable for facilitating communication.   

Presby’s mission statement “so others will know the life found in Jesus Christ” is the reason for our existence.  But who are the “others”?  As a single congregation, we will never be able to reach everyone with the gospel.  There are particular people whom God does want Presby to reach and particular needs God wants us to address.  We believe God has defined “others” by our values and circumstances. RELATIONAL:  Our ministry and outreach is relationally oriented.  Relationships are the context in which people understand God’s faithfulness.  Expanding our circles of relationships means going beyond the borders of our everyday life.  Interaction with neighbors around the church, overseas and cross-cultural missions of Presby are relationally developed and engage a group of people with the intention of nurturing long-term relationships.  REGIONAL:  Our “other” is also defined by region.  People come from all over the great Seattle-Eastside area.  There is ministry wherever there are Presby people.  We see Presby as an accessible ministry center where we are built up and equipped, and from which we are sent out to our world.  RAINIER VALLEY:  Our geographical location reveals part of God’s plan for us. There are many programs and ministries which reach into the local neighborhood and the world from our midst.  Congregation members participate in our Preaching Team, the Welcoming and Enfolding Committee and area based fellowship groups.  We are also have relationships with the other Asian American churches in the Seattle/Bellevue area.  We are a mission-oriented church that faithfully supports local, short-term, and full-time mission programs.  

Gifts, skills and experiences Presby possesses to fulfill its mission: 

God’s gifts to Presby are found in the congregation.  It is a true multigenerational church with wisdom provided by the older members and energy from children of all ages.  Long-standing members work alongside brand new members, open to new ideas and listening for God’s will together.  There is strong lay leadership, with a good balance of leadership between staff and lay leaders.   

Presby includes members trained in business, education, law, medicine, and engineering; skills that have all been used for God’s work.  This has allowed Presby to be financially stable over its history and to support various ministries and missions.     Recently, these skills have been used first hand in overseas missions when Presby organized and sent medical teams to Thailand on two occasions.  All of these have been to the glory of God and to fulfill the mission, “so others will know the life found in Jesus Christ.”   

Music ministry is an example of gifts and lay leadership at work.  Teams of talented volunteers lead music during Sunday morning worship.  God has blessed these musicians with a level of personal devotion to Christ that equals their musical abilities which allows them to lead the congregation in meaningful worship. 

God’s faithfulness has been shown through hardship and He has faithfully grown this church for 100 years and we are grateful for our past leadership and the support of the Presbytery of Seattle over the years.

References Page

Job Description

Interested parties should contact the Pastor Nominating Committee (information at the end of the downloadable CIF forms on the download page).

Web comments?: webmaster (at) jpresby.org