Reformed Presbyterian Minutes of Synod 1997 - Rparchives.org

REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF NORTH AMERICA 87
in which the Board can be a part of the mission in Japan. Among our areas of
apparent agreement, we believe:
-That we need to strengthen the International ties between the newly formed
Japan Presbytery and the North American Churches
-That we widely appreciate that the Presbytery status now prevailing in the
Japan churches as being a good mixture of unity and independence. (Though
the manual speaks of complete autonomy in chapter eight section B four, the
Board is not equating independence with autonomy.)
-That we need to be working closely together over this present generation of
changing roles; that is, the Board is not abandoning the mission In Japan
within this generation nor is the Board anticipating an unending formal
involvement with the church in Japan.
--That we have a role in developing the breadth of future Japanese leaders
through the ties which have been established between KTH and RPTS.
-That we can assist in constitutional discussion that will allow for the
possibility of having one Constitution with two Testimonies (understanding
the cultural differences between North America and Japan).
-That we have a continuing role in the confirming and establishing of a
cluster of self-sustaining congregations centered in the greater Kobe area.
-That we may have a part in enhancing the doctrinal maturity and
consistency of the Reformed Presbytenan Churches, as they relate to the
culture around them and as they relate ecumenically with other evangelical
churches In Japan.
The above points surfaced from our conversations with Pastor Takiura. Are
there other points which the Japan Presbytery believes ought to be discussed which
are not mentioned above Do you, the Japan Presbytery, have priorities or
concerns which the Board needs to understand better
As we pursue how best to address the above mentioned concerns, the following
steps might be taken.
-The mlssionary-pastor(s), for whom we have been searching, may need to
have a medium-range term in mind (i.e. more than 3-5 years but fewer than
30-35 years), and the location in which he serves would need to be
negotiated between the Japan Presbytery and Board.
-The calling of a missionary-teacher may be especially helpful at this stage of
your development, and one who could speak Japanese would be highly
desirable. (It is not clear to us that this kind of a position would need to
involve more than a year's commitment.)
-It may be helpful to explore the possibility of providing supply preaching for
Higashisuma to allow Pastor Sakai some study time in RPTS in the near
future.
-We need to dialogue on the future of the Covenanter Book Store (as
distinct from the Covenanter Center Building) in order to be sure that its