Servant Leader Newsletter
October 2023

by Andrew Ichimura 

JCE7 (Japan Congress on Evangelism) in September 2023 and “Paradigm Shift in Mission” 

JCE7 was held at Nagaragawa International Conference Center in Gifu City from September 19 (Tue) to 22 (Fri) with participation of approximately 1,200 pastors, evangelists, missionaries, seminary students, and lay people from all over Japan. I also participated in the conference as a representative of the International VIP Club, and was encouraged and impressed by the following three points:

1. Seeing young and mid-career leaders in their 40s and 50s, who will lead the next generation, taking on leadership roles and playing an active role in Japanese society with diversifying values and a rapidly digitalizing culture, I felt that there is hope for the future of evangelism in Japan.
2. Not only by evangelism through words, but also the fact that evangelism is being carried out in ways that meet local needs, such as disaster relief, nursing care for the elderly, and children's cafeterias, demonstrates that the gospel is being shared through the fulfillment of social responsibilities. I sense great expectations for the future of evangelism in Japan.
3. I was encouraged to see young people cooperating in missions. The fact that missionary work is being carried out in unity, in diversity, overcoming differences among churches, churches and mission groups, pastors and congregations, foreigners and Japanese, young people and the elderly, urban and rural areas, and so on truly gives me high expectations for the future of evangelism in Japan.

This conference strongly reminded me and emphasized the need for a "missionary paradigm shift" to share the "Gospel of the Kingdom of God" within the traditional Japanese culture to reach the hearts of the Japanese people. In this sense, the "VIP God's Kingdom Network" (Japan Roots Torah Scroll Study Group), which began in August 2021, is a "missionary paradigm shift" (a new way or approach) to convey the love of Jesus Christ and the gospel of the Kingdom of God within the Shinto and Buddhist culture of Japan. As a result, we reaffirmed that it has great power to change Japan.

“The Diet Christmas Banquet 2023" will be held on Thursday, November 30, at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo

The "Diet Christmas Banquet 2023" will be held for the first time in four years on Thursday, November 30, from 18:00 to 21:00 at the Hotel New Otani Tokyo's Houou Room (capacity of 300 people). The keynote speaker will be Mr. Shinsuke Sugiyama, former Ambassador of Japan to the United States and Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The musical guest will be Mr. Toshiya Inagaki (baritone), and the MC Ms. Jyunko Akisawa (TBS-TV announcer).

Please pray that God's love and the gospel of the Kingdom of God will be shared boldly and clearly, that the eyes and ears of participants will be open to see and hear and respond in faith to the truth of the gospel. Please contact me (Ichimura) via email or LINE if you would like to have a brochure. 

Andrew Ichimura
A3.business Faculty/Mentor

____________________ 

Andrew Ichimura founded VIP Ministry Japan focusing on Christian business leaders in the context of the workplace there. He also serves as a mentor/faculty member for A3.business.

More Information

• This article was reposted with permission from Andrew Ichimura and originally appeared in his report, Servant Leader Newsletter, October 2023.
• Header photo courtesy JCE.
• Download the JCE7 flyer: JCE7-A3-flyer_2023.pdf
• JCE7 Official Website: Japan Congress on Evangelism (site in Japanese)

Japan (MNN) – A declining, aging population in Japan means both businesses and churches need guidance through the transition of leadership.

“They are stuck in having trouble developing the succession plan or finding the successors.”

• This story by Emily Roth was originally published on 31-Jul-2023 by Mission Network News: https://www.mnnonline.org/news/aging-japanese-businesses-and-churches-seek-successors/
• Download the audio file:
  https://a3-media.s3-us-west-1.amazonaws.com/audio/mnn/4-5min-Jul31-2023.mp3     
• Header image photo by Aditya Rao on Unsplash.

Leaders from Nine Countries Experience a Momentous A3.business Orientation in Singapore

God is on the move! He is raising kingdom-minded business leaders all over the world for such a time as this. A3.business is a piece of the giant jigsaw puzzle God is using. A3 nurtures intentional learning communities of kingdom leaders in the marketplace to equip them for transforming their cities and nations. Coming out of a two-year pause during the pandemic, leaders in several countries were eager to explore launching an A3.business cohort.

That’s great, but the easiest way to explain the power of an in-person residential cohort is to demonstrate it. We decided the best way forward was to do that for several countries all at once. We invited 25 key business leaders from nine countries to Singapore where A3 would hold a three-day orientation session; one that looks very similar to our typical weekend sessions.

We invited two accomplished business practitioners (missional business leaders with rich experience that they can share) to join us. Dave Wendorff joined us from the USA and Francis Tsui from Hong Kong.

Over the course of the three days, Dave and Francis shared from their lives and their experiences instructive examples of how to be a believer who leads their company out of who they are as a Christ follower.

• Dave shared about our intrinsic worth as one created by God. He loves us unconditionally. We don’t have to earn it. Once we get that, it frees us to be His presence in the marketplace.
• Francis helped us over the three days to understand purposeful living and visionary lifestyle as missional business leaders.

Orientation participants are leading companies in India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea. The time together was amazing. Never having run an orientation to A3.business for multiple countries, we just didn’t know what to expect. But the leaders over the three days bonded together with a unity of purpose coming out of their strong love for Jesus. Their stories of how God is working in their lives, their company and their cities demonstrate the power of living out faith Monday through Saturday, breaking down the sacred/secular divide.

Here are a few of their reflections on the time:

“Super! Thanks for the great intimate workshop last week. Great organization indeed! First time for me to attend such an "intimate marketplace workshop" chatting on actual life experiences with fellow Christians in the business world. I bring home learnings from each other's experiences as well as good memories and encouragement.

Nourished by Isaiah 6:1-8 by Rev Edmund Chan (Position defines perspectives) as well as the  teachings from Francis and David.”

— Leader from the Philippines

These meetings not only provided a strong and meaningful teaching on how we can impact our community through the business or work we do in the marketplace every day but also an awesome feeling of unity in the Lord. Living for a few days with people from countries and cultures so different and distant (in kilometers) from me just gave me the vision of God Almighty, King of all of us, Jesus our Savior, the Holy Spirit our guide, no matter where we are from. People with the same faith in the same path (with the conviction that the marketplace is the place to expand the Kingdom) in this awesome country, in such a nice hotel, to experience the richness of God's love, mercy and provision.

For me on a personal level, this orientation confirmed that I can also be part of this important task and that the marketplace is the right place.

— Leader from Mexico

“It was a blessing to have people from 11 countries together, especially some from earlier cohorts in Korea and India to come encourage the countries which have not started [A3.business]. Good conversations among the SE Asian countries as we have some business synergies across the countries, and definitely opportunity for impact work. We hope this is a 100-fold ministry…

A note of thanks for Joe, Elliott, Francis and Dave for your time and witness. It was an inspiring weekend, (1) giving me courage to ask God for a vision for my city based on what I have in my hands, (2) reminding me to focus on Him in my heart, and (3) practical tips for work daily, like praying for the office, offering to pray for others.

The bonus: meeting other like-minded individuals from many other countries... And thank you [to] the ones who have attended a cohort in the past but who came to share with the rest of us the experience."

— Leader in Singapore

"Thank you soooo much for the privilege of connection and friendship that would otherwise not be possible. Love the conversation."

— Leader in Malaysia

"I have to tell you all, coming back to the office feels different. It seems there's a lot more 'work' to be done, especially expanding the Kingdom of God in the marketplace!"

— Leader in Manila

Truly, God is on the move as he establishes His Ekklesia in the workplace.

More Information

• See blog posts from/about Francis Tsui

"Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." – Ephesians 4:30

Here are the Four Dimensions:

1. The Outward Dimension of Polarity.

	"A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. — Proverbs 19:11

2. The Downward Dimension of Satan’s Schemes.

“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

3. The Inward Dimension of Our Inner Core.

4. The Upward Dimension What Pleases God.

"I believe that the test of leadership is found in the third generation. It involves mentoring leaders who would reproduce leaders. This is why I thank God for A3! It is an outstanding movement that's strategically committed to sustainable leadership development! Mentoring leaders. Multiplying disciples. YES!!!”

Rev. Edmund Chan Leadership Mentor, Covenant Evangelical Free Church, Singapore Founder, Global Alliance of Intentional Disciple-Making Churches

• A3 Faculty
• Photo credit: Cover photo by Diva Plavalaguna

I recently read a journal entry at Uncommon Voices Collective from my good friend, Daniel Fong, about God's desire for relationship with us that isn't based upon doing good works. I wanted to pass it along to you, as I trust his thoughts will bless you.

Addressing mistaken theology of 'works righteousness'

FOUNDERS UPDATE

Chapters 21 and 22 of Revelation describes the new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem. Revelation 21:3 reads: 

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.” 

— Revelation 21:3

To me, it is absolutely crystal clear that the purpose of creation is for God to be with humanity. That is the ultimate will of God in no uncertain terms: relationship with humanity.

It is my faith and hope that the new heaven, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem will come. That is a promise from God that we can ‘take to the bank’ so to speak. Let us see clearly that this event in the future is not dependent on any of us or any person or groups of people. God does not necessarily need our help to make this a reality. 

This devotional focuses on the mistaken theology that we need to do things “for” God. God does not need us to do anything for him. God simply wants us to “be” with him. By being with him, that’s conforming our identity with the identity of God in the person of Jesus Christ. Gal 2:20 reads,

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live but Christ lives in me.”

— Galatians 2:20

When we allow Christ to live in us, our doing, and our behavior will be a natural outflow of the Holy Spirit. We can confirm that in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit in us when we look at the mirror and see the reflection of love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, patience, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. That’s the fruit of the Holy Spirit. If you do not see that reflection in the mirror of yourself, then Gal 2:20 to you may just be an aspiration. You may still be unclear about what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

Without fully being identified with the character of Jesus Christ, we shall default to doing things for God as a way to be good and faithful followers. We assume that our work and effort will replace the need for our crucifixion. From my observation, Christians have replaced the dead weight of sin and death with the dead weight of good works in the name of God and for God. The popular, but erroneous, attention to “my calling”, ”my vocation”, and “my ministry'' are reflections of an identity confusion about who we are and what we should do. Why? Because we have been taught by tradition and societal pressures that our identity is solely based on our doing, which would help us accumulate possessions, accomplishments, accolades, reputation and ultimately, our reward from God. I have come to the understanding that my identity comes from the crucifixion of old self-centered identities and to allow my doing to be a natural outflow of the Holy Spirit when the identity of Jesus Christ replaces my old one.

This realization is supported by Romans 8:2

“For The law of the spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” 

— Romans 8:2

As I have said before, my observation is that Christians have replaced the dead weight of sin and death with the dead weight of good works. Instead of being free, Christians are anxious, worried, angry, dissatisfied, frustrated, and have, throughout church history, thought that the world is heading in the wrong direction and that we Christians need to do, not just something, but as much as we can to change directions. Why? So that the new heaven, new earth, and the new Jerusalem will come? And that only through our diligent and faithful work will God fulfill his promise? Is that really what the Bible teaches us? Is that really God’s will?

To me, the law of sin and death is like gravity. It is a law that no one can defy. However, when we get into a hot air balloon and rise (thanks to the law of thermodynamics), we can rise and defy gravity. In a similar fashion, the law of the spirit of life can lift us up and away from the dead weight. We need to get into that hot air balloon of Christ. When we rely on our own work and effort in the form of our calling, our vocation, or our ministry, we remain on the ground and while not escaping from the gravity of sin and death, we add to our stress and burden with the dead weight of good works. It is not the law of good works that will set us free, it is the law of the spirit of life.

May this devotional be a taste of an eternal sabbath in Christ Jesus and lead to a better understanding of Jesus’s teaching in the Sermon on the Mount regarding Jesus’ encouragement in the Book of Matthew. “Do not be anxious and do not worry about tomorrow”. As we read Revelation chapters 21 & 22 as our daily devotional today, let us not find ourselves trying to be as busy as possible in doing things for God. That’s not God’s will. God’s focus is on our being and our willingness to be with him 24/7.

Daniel Fong

More Information

This article has been reposted with permission; it was originally published on June 1, 2022 located here:

https://uncommonvoicescollective.space/foundersupdate

Photo courtesy of Daniel Fong

I recently read a journal entry at Uncommon Voices Collective from my good friend, Daniel Fong, about Christlike Servanthood. I wanted to pass it along to you, as I trust his thoughts will bless you this advent season.

Christlike Servanthood

#FOUNDERSUPDATE: DECEMBER 14TH, 2021

For the past three months, I have been traveling quite a bit; Aspen for the fall colors, Honolulu for my sister’s sixtieth birthday, New York and Philadelphia to attend my first in-person board meeting for Christianity Today and Geneva Switzerland. I have had numerous conversations regarding the various theological subjects that I have been studying, like being before doing, a focus on servanthood instead of leadership, and none of me and all of him. Even though I have not written a  founder’s update since the end of August, I have been diligently studying, thinking deeply, and carefully reviewing conversations from divine appointments, the people who the Spirit has led me to. I would like to report to you my latest revelation that seems to offer a very cohesive structure that ties all my passionate subjects together.

While meditating on Romans 8:2, “For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death,” I am able to link the law of sin and death to Newton’s law of universal gravity that pulls down everything to the ground. Like gravity, there is no human effort, no matter how hard we try, that will allow us to defy it. If we jump off a tall building, we will fall. Such is the reality of the law of sin and death. It is an inevitable reality that humanity must face, no matter how hard we try to resist. Have you ever wondered why sin and death are described as “burdens” or even a “dead weight,” always pulling us down? Paul said “all have sinned” in Romans 3:23. And sooner or later, we all will die.

Watchman Nee, in his Basic Lessons series cautioned that many Christians try to do good through works and self-effort to overcome sin and fail miserably. We replace the burden of sin with the burden of good works, worship, ministries, and missions. It is why for many of us, trying to be a good Christian is very labor intensive and very tiring. It is obvious to me that we cannot fight the law of sin and death with good works or “doing.”

The only remedy, according to Paul, is the law of the Spirit of life. How does the law, not the Spirit, but the law of the Spirit of life, set us free?

I propose that we follow Paul’s advice in Philippians 4:8, “finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” What we think about in our minds and hearts are direct reflections of our being. Or as Martin Luther might say, “the letter (of the law) kills, but the spirit (of the law) gives life.” We think before we do. Therefore, it is not about our doing. It is all about our being: who we are and what we dwell on. We focus our being on Christ by following Philippians 4:8. Filling our minds with Philippians 4:8 thoughts is like filling a hot air balloon with hot air or helium. The buoyancy force relates to Newton’s laws of motion, and can counter or defy the law of gravity, allowing the hot air balloon to rise and “fly.” While we cannot humanly defy the law of sin and death, getting on a hot air balloon that follows the law of the Spirit of life will set us free, free from the gravity of sin and death.

While I was practicing this reorientation of my thinking, I realized that focusing on servanthood and loving all my neighbors, including my enemies, requires thinking about what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise. In fact, servanthood is a relief from the burden of leadership and the biblical response to bad leadership. Moreover, consider Galatians 5:22, that being loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, good, patient, faithful, gentle and under self-control are indeed reflections of the being of Christ. I believe this is what Paul is referring to in Galatians 2:20  when he says,

“I no longer live but Christ lives in me” means. What we think about and how we think are proof that we need to have Christ living in us. It is my proclamation of “none of me, and all of him.”

For many nights now, I have recited Philippians 4:8 and Galatians 5:22 as I fall asleep. The experience is one of ultimate peace and rest.

Is this what eternal Sabbath feels like? Try it, and let me know.

Daniel Fong

More Information

This article has been reposted with permission; it was originally published on December 14, 2021 located here:

https://uncommonvoicescollective.space/foundersupdate

Photo courtesy of Daniel Fong

by Francis Tsui

>> Read Part 1, How Business has Transformed Nations and Lifted People Out of Poverty in China and East Asia

Continuing from Part 1, this article explores BAM as an effective mission strategy for missional impact in urban Asia, especially as we aim to reach a tipping point for macro impact through BAM companies.

Increasingly Asia has been transformed right before our eyes, and people’s lot has greatly improved over the last century. From a missiological perspective, urban East Asia has transformed into a totally different mission field compared to just decades ago. The fast transforming Asia powering into the twenty-first century certainly needs a new missiology and a new missional paradigm to raise up leaders to keep mission relevant and effective.

It is against this backdrop that the global church – with its mission leaders and workers, including those from Asia – has to contemplate and reassess their understanding, approaches, and strategies for the new Asian harvest fields. The gospel message remains the same, yet the church needs to search the heart of God to ask how the missio Dei is relevant in such a changing time and to a transforming continent.

Affluent and Open

The mission fields in Asia are no longer just remote, isolated, exotic destinations. In the last two centuries, in many Asian countries, the church has survived and the mission work has thrived through poverty and persecution. Yet, many are now asking how the harvest fields in Asia will survive affluence and openness.

Throughout Asia, people are nearer to each other, not only physically but virtually. Whether it is in the urban or the rural areas, technology has brought people closer. It was only in August 1991, almost exactly thirty years ago, when the World Wide Web became publicly available. In just about two decades, the advent and then proliferation of the internet have brought people together in ways no one could have imagined before. One could easily surmise the easy access of online experience in the cities. Yet, even before the introduction of smartphones, when it was still at the 2G technology level, China and India had already started to equip their mobile communication network and empower their rural population to get connected to the internet.

Once smartphone and 3G and 4G mobile communication technology became widely accessible in Asia, nearly everyone from the very advanced economies such as Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore, to the humbler and maybe even illiterate rural farmer, became connected. Connectivity means flow of information as well as facility of relationship. WhatsApp, WeChat, Line, Skype, Zoom, Gmail, Outlook, Facebook, Weibo, Instagram, and the list goes on. Virtual education, remote medicine, and webinars become not only new shared vocabulary, but also shared experience and lifestyle. Mobile transaction and cashless payment have also become the new norm and accepted practice. All these have prepared the field with both tools and inspiration for entrepreneurs (or any enterprising ones) to venture into mission as well as business, notably in the SME sector.

From Surviver to Seeker

In this 21^st Century Asia, more Asians have become much more sophisticated and enlightened than ever before. Those living in urban settings have also become more cosmopolitan in outlook. Indeed, Asians are awakened, empowered, and seeking beyond the immediate. Asians are inspired and their aspirations have broadened.

As we reflected on in Part 1, Asian countries for the most part have helped their people to gradually do better in their quality of living — lifting millions from poverty, and improving the per capita GDP incrementally. The betterment of living standards inevitably triggers the quest for an improvement of the quality of life as well. According to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, when people’s physiological needs are being met, they become motivated to achieve higher level needs. When fundamental needs are satisfied, the desire grows in people to achieve higher level of needs. [1]

For some Asians living and thriving in the last half of the 20^th century, betterment implied moving away from poverty, attaining economic security, or even accumulating wealth. However, now those people are looking to achieve a sense of fulfillment. That might not necessarily mean jumping right up to actualization on Maslow’s pyramid, but it is natural for people begin to seek emotional fulfillment or begin a spiritual quest once basic needs are met. In many ways, urban Asia gathers seekers and dreamers.

The Harvest is Ripe

There are indeed many different ways and possibilities to bring the gospel to the people through their local culture, and not to be co-opted or corrupted by it. Over the years, in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and even China, there are ministries that reach out to the marketplace, such as the Full Gospel Businessmen Fellowship. Doing mission in Asia has already moved beyond the traditional paradigm, and happens far beyond the confines of churches and homes. Currently in Asia, ministering the gospel happens in many places, and only the sky is the limit.

The harvest field in East Asia is a landscape ripened for BAM activities like never before. The prosperous marketplace is vibrant with enterprising SME startups as well as seasoned business owners. BAM practitioners, like these businesspeople, are as much leaders and opportunistic risk takers as their counterparts in the marketplace. BAMers are often entrepreneurial and know how to find entry points and how to leverage their opportunities to bring missional transformation to where they are being placed. Ordinary businesses are positioned to bring economic transformation to the community, but a BAM venture has the potential bring transformation in multiple areas – from economic to social to technological, as well as spiritual – and at all levels, from individuals to the wider community. They are already living with a missional mindset and thinking missional strategy when they speak of having an impact on quadruple bottom lines. [2]

Mobilizing Marketplace Christians

In many creative access nations in East Asia, it is getting more challenging for conventional missionaries or mission workers to reach into all levels of society. However, these places welcome business people or those with certain professional training to visit or to take residence. Often, they are allowed to take employment or to open up their companies with professional visas permissible for personnel that would bless them with technology transfer. This would be a most fitting and opportune mission landscape for anyone who wants to build a BAM-focused small or medium enterprise (SME). However, if we are to see macro impact occur through business as mission, we need to mobilize Asian Christians who are already in the marketplace.

Christians in the marketplace in Asia are already out on the cutting edge of the harvest fields and in clear view of this generation of Asians who are now seeking meaning and fulfillment for their lives, longing for hope, faith, and love. Many marketplace Christians want their lives to count for eternity and are ready to be motivated and mobilized to see their professional lives and ventures become effective tools for mission.  They are often in the best position to compassionately respond to the needs and opportunities of the lost right in their midst. Through BAM ventures, they are being called into incarnational mission, to bring forth holistic impact through their words and deeds in their everyday lives. They who have to experienced the transformational power of Jesus in the marketplace are able to bring transformation to others, and help to usher in the Kingdom on earth in all nations.

The gospel is to be articulated and communicated through people, with their unique voices and presence in their local community. Just as Newbigin conceived: “The only hermeneutic of the gospel is a local congregation that believes it and lives by it.” A crucial task of the mission enterprise should therefore be empowering Christians in the marketplace to live by the gospel and intentionally position their business ventures as participants in the missio Dei, as ministers of Christ to their neighbors. As the world continues to spin around us and new challenges become close and present reality, mobilizing ever more SMEs to be intentional BAM companies is a vital approach to mission strategy in twenty-first century East Asia and beyond.

Footnotes

[1] A.H. Maslow, “A Theory of Human Motivation,” Psychological Review 50, vol. 4 (1943): 370-96.

[2] “The Quadruple Bottom Line of Business as Mission (BAM) aims at holistic witness to the gospel that brings about economic, social, environmental and spiritual transformation to bless the unreached.” “The Quadruple Bottomline of Missional Business: Business as Mission,” Go Live Serve: What to Do with Life, July 23, 2018,

[3] Lesslie Newbigin, A Word in Season (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), 146.

 More Information

Francis K. Tsui is from Hong Kong and has been active in Asian mission in the last two decades serving as faculty, mentor, and Board member with Asian Access and AsiaCMS. He holds multiple higher degrees in modern Chinese history, business administration, as well as mission and leadership studies. Recently, Francis has completed and received his DMin degree from Fuller Seminary.

• Photo by Rostyslav Savchyn on Unsplash
• This article was reposted by permission and was originally published on October 28, 2021 by the The BAM Review, located here:

by Francis Tsui

How have businesses, especially SMEs, transformed nations and lifted people out of poverty in China and East Asia? What were critical and contributing factors?

A New Consumer Culture

A Lift Out of Poverty

Critical Factors

 More Information

Francis K. Tsui is from Hong Kong and has been active in Asian mission in the last two decades serving as faculty, mentor, and Board member with Asian Access and AsiaCMS. He holds multiple higher degrees in modern Chinese history, business administration, as well as mission and leadership studies. Recently, Francis has completed and received his DMin degree from Fuller Seminary.

• Soon we will look at the implications of these trends in a second blog post focusing in on how we could see macro impact through business as mission in urban Asia and beyond.
• Photo by Ben Parker on Unsplash
• This article was reposted by permission and was originally published on October 21, 2021 by the The BAM Review, located here:

by Francis Tsui

How have businesses, especially SMEs, transformed nations and lifted people out of poverty in China and East Asia? What were critical and contributing factors?

A New Consumer Culture

A Lift Out of Poverty

Critical Factors

Next week, we will look at the implications of these trends in a second blog post focusing in on how we could see macro impact through business as mission in urban Asia and beyond.

More Information

Francis K. Tsui is from Hong Kong and has been active in Asian mission in the last two decades serving as faculty, mentor, and Board member with Asian Access and AsiaCMS. He holds multiple higher degrees in modern Chinese history, business administration, as well as mission and leadership studies. Recently, Francis has completed and received his DMin degree from Fuller Seminary.

"Asia is rapidly increasing in her global leadership and influence and she needs authentic, Christ followers to lead. The work that Asian Access is doing to develop leaders in a holistic way is critical to transform the next generation."

Ms. So-Young Kang

Founder & CEO, Gnowbe and AwakenGroup

• So-Young's mission, vision & values
• Book: Inside Out: Conversations about Leadership and Innovation in a New Global Economy
• Find So-Young Kang on social media: Facebook • LinkedIn • Instagram
• Websites:
  • So-YoungKang.com
  • Gnowbe.com - mobile-first, micro-learning experience solution
  • AwakenGroup.com - transforming organizations and designing experiences from the inside out

• contact@awakengroup.com - transformation design services
• hello@gnowbe.com - mobile transformational learning platform that shifts mindsets and behaviors in a bite-sized, experiential way

• Read more endorsements of A2.business

By Promod Haque, Ph.D. and Joseph Handley, Ph.D.

The development of fresh Global Leadership models has accelerated over the last few decades.¹ These models show promise as businesses increasingly engage diverse customers and work across multiple cultures and nations. Teamwork effectiveness and cross-cultural acumen are imperative for success.

Early in my career (Joe), I was hired to lead a bilingual global congress that spanned five continents. It was a challenge to keep such a diverse leadership group together. Some wanted us to emphasize planning, while others insisted on keeping vision front and center. Most members of the leadership group brought an ethnocentric point of view to bear, while those who had worked cross-culturally pushed toward a broader frame of reference.

The challenge of keeping such a complex team focused and on the same page led me onto a path of discovery. I became convinced that a new approach to leadership was needed. Following this path led me to form a new theoretical model for Global Leadership, Polycentric Leadership.² This model gained traction as an ever-more-globalizing world grappled with rising polarization and the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

At Norwest Venture Partners, I (Promod) have been experimenting with aspects of this model for several years. There are some interesting aspects of polycentric leadership that come into play as we manage our firm. If you look at our firm in detail, you will find that we invest in diverse sectors that include healthcare and e-commerce, infrastructure for building enterprise software, cloud platforms, and cyber security platforms and applications. In addition, we work in multiple geographies, especially the United States, Canada, Israel, and India. Operating in all these locations with different entrepreneurs requires us to deal with leaders whose mindsets are different from one another.

The complexity of these ventures is immense. It begins with vetting the companies, some of which are startups and others are moving toward liquidity. Each stage brings its own set of challenges, requiring us to discern when we can help and what, in the end, will generate the most profit. To enable us to lead and discern well, we have multiple centers, with offices and leadership teams in each location.

The key for success is in collaborating across the different centers of operation, within and across our multiethnic teams, and working to assess the various entrepreneurs, sectors of the industry and cultural contexts. Essential to Polycentric Leadership is this ability to collaborate across these various centers of influence. We have several sector teams; the leader of each team draws from a wide spectrum of talent so that we can best ascertain whether that venture is worth an investment. They listen carefully to one another, oftentimes working in cross-sector situations, to gain further insight into the company that they may be working with.

I often pull from different teams--like our enterprise team or our Israeli team--and put them on a subcommittee to spend time on one particular investment, with the sponsor working to understand what they're trying to accomplish. They each share their perspectives with the sponsor, offering suggestions on thing like assessing risk and potential next steps.

In addition to asking questions, collaboration also involves sharing experiences from the past. Team members can bring in previous experiences with other companies and founders, sharing both successes and mistakes, to mine what can be learned from past experience that could have application for the present situation. This type of collaboration can help my staff to discern whether or not a given entrepreneur is someone worth backing.

We collaborate with diverse teams across multiple locations. We build relationships and learn from one another's mistakes and successes. The diversity of opinions and backgrounds come together to create a strong investment community--because at the end of the day, if that investment succeeds, we all benefit, and if it doesn't succeed, we all suffer losses.

The entrepreneurs with whom we engage like our polycentric approach, because they know we're talking to multipile entrepreneurs who come from a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities. The last thing they want is people from only one tribe or background assessing their proposals. Our diversity of leadership has given us a meaningful competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Norwest Venture Partners provides a great case study for Polycentric Leadership. The focus on relationships across multiple centers of influence, drawing from a variety of perspectives, genders, nationalities, sectors, and ethnicities creates a powerful leadership ecosystem giving them a competitive advantage in their market. The collaboration and learning from one another as they assess the proposals being pitched to them strengthens their business and leads them to greater success in their industry. The quality of their assessments rise as they discern the character and integrity of the entrepreneurs. This is a key attribute to Polycentric Leadership, what the GLOBE Study calls charisma: “Charismatic leaders inspire their followers
with a desirable and realistic vision that is developed based on appropriate analysis and high-performance expectations. They are viewed as sincere, decisive, and credible because of their integrity and willingness to sacrifice their own self-interest.”³

The power of collective endeavor draws from the robust studies in Polycentric Governance where collaboration is shown to be critical to leadership effectiveness.⁴ Nobel prize winner Elinor Ostrom outlines how this unity can be accomplished through a diversity of entities and players.⁵ The synergy that emerges makes the outcome stronger than any one individual part conveys.

Navi Radjou also captures the essence of what Norwest Venture Partners displays:

In our increasingly multi-polar world characterized by the inexorable rise of emerging markets like Brazil, China, and India, I believe multinationals (MNCs) must abandon their ethnocentric innovation model — which concentrated all their R&D resources in the West. Instead, MNCs must embrace a “polycentric” innovation model in which R&D capabilities are distributed globally to swiftly seize regional opportunities and yet are integrated into a loosely-coupled global innovation network to drive creative synergies on an international scale. This polycentric, networked innovation model is vital for MNCs if they wish to succeed…⁶

As Global Leadership continues to develop, Polycentric Models are showing increasing promise. We hope this case study from Norwest Venture Partners will inspire further discoveries as the research builds traction. To further learn and contribute to the theoretical model, visit https://polycentricleadership.com/

References

1. Mendenhall, M.E., Osland, J.S., Bird, A., Oddou, G.R., & Maznevski, M.L. (2008). Global leadership: Research,
   practice, and development. London and New York: Routledge.
2. Handley, Joseph W. 2020 “Polycentric Mission Leadership.” PhD Diss. Fuller Theological Seminary, School of
   Intercultural Studies: ProQuest; 27745033.
3. House, Robert and Paul Hanges, Mansour Javidian, Peter Dorfmann and Mary Sulley du Luque. Strategic
   Leadership Across Cultures: The GLOBE Study of CEO Leadership Behavior and Effectiveness in 24 Countries,
   Kindle, 268, 335.
4. Scholte, Jan Aart. “Globalization and Governance: From Statism to Polycentrism.” Globalization: A Critical
   Introduction, 2004. Kindle, 3.
5. Ostrom, Elinor. Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems. December 8,
   2009, 411.
6. Radjou, Navi. “Polycentric Innovation: The New Global Innovation Agenda for MNCs.” HBR. Nov 2009.
   https://hbr.org/2009/11/polycentric-innovation-the-new

Author Bios

Promod Haque, Ph.D. is the Senior Managing Partner for Norwest Venture Partners. He has invested in more than 70 companies that have produced more than $40 billion in exit values. In 2014 and 2016, Forbes recognized Promod as a “Hall of Fame” investor. 2017 marked Promod’s thirteenth appearance on the annual Forbes Midas List, including 2004, when he was ranked the 1 venture capitalist based on performance over the previous decade. - https://www.nvp.com/team/promod-haque/

Joseph Handley, Ph.D. is the president of Asian Access, an NGO that develops leaders for mission acceleration. He has traveled to and served in over 70 countries and helped catalyze social enterprise initiatives in several nations. He and Asian Access have been given awards for their work in collaboration and communication. - https://asianaccess.biz/

This article was reposted with permission from PolycentricLeadership.com and originally published here: https://polycentricleadership.com/casestudies/polycentric-leadership-a-theoretical-model-for-global-leadership/

SIX COMMON THEMES FOR A TRINITARIAN APPROACH TO LEADING MISSIONS

Polycentric—Why? And, what’s that?¹

As the world grapples with ongoing tensions, polarities, and ever-growing challenges, I am convinced that we need a new approach to leadership. It was this concern that compelled me to study global leadership and see if another form of leadership could prove pivotal to the world in which we lead for this era of God’s mission.

A Trinitarian paradigm of leadership

Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit lead in a polycentric fashion, we as mission leaders can continue in this stream by leading polycentrically. Ultimately, it is God who directs our vision and leads the way. His model is one we can emulate as we follow his lead and provide leadership in the realms that he has appointed for us to serve. As we become more polycentric in leadership, we can become more like Christ, the Good Shepherd and Servant Leader.⁷

Polycentric mission leadership

Polycentric leadership themes

Charisma

Collaborative

Communal

Relational

Freedom

Diverse

CONCLUSION

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me (John 17:20-23, NIV).

That’s interesting . . . but now what?

Charisma

Collaborative

Communal

Relational

Freedom

Diverse

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• This article originally appeared in the May 2021 issue of the Lausanne Global Analysis and is published here with permission. To receive this free bimonthly publication from the Lausanne Movement, subscribe online at www.lausanne.org/lga.
• Cover image courtesy of John Ruffin/Lausanne Global Analysis.

About the Author

• https://www.asianaccess.org/senior-leaders/bio-joe-handley
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jwhandley/
• FB: https://www.facebook.com/JosephWHandleyJr

End Notes

1. This paper draws from the author’s dissertation: Joseph W Handley, ‘Polycentric Mission Leadership’ (PhD diss., Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Intercultural Studies, 2020). ↑
2. Allen Yeh, Polycentric Missiology: 21st Century Mission from Everyone to Everywhere (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2016). ↑
3. ‘Polycentrism’, Dictionary.com, accessed 22 June 2020, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/polycentrism. ↑
4. Adrian Hermann and Klaus Koschorke, Polycentric Structures in the History of World Christianity. Polyzentrische Strukturen in der Geschichte des Weltchristentums (Germany: Harrassowitz, 2014). ↑
5. Elinor Ostrom, ‘Beyond Markets and States: Polycentric Governance of Complex Economic Systems’, American Economic Review, 100 (3), June 2010: 641-72. ↑
6. Jürgen Moltmann, The Church in the Power of the Spirit: A Contribution to Messianic Ecclesiology (Minnesota: Augsburg Fortress, 1993). Miroslav Volf, After Our Likeness: The Church as the Image of the Trinity (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1998). Leslie Newbigin, The Open Secret: An Introduction to the Theology of Mission (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995). Roland Allen, Mission Activities Considered in Relation to the Manifestation of the Spirit (London, New York: World Dominion, 1927). David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: paradigm shifts in theology of mission (London: Orbis, 1991). Kirk Franklin with Dave and Deborah Crough, Towards Global Missional Leadership (Oxford: Regnum, 2017). JR Woodward, Creating a Missional Culture: Equipping the Church for the Sake of the World (UK: IVP Books, 2013). ↑
7. Editor’s note: See article by Mary Ho, entitled ‘The Transcendent Culture of Servant Leadership’, in March 2020 issue of Lausanne Global Analysis, https://lausanne.org/content/lga/2020-03/transcendent-culture-servant-leadership. ↑
8. Editor’s note: See article by Phill Butler, entitled ‘Who Gets the Credit in Collaborative Efforts’, in July 2020 issue of Lausanne Global Analysis, https://lausanne.org/content/lga/2020-07/who-gets-the-credit-in-collaborative-efforts. ↑
9. Keith Carlisle and Rebecca L. Gruby, ‘Polycentric Systems of Governance: A Theoretical Model for the Commons: Polycentric Systems of Governance in the Commons’, Policy Studies Journal, 47(2), 2017: 6-9. ↑
10. Ruth Malloy, ‘Managing Effectively in a Matrix’, HBR August 10, 2012. And, Michael Bazigos and Jim Harter, ‘Revisiting the Matrix Organization’, McKinsey Quarterly, January 1, 2016. ↑
11. Joseph Handley, ‘Leading Mission Movements’, EMQ 54(2), 2018. ↑
12. Editor’s note: An expanded treatment of this topic, based on the original draft of this LGA article, can be found at http://www.asiamissions.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/AMA71_JosephHandley.pdf. ↑

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Reflecting on the Ten Years since Japan's Triple Disaster

By Sue Plumb Takamoto

PART 2

In Part 1: "Looking Back on Ten Years: Finding Beauty in Brokenness", I highlighted the unimaginable damage and challenging aftermath from Japan’s March 11, 2011 Triple Disaster—a 9.0 earthquake that triggered a tsunami and caused a nuclear power plant meltdown.

Picking Up the Pieces

Japan has spent a decade rebuilding, corporately and individually. I have been struck by the gifts of resilience, creativity, and worldwide collaboration that have made a difference here. And thanks to the invitation for me and our family to be part of the lives of our Ishinomaki neighbors and friends, I have learned so much. 

A year and a half after the disaster, we launched a micro-enterprise business called Nozomi Project (or “Hope” Project) to help provide a way for women to rebuilding a livelihood for their families. We gathered local women and learned together how to cut and grind pottery shards, broken from the disaster, and form those pieces into new stunning pieces of jewelry that could be sold. Not only did the sales lift their economic situation, the process of making beauty in brokenness lifted their souls.

While our specific market niche (jewelry) is based on a unique raw material (broken pottery left by a tsunami!) set in unusual circumstances (need presented by a disaster), we have learned valuable lessons that may also be particularly helpful during this worldwide pandemic.

Six Lessons Learned Along the Way

Here are a few of the lessons that I have learned in running a small international business.

1. Need is the perfect time for creativity to blossom.

   Or as my grandmother used to say, necessity is the mother of invention. So many good and beautiful things have been birthed during times of dire need. When our family moved here, Ishinomaki was a place in great despair; women were desperate for community and hope. That tremendous need created a deep longing in me to try and make a difference, even if we might fail. Starting a business…making jewelry… these things were far beyond my comfort level, but the risk was worth it. And as we recognized the need for business, we discovered a beautiful “natural” resource headed for trash– broken pottery that was littered everywhere.

2. Do the right next thing.
   

   "Do the next right thing."

   During our first few months of setting up Nozomi Project, I read whatever I could find on social enterprises. I forgot nearly everything except for one phrase that became my mantra: Do the right next thing. Starting a new unknown business in a city that has been devastated was at times incredibly overwhelming. I would come back to our temporary home and get our four kids to bed and wonder: where do I even start? Do the right next thing. I can’t do everything on my list tonight, but I can prioritize and take the step that makes the most sense for right now. This simple principle got me through those few months, and still remains a helpful beacon when life feels overwhelming.

3. Synergy allows us to do what we could never do on our own.

   I had no business experience and had never made jewelry in my life! Networking and great teamwork allowed us to create something much greater than the sum of our individual parts. Volunteers visiting connected us with awesome jewelry designers, who ended up coming to Ishinomaki. Their ten-day sacrifice and ongoing partnership after that facilitated the birth of Nozomi. Another volunteer with web design launched us online; our teammate with amazing computer skills created our internet interface. Networking creates synergy.

4. Diverse partnerships allow us to go further and deeper.

   During our first few years of business, I was frequently asked, “when are you planning to turn the business over to Japanese?” I didn’t have an answer for that. But as time went on and we were more intentional with our business model, I began to realize that perhaps our goal never really was about turning everything over to Japanese.

   Rather, that is our “secret sauce”—the wonderful combination of Japanese and North Americans working together. My Japanese teammates brought with them the most important gifts of artistry, precision and creating systems. Our North American teammates perhaps brought the fun, the ability to keep things from getting too stiff, and the connections, which have brought continued to give new life to Nozomi at necessary points.

   Quite honestly, shared ownership of a vision with people of different cultures is hard work. We have certainly had to go slower because of our cross-cultural differences and language challenges. Yet I’m convinced that these very differences have grown me as a leader and strengthened us as an organization.

5. The best business model is one that chooses generosity.
   
   We have chosen “blessing” as one of our three core values. We have benefited greatly from the collaboration of volunteers and friends around the world who helped us launch and move forward.

   And we intentionally choose to be generous. We give over 20% of any annual profit each year to other organizations and places around the world with greater need. We have a Nozomi Holding Hope necklace in which we donate portions of each sale to stop human trafficking. We have taken several Nozomi teams to Cambodia where we are helping vulnerable women there get a social enterprise started. By making generosity a key factor in our decision-making, we are modeling to our team and our customers a way of life that may feel counter-cultural but provides purpose and fulfillment.

6. Collaboration creates momentum.

   The very start of Nozomi was all about collaboration from people who were drawn to Ishinomaki because they wanted to help. We’ve had teams come from around the world who have brought their expertise to help us get off the ground. And we have loved partnering with shops in places like Tokyo, London, Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Hong Kong who are now selling Nozomi products. Through word of mouth and people who have sponsored us and shared the Nozomi story, we have sent over 60,000 pieces of hope to over 45 different countries. An original Nozomi jewelry set was created to be worn at H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award ceremony in Stockholm this past year. We are honored, and grateful for the collaboration and partnership of people like this.

   

The tragedy that struck here ten years ago will always remind me of the fragility of life. But I am humbled and remain thankful for the beautiful responses of the people here, and friends from around the world who have enabled me to lead and to learn in ways I would have never imagined a decade ago.

Sue Plumb Takamoto

Photo credits: Images courtesy of Nozomi Project

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Sue and Eric Takamoto and their four children are living in Ishinomaki, Japan, part of a church planting network called Be One. They first met at Fuller Seminary, where Sue was starting her PhD in leadership and intercultural studies. Sue owns more pieces of Nozomi jewelry than she would care to admit!

staff profile
setakamoto@asianaccess.org

More Information

• See other staff members' reflections on the 10-year remembrance of Japan's Triple Disaster and related posts: asianaccess.org/japan-disaster
• Reflections during the first year following the 3.11 Disaster: asianaccess.org/reflections

Reflections on the 10-Year Remembrance of Japan’s Triple Disaster

By Sue Plumb Takamoto

PART 1

There is beauty in brokenness. This is a message that we all need to hear right now.

On March 11, 2011, an unfathomable and unpredicted earthquake and tsunami ripped across the eastern Tohoku region of Japan. While locals knew there was always a risk of tsunamis in much of the region, no one thought it was possible for one of such magnitude and velocity. And it did the unimaginable.

Even though it has now been ten years, Japan isn’t finished with the aftermath. The Tohoku earthquake was huge, measuring a 9.0 on the Richter Scale and the ensuing tsunami caused death and destruction on a scale never seen before, including the meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. There were nearly 16,000 confirmed deaths and over 2,500 people missing. With 120,000 buildings collapsed, and nearly a quarter million buildings half-collapsed, the total economic loss is estimated to be in the neighborhood of $235 billion.

Finding a Way to Bring Hope

In the year following the 2011 disaster, our family and others made the decision to move from other parts of Japan to Ishinomaki, one of the cities most devasted by the tsunami. Recognizing the great need for employment and community among the women we were meeting in our new neighborhoods, we started gathering together. We began exploring and experimenting with ways to create something from the pieces of broken pottery that had been left everywhere in the wake of the tsunami.

On October 2, 2012, we officially started the Nozomi Project. Nozomi is the Japanese word for hope, and this is something that was desperately needed here! We started paying women hourly to learn the trade of grinding broken pottery and making jewelry. I remember the sense of elation we all felt when we had our first online sales! People from different parts of the world were buying hope-filled, hope-produced products made from the devastation of the disaster. But more importantly, these women were finding meaning and dignity in transforming things that were very broken into something beautiful.

Ten years later, and most of the physical evidence of the disaster cannot be seen with our eyes anymore. There are new seawalls and roads and bridges and temporary homes that have changed the landscape. Yet like with other tragedies, we know that the pain does not just disappear; the loss and brokenness, while perhaps not as obvious, still remain.

Broken Pottery & Shattered Hopes

During the first few years of business, my teammates would share how emotionally difficult it was to handle these broken pieces of pottery that represented shattered families and hopes. But as they would cut and grind and shape and transform each item into something new – a necklace; a keychain; a set of earrings – they would find fulfillment, even joy:

“Every piece of shard is unique, just like each of our staff. We can’t see how we are changing, but we are healed by the process of making a shard into jewelry.”

Making Something New from Brokenness

Our tagline for Nozomi Project is beauty in brokenness. The beauty in each of the Nozomi products is in the brokenness, in the process of being transformed. Brokenness is not just found in tsunami zones and upcycled pottery, but it is found in everyone. I dare say it is woven inside each one of us. Perhaps the biggest challenge in our lives is not hiding our brokenness, as we all get so good at doing, but allowing it to intentionally become part of us. Finding the beauty in our places of brokenness.

Our youngest son, Ian, walks home every day from the local elementary school along a road that ten years ago had been covered by rubble and dark tsunami waters. While the roads have been repaired, houses renovated and new sidewalks installed, there are afternoons when Ian comes running into the house with a handful of broken pottery that he found on his walk home from school. He will run to me with his dirty fingers clutching these broken shards and exclaim, “Mommy! I found jewelry!”

"Mommy!
I found
jewelry!"

My son has that eye. That eye, like our Creator, that can already imagine the beauty in the brokenness – that recognizes something that will be. As we remember the disaster a decade ago, during this unforgettable season of a worldwide pandemic, we can learn to look for the beauty in the broken. We can seek creative solutions. We can bring long-term perspective to those around us. And we can forge unforgettable partnerships that will make the difference in our lives, and in those around us.

Because there really is beauty in brokenness.

Sue Plumb Takamoto

Photo credits: Images courtesy of Nozomi Project; inset of tsunami damage courtesy of Chad Huddleston; inset of Ian's hands courtesy of T.J. Lee.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

More Information

• See other staff members' reflections on the 10-year remembrance of Japan's Triple Disaster and related posts: asianaccess.org/japan-disaster
• Reflections during the first year following the 3.11 Disaster: asianaccess.org/reflections

True Confession:

Even though I am the founder and director of one of the very few social enterprises in Japan for women, I have not been very aware of the issues surrounding the fashion industry and ethical sustainability.

That all began to change two years ago.

After some deliberate consideration, my husband and I canceled our planned seaside vacation to instead go as a family to Cambodia. Let’s just say our four children were not excited about this decision! Upon arrival, we were hosted by wonderful Cambodian friends also working with our organization [Asian Access]. We told them that our goal was to see and experience “real life” in this developing country.

Those eight days changed our views of the world -- our children included. We all fell in love with the children in the orphanage; we walked through the Killing Fields museums and our eyes and hearts could barely handle the pain we saw; we were deeply moved by seeing the poverty of the children and families surrounding the urban school built near the trash heaps. Yet as we walked through a new rescue center being built for vulnerable women, and talked with our new friends who are sacrificing to make a difference there, we felt new hope being born.

And we wanted to be involved.

The Greatest Need

“What is your greatest need right now?” I asked our Cambodian partner one day in the van. I expected the obvious answer of finances, but Meng’s response surprised me:

“We need jobs for women and girls!”

Those words stayed with me as we returned to Japan. Here in Ishinomaki, we've gained experience creating jobs for women by operating Nozomi Project since the year after the 2011 tsunami.

But... would that work in Cambodia? I couldn’t forget the teens and women I had met there who had no good options for their future. We had to try!

In February 2019, I returned to Phnom Penh, this time with my daughter and two of our Ishinomaki Nozomi team members. Three months later, we were able to make another trip with three Nozomi teammates. Each of them was able to see, with their own eyes, the beauty of the Cambodian people and the incredible need for sustainable work. With each trip, my heart grew more committed to somehow making a difference. And with each trip, we gained greater insight as to how we might be able to do just that.

Champions and Friends

We are not alone. During those week-long trips, we made some amazing connections with others who are committed to finding new employment options for girls and women. We began exploring different partnership opportunities. And we have connections outside of Cambodia; could we use those to create jobs inside Cambodia?

One evening I went out with two of our local friends. In one of the many “red light” districts in Phnom Penh, we went into several establishments and started talking with some of the young women who were not busy. One new friend "SH" said her parents pushed her and her two sisters to do this because they were ill and needed medical help. Another friend "L" shared that she could not find any other way to buy food for her young daughter. Heartbreaking story after heartbreaking story, these women became real people to me; they shared their lives with me and the reasons that pushed them into such degrading work.

We discovered that most Cambodian women learn how to sew — it is a nation-wide industry that has unfortunately led to widespread unethical practices and slave labor, even among children. We connected with women near the new rescue center who are willing to teach sewing skills to the rescue center's new and future residents.

And through a chance elevator encounter, we have begun partnering with a wonderful denim company in that city that has built a fantastic ethically-sourced business. They are now selling quality-failed denim pieces to the women near the rescue center, which are being made into our new Dara Collection gift bags. It’s a small but important beginning.

Launching the New Dara Collection

Although COVID has prevented further trips in 2020, we are so pleased to launch our new Dara Collection at this time. We are creating this new “sub-brand” from ethically sourced materials as we seek to be more intentionally ethical at Nozomi.

Even the name Dara (meaning “star” in the Khmer/Cambodian language) connects us across the ocean to something beyond our Ishinomaki world here. I hope and pray that our influence can expand in places like Cambodia, and that together our united efforts will help teen girls and women have new opportunities like what we would want our own daughters to have.

Taking Small Personal Steps

Through my trips to Cambodia and seeing how the “fast fashion” industry has created an abusive system of manufacturing in countries like Cambodia, I have moved away from non-ethical retail purchases for my own clothes. I'm a regular at our local second-hand stores now, and I’ve found it worth saving up to buy a piece of clothing that has been ethically manufactured. It’s another small step that I can make.

I feel like I’ve just started this journey of ethical awareness, with so much more to learn and consider. I believe that each of our small steps can make a difference for young women like "SH" who deserve a better life.

Sue Takamoto

Founder & Director, Nozomi Project

This article was reposted with permission from Nozomi Project, originally published here: https://nozomiproject.com/blogs/nozomi-project-blog/my-story-towards-ethical-awareness

More Information

• Nozomi Project (Above photos courtesy of Nozomi Project.)
• New Dara Collection — ethically sourced in a conscious way
• Related story here... Nozomi Project Vision Expands
• Sue Takamoto's blog
• Eric & Sue Takamoto's staff profile

By Rod Denton, Equipping The Next Generation 

In 330 B.C., Alexander the Great had conquered the Persian Empire and in the process had become ruler of most of the known world. With the greatest army ever assembled, he decided to continue his push eastward. His vision was unrelenting. He wanted to rule the entire world.

But when they reached the Himalayan Mountains, his leaders came to Alexander with a serious concern. They had gone beyond the boundaries of their maps. To go further would mean that they would march off the map. They were suddenly faced with two options. They could return to where they came from and stay within familiar territory, or they could bravely march off the map into new and unknown territory. The first option would result in retreating to the comfort and security of the past; the second option would result in embracing the opportunities and challenges of a new order.

Sound Familiar?

We too live in similar circumstances today. We have been living through a crisis that has forever changed the world in which we live. The world of travel has changed, the world of shopping has changed, the world of business has changed, the world of socialising has changed, the world of entertainment has changed, the world of education has changed and the world of sport has changed. Consequently, the world of doing church has changed and in the process we have been taken out of our comfort zones. For many of us we would love to think that one day we will be able to get back to that which is normal and familiar, back to the good old days.

But is that the way we should be thinking? It is possible that God is still the sovereign God in times of crises? Could He take times of uncertainty to get our attention, to restore our perspective, to refocus on that which He called us to do, to get us to the point where we might even cry out as Jehoshaphat did in a time of crisis,

“We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” 2 Chronicles 20:12

Silver Linings in the Middle of Crisis

Already in my discussions with church leaders, I am learning of some of the encouragements that are being experienced in this unusual time of crisis. They include:

• The emergence of new leaders who are rising up in the midst of new opportunities.
• A fresh awareness that the church is not a building in a geographic location but it is people who are called to be witnesses for Jesus in the world in which they live.
• The renewed awareness that pastoral care is the responsibility of every believer and not just a select few.
• The elimination of activities that have passed their use-by date with a fresh focus on making the main thing the main thing.
• A fresh wave of people coming to Christ as people find themselves living in a world of insecurity and uncertainty. One church leader reported on how an unusual number of people listening to the church’s online service had committed their lives to Christ.

Alexander the Great had two options; to retreat to the comfort and security of the past or to move forward and march off the map into the unknown future. History records that he marched off the map.

Jesus: Our Model

Fortunately, we have a model in Jesus to help us as we choose to move forward into an unchartered future. When Jesus began His ministry, He had no manual to instruct Him, no precedences to guide Him and no history to learn from. However, He had a strategy that proved to be far better than any of these as He came to fulfill the purpose for which He had been born. In John chapter five we read of Jesus healing a man who had been sick for 38 years. Unfortunately, Jesus’ act of compassion was frowned upon by the Jewish leaders because the day on which Jesus healed this man was the sabbath. Jesus answered them,

“My Father is always at His work to this very day, and I too, am working…. The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can only see what His Father is doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.”

In effect, what Jesus was saying was that He was living His life in such intimacy with the Father that He had decided to follow the prompts of the Holy Spirit and partner with His Father in the things He was doing. He had no map to follow. He had no familiar place of comfort to retreat to. His plan was simple; “I just do what I see the Father doing.”

So in these challenging times, how do we march off the map? We do what Jesus did. We don't have a map, but we do have a compass whose true north points to the Father and all He is doing.

How Do We March Off The Map?

To help put the strategy of Jesus into practice, I have identified the following five words (beginning with A, E, I, O, U.)

1. Available

We need to surrender our lives to God and be unconditionally available to partner with Him in the things that He is doing, knowing that He is always at His work.

2. Expectant

We need to be ready and sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s prompts and guidance in our life’s journey. These quite often can be unexpected and unpredictable and not necessarily in line with the traditions of the past.

3. Intimacy

Communication with the Father flows out of a relationship of intimacy. That is why developing a love relationship with God is our most important priority. Jesus said, “For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does.” Intimacy is foundational to involvement in the Father's work.

4. Obedience

As our Father reveals to us what He is doing, we need to take faith steps of unconditional obedience to join Him, knowing that His work done in His way will never lack His resources.

5. Understanding

As we experience the Father at work in our lives, we grow in our understanding of Him. We progressively experience the many facets of His character and this results in a deepening of our trust and intimacy with Him.

Recently, my wife Sue and I were in prayer and asked the Father how we might reach out to the neighbours in our street in this time of crisis. We felt led to write a letter to tell them we were praying for them and to let us know of any prayer needs they may have. This letter opened a door to many in our street. A few weeks later, we felt prompted to deliver another letter with a small container of hand sanitiser and a continued offer to be praying for all in our street. Further relationships have continued to unfold. The following is one of the letters we received:

“Dear Rod and Sue,Thank you for your kind note and the hand sanitiser. It will be very useful. It has come to my attention that an extended family member has issues with drug and alcohol abuse. He is trying to get his life back on track and could sure benefit to be included in your daily prayers. Thank you so much.”

Our confidence in finding out how the Father wanted us to partner with Him was justified. New contacts continue to be made.

We live in unique times where the world has changed and to move forward will require us to be ready to march off the map into an unknown future. Let us resist the temptation to automatically return to our past comfort zones. Rather, let us move forward with boldness and faith to embrace the opportunities that await us as we walk in intimacy with the Father and partner with Him in the new things He is doing. We may never have a moment like this again.

“…get ready to cross the Jordan river into the land I am about to give to you… Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”  Joshua 1:2,9.

Published on May 30, 2020

This article was originally published here: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/time-has-come-tomarch-off-map-rod-denton/

God often leads us by a route we do not expect.

• I planned to go to medical school and to stay east of the Mississippi, but God took me to seminary in California.
• I never thought I would go anywhere during seminary as a summer missionary, much less to Japan, with LIFE Ministries (Asian Access).
• I never thought I would be invited onto Mariners Church pastoral team, without even applying.
• And then I intended to remain long-term on the Mariners staff, not to plant a church in Irvine out of Mariners.
• I never anticipated doing a dissertation at the Fuller School of World Missions, much less focusing on India, or returning to India 10 years later, then again 20 years later, to conduct major research projects.
• I never thought Phyllis and I would leave California to pastor in Oregon, or then go back to the East to pastor a church in Massachusetts, where so many of my parents’ roots were.
• And even less did I imagine leaving pastoral ministry to work full-time with the Lausanne Movement for the last decade, or moving back to the Pacific Northwest in connection with Phyllis’s work at Western Seminary.

Lessons from sailing

Examples from Scripture

• When he brought them out of Egypt through the Red Sea, he didn’t take them straight up the coast to Canaan, but instead directed them out into the desert, and away from Canaan to Mt. Sinai
• While in the desert they had to rely on the cloud, which did not move in any predictable pattern; sometimes it moved every day; other times it stayed put for a year, and they never knew why
• When Jesus traveled from Judea back up to Galilee, John’s Gospel said he “had to go through Samaria,” even though no other Jewish travelers would have selected that route
• When Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he didn’t take off immediately to heal him but deliberately waited until Lazarus was dead
• When Philip the evangelist was in the midst of a revival in Samaria, suddenly God redirected him out onto a lonely desert road, where there was almost nobody—except a confused Ethiopian official who happened to be riding by in his chariot at just the moment he was getting to the good parts of Isaiah 53
• When the apostle Paul and his team thought it was time to launch a perfectly logical plan for evangelizing Asia Minor, the Spirit of God kept blocking the way repeatedly until they reached a dead-end in Troas—where Paul received the Macedonian vision

Navigating turbulent times

The shortest distance between two points

So where do we turn?

Psalm 46

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Come and see the works of the LORD, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The LORD Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah

• Sailboat image: unsplash:Shreyas shah
• Compass image: unsplash:Cherise Evertz
• screenshot: Joe Handley

“Please pray for us as Metro Manila is now on lockdown… Pray for us as we seek to bring help to our communities.”

Do pray for us... and we'll pray for you

• Our cohorts would like to start meeting together as soon as possible and they are right now reaching out to meet the tangible needs of their neighbors.
• And, as you can imagine, the financial situation the world is in has hit us pretty hard. Pray for our funding to enable these cohorts to keep meeting, encourage one another, and LIVE Community so that they can better reach out to those shuttered in or wandering on the streets not knowing what to do.
• Also, we are working on building a digital platform that will help us keep the momentum going. How do we deliver training and promote community when leaders cannot meet face-to-face because of coronavirus or persecution? Would you join us in praying for our creative response to this situation and that positions us for future challenges?

• US: Sunday, March 22 @ 7pm EST / 4pm PST
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@jwhandley

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