Foreign Missionaries from the early period of modern Japan who contributed to the establishment of Sendai Theological Seminary (currently Tohoku Gakuin University)
The Tokugawa clan ruled Japan for almost 250 years, a period marked by the exclusion of Christianity and the promulgation of edicts banning its practice. The period came to an end when U.S. Navy Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry led several U.S. ships into Japanese waters and demanded that Japan open itself up to the West. This led to the establishment of the Meiji government, and that soon resulted in the removal of the edicts banning Christianity, thereby allowing missionaries to begin public ministry. Many promising Japanese youth gathered around the evangelistic centers that were formed around Japan.
At one of the mission centers, later referred to as the “Yokohama Band,” a 22-year old student named Oshikawa Masayoshi became a Christian. With his sights set on becoming an evangelist to the Tohoku district in the northern part of Japan, Oshikawa became actively involved in evangelistic work in Sendai. In 1886 Rev. William Edwin Hoy, a missionary from the German Reformed Church in the United States of America, arrived in Sendai and teamed up with Oshikawa to launch a small seminary for training Japanese pastors. The school was named Sendai Theological Seminary. Hoy and Oshikawa also helped start a school for girls, Miyagi Women’s School, which eventually became Miyagi Gakuin Women’s University.
Hoy was born in Pennsylvania in 1858. After graduating from Franklin and Marshall College and Lancaster Theological Seminary, Hoy was appointed as a missionary by the German Reformed Church in the USA and sailed for Japan in 1885. After founding the seminary in Sendai, Hoy and Oshikawa were joined by a new arrival the following year, Rev. David Bowman Schneder. Hoy was immediately burdened with numerous and varied responsibilities but was involved in many evangelistic activities, including publication of the English bimonthly magazine “Japan Evangelist” from 1893. But he also suffered from asthma, a condition that led him to leave Sendai for a three-month health furlough in Shanghai in 1898. After traveling up the Yangtze River to Hankow, however, he decided to begin mission work in Hunan Province. Resigning from his work with the Japanese mission, Hoy eventually settled at Yochow in 1900. For 25 years Hoy was at the center of a rapidly developing program of schools for boys and girls, evangelistic outstations, and medical work. His life as a foreign missionary came to an end at the age of 69 while he was on his way back to the USA.
Sendai Theological Seminary began with two staff members and six students. The school grew the following year, with the additions of Schneder and several more students. At that point (1891), as it added junior and senior high schools and continued to expand into a full-fledged school, the name of the school was changed to Tohoku Gakuin. A new school building constructed of red bricks provided a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere for both students and staff. (Appropriately but also affectionately, the building was later referred to as the “red brick school building.”) A library was also established in the new building and named after Rudolf Kelker, a treasurer of the German Reformed Church.
Oshikawa was actively involved in evangelistic activities in several places, so he decided to hand over administration of the school to Schneder, who became the second principal of the school. A few years later, following Hoy’s departure for China, Schneder devoted himself fully to educational work at Tohoku Gakuin, a work to which he dedicated himself for the next 35 years as he transformed a small private school into a Christian college. Furthermore, that Christian college eventually became the large Christian university it is today, a school with the highest number of students of any Christian university in northern Japan. It presently has 12,000 students, ranging from kindergarten through graduate school.
David Bowman Schneder was born in 1857, one year earlier than Hoy. Like Hoy, Schneder graduated from Franklin and Marshall College and Lancaster Theological Seminary. After serving as a pastor for four years, he was appointed as a missionary by the German Reformed Church in the USA. He sailed for Japan with his wife, both arriving in Sendai in 1887. Schneder began as a co-worker with Oshikawa and Hoy. His long term of service had its difficulties, not the least of which included the resignations of two of his colleagues. However, no doubt the severest trial he faced was the disastrous fire in Sendai in 1919, a fire that raged widely throughout the city and destroyed many school buildings. Though the situation may have looked hopeless to many, Schneder never gave up his attempts to rebuild the school. He successfully raised funds (especially from USA donors) that made possible the rebuilding of the school’s facilities within three years following the disaster. The three English words “Life, Light, and Love,” are carved prominently on the front and make up the motto of the school.
Rev. and Mrs. Schneder remained in Japan for almost 50 years. During this period, they returned to the US seven times, never ceasing in their labors to build international goodwill and to raise money for the expansion of the school. One of Schneder’s later concerns was the need for a college chapel, a dream that was finally realized in 1932 through a large contribution of $50,000 from one woman. The new structure was named the Lahauser Memorial Chapel in her honor. The structure was beautifully designed and is still used daily for university worship services. While numerous other buildings were damaged in the East Japan Disaster of 2011, it was unscathed.
—Professor Nomura Shin, Dean
Department of Religious Affairs Tohoku Gakuin University
「日本初期における宣教師の働きー仙台神学校（
東北学院の三校祖
鎖国とキリスト教禁令政策によって二世紀半に亘り日本を統治した
その中でも、早くから外国と交渉が行われた横浜には、
ここでW. E. ホーイについて触れておこう。米国ペンシルベニア州で1858年
さて、仙台神学校は、押川方義を院長とし、
押川方義は伝道活動を広げ、各地へと赴き、1891年に院長を辞
D. B. シュネーダーの生涯についても、ここで触れておこう。
シュネーダー夫妻は、滞日50年の間に7回帰米し、
東北学院大学 宗教部長 文学部教授 野村 信
by Wayne Jansen, missionary Tokyo Union Theological Seminary
It goes without saying that history shapes one’s identity, and this is definitely true for Christians. I was born to parents who were members of the Reformed Church in America. Naturally, I knew nothing about my family’s traditions or the traditions of their church when I was newly born, but slowly through the process of growing up with them, the traditions became a part of my religious persona as well. There are indeed people who have compared several Christian denominations before choosing to belong to a particular one, but in my case, I inherited the denomination of which I am a part from my immediate ancestors whom I respected.
The majority of the people in the area of my home state of Wisconsin were descendants of German and Polish immigrants and therefore were generally members of Roman Catholic or Lutheran churches. So I was a religious minority of sorts. One day in fifth grade, my elementary school teacher asked the members of our class to tell what denomination they belonged to. Virtually everyone in the classroom said they belonged to a Catholic or Lutheran church, but when I said I belonged to the Reformed Church, everyone looked bewildered. Many had never even heard of such a church, including my teacher. After that experience, the question of why there were so many differing denominations became an issue for me. For a child who had not yet studied theology, it seemed strange to me that there would be so many denominations if the body of Christ was one. For that reason, I felt that what was most important for me was not my personally affiliated denomination but whether or not I knew or was following Christ.
In 1992, I was sent to Japan as a Reformed Church in America missionary. Knowing that over 90% of the Japanese people did not know Christ, I wished to share my faith with them so that even a few may know Christ through my witness. I was blessed with the experience of being introduced to many Kyodan churches in Japan. Most of the churches had fewer than 100 members, so I appreciated the family atmosphere they had. However, I remember thinking of how so many churches were made up of a high proportion of elderly people and a low number of children, so I became concerned about the future of these churches. The issue of what would remain of these churches in the late 21st century caused me to feel quite anxious.
Considering this problem, reversing the trend of waning membership is perhaps one of the most pressing problems for the Kyodan at present. While I am very thankful for the many traditions I have discovered in various Kyodan churches, I have become aware of the urgent need to focus attention not only on the desires of the people worshiping at the church but also on the nonbelievers and children who are outside the church doors. We have to ask the questions of why there are few newcomers and what would make people outside the church see it as a place of which they would love to be a part.
When considering tradition and reformation, we must first consider what things must be preserved. I believe those things to be the Confession of Faith, Liturgy, biblically based sermons, hymns and worship songs, prayer, and of course, fellowship in the Holy Spirit. All churches have different styles and ways of worshiping, but we must ask through prayer what kinds of ministries God is wishing us to partake in for the present society in which God has placed us. It is not easy to say concretely what exactly must be changed, but we must have a spirit of wanting to change according to God’s will to accomplish God’s purpose. This does not mean that we simply pray for God to support our ideas and plans, but that in prayer we open our ears to hear God’s voice so we can know how God wants us to proceed and what God wants us to do: in other words, focusing not on how we want to change but on how God wants us to change.
I am very thankful for the great number of brothers and sisters in Christ that the Kyodan has given me. Beyond the year 2020, I have a vision for a lively church working diligently to please God and accomplish God’s work in this world. Reformation is not easy as it sometimes means giving up things that are important to us, but it is necessary in order to bless the people of Japan and the world and to build a greater church. Let us pray together that we will learn to seek God’s will and put it first to establish God’s Kingdom in this land.
伝統と改革を求めて
人間には歴史がなければ、 アイデンティティもありません。キリスト者としても、
私の出身の州であるウィス コンシン州では、
私はアメリカ改革派教会宣教師として、1992年に来日しました
この問題に関して、教会員 減少トレンドをいかに逆転する事ができるのかが、
どのような事が不変のもの であるのかという事を先ず、把握するべきです。それらは、
日本基督教団の教会に、数 多くの兄弟姉妹が与えられている事を常に感謝しています。202
by Kawakami Yoshiko, pastor Okubo Church, Tokyo District Editor, KNL Editorial Committee
Anne of Green Gables* was translated into Japanese by Muraoka Hanako and published shortly after World War II under the title Akage no An (Red-haired Anne). It has been a very popular novel, and since the life of its translator was made into a drama in 2014, its popularity has risen once again.
Originally written by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942), this novel and its sequels include numerous episodes relating to the choosing of a pastor for the town church, ranging from hilarious scenes to ones filled with irony. In the first of the series, shortly after Anne comes to live with Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert as an 11-year-old orphan, there are a series of scenes in which Anne shares her frank thoughts about the pastoral candidates. Following the retirement of the former pastor, there were several candidates who came to be evaluated for the position. Shortly before the new pastor and his wife, Rev. and Mrs. Allan, are invited to a welcoming tea, 12-year-old Anne shares her thoughts with Uncle Matthew, who was the first to really take a liking to Anne after her arrival. His younger sister, Marilla, was quite an austere woman, and even though she had her own opinions, she did not express them—a point that shows the author’s superior sense of balance.
Concerning the former pastor, Rev. Bentley, who was retiring due to old age, Anne said that he has no imagination. However, he was described as one for whom most “had the affection born of long interaction with their good old minister, in spite of his shortcomings as an orator.” Following his retirement, Anne shared her feelings with Matthew, as she felt safe in being frank with him. “Since then the Avonlea church had enjoyed a variety of religious dissipation in listening to the many and various candidates and ‘supplies’ who came Sunday after Sunday to preach on trial. These stood or fell by the judgment of the fathers and mothers in Israel; but a certain small, red-haired girl who sat meekly in the corner of the old Cuthbert pew also had her opinions about them and discussed the same in full with Matthew.” (I recall being particularly interested in this as a child growing up in a pastor’s family and how there were various ways of choosing a pastor.)
So, 12-year-old Anne gives her evaluation of six candidates. “I don’t think Mr. Smith would have done, Matthew,” was Anne’s final summing up. “Mrs. Lynde says his delivery was so poor, but I think his worst fault was just like Mr. Bentley’s he had no imagination. And Mr. Terry had too much; …Besides Mrs. Lynde says his theology wasn’t sound. Mr. Gresham was a very good man and a very religious man, but he told too many funny stories and made the people laugh in church; he was undignified, and you must have some dignity about a minister, mustn’t you, Matthew? I thought Mr. Marshall was decidedly attractive; but Mrs. Lynde says he isn’t married, or even engaged, . . .she says it would never do to have a young unmarried minister in Avonlea, because he might marry in the congregation and that would make trouble. . . . I’m very glad they’ve called Mr. Allan. I liked him because his sermon was interesting and he prayed as if he meant it and not just as if he did it because he was in the habit of it. Mrs. Lynde says he isn’t perfect, but she says she supposes we couldn’t expect a perfect minister for seven hundred and fifty dollars a year, and anyhow his theology is sound.”
There are, of course, other people’s thoughts and opinions expressed in the novel, but I will omit those. Five years later, when the well-liked Rev. Allan and his wife leave for another church, there is another scene in which Anne laments about the next group of candidates to her close friend Diana. Also, later in the series, there is another episode in which a widowed pastor with many children, but who seems to care only about his sermons, gets remarried.
The author, Lucy Montgomery, herself married a minister of the Presbyterian Church of Canada by the name of Ewan Macdonald. Even though she had her own struggles with faith, in all of her works the main characters are all associated with the Presbyterian Church. Whenever she is just referring to “church,” it is always Presbyterian, and so whenever other denominations such as Methodist, Baptist, and Anglican are mentioned, the full name of the church is given, such as Whitesands Baptist Church. Likewise, whether the preacher at the various churches is a regular pastor or an itinerating evangelist is made plain, and the descriptions she gives paint a picture of the differences in church life and social standing of the congregants during that age in Canada. The time of World War I (1914-1918) is the setting of the last in the series, and thus the entire series is set in the context of the Presbyterian Church of Canada in the latter part of the 19th century into the early 20th century. Being fiction, of course, there may be some dramatization of the actual situation, but Montgomery depicts the kinds of ministers and spouses, along with the expectations of parishioners, during a time of more than 100 years ago. I wonder how differently it would be presented in today’s world. (Tr. TB)
___________________
*Anne of Green Gables published by YEARING, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books a division of Random House, Inc., New York
『赤 毛のアン』Anne of Green gablesに見る、牧師招聘
赤毛のアンは、 日本では第二次世界大戦後に村岡花子氏による翻訳が出版され、
川上善子 ／ 東京・大久保教会（KNL編集委員長）
『赤毛のアン』
カ ナダの作家L・M・モ ンゴメリLucy Maud Montgomery （1874～1942）のアンシリーズには牧師招聘の エピソードが幾度も登場し、
アンシリーズ初期、
そして彼の隠退後は、「人々は日曜日のたびに、
さて、12歳のアンはマシュウを相手に、
「リンドの小母さ んは、あの人（ス ミスさん）の 説教はとても貧弱だって言いなさるけど、
他の人達の感想も物語の中に差し挟まれますが、
作者のモンゴメリは、カナダの長老派教会のE.マクドナルド牧師
Naito Tomeyuki, previous general secretary of the Kyodan and retired minister of the Kyodan, as interviewed by Omura Naoko, chair of The Believers’ Friend editoriarl committe and a member of Mita Church in Tokyo, seeking his advice on the subject of conducting pastoral interviews
Naito: Originally, the Kyodan was formed out of over 30 denominations with various traditions. Even in regard to ministerial staffing, policies varied in the original denominations: the Methodists and others had an appointment system; the Presbyterian and the Congregational denominations had an invitation system. For example, in the Methodists’ appointment system, personnel matters were handled in accordance with the appointments of the bishop. Pastors and laity could not make decisions by themselves. Through unification, the churches with such a background switched over to the invitation system. Today, even after a span of 70 years since the establishment of the Kyodan, it cannot be said that the invitation system issue has been fully instituted. In Japanese, the characters for the word “invitation” in this sense are those used especially when an envoy sent by a king is received with the greatest courtesy. As I understand the use of these characters, Jesus Christ, who is the Lord of the church, sends the pastor as the envoy of the Gospel, who is received by the church with the greatest courtesy. This is different from the general employment concerns of companies. I would like to see both parties confirm well what the invitation system is and afterwards, with humility and prayer and discretion, do the right thing. If there is a firm understanding, many of the problems will be solved.
Interviewer: The pastor may have a sense of mission and go to the next post, but the church members may not share that understanding. At times, they may also feel as though they have been abandoned.
Naito: The pastor is always subject to being transferred. Thus, while the pastor is in a specific church, he or she must communicate that “your Lord is Christ, so when the time comes, the pastor must leave.” The church’s journey cannot be completed in the lifetime of the pastor. There are persons who run long distances and persons who run short distances, which is good. There is no possibility that one pastor has been given all the gifts. I think I would like lay people to keep this in mind. They need to avoid faultfinding through comparison to a previous minister.
Interviewer: Searching for a new pastor places a heavy burden on the members of a church. It would seem to be a good thing for them to have help from the district and subdistrict.
Naito: The Kyodan Bylaws, Article 113, states: “Speak to the district personnel affairs division.” Someone in the district is to be the contact person for personnel, who can give advice, but there are districts where this office is not functioning or is not even set up. There is also the Commission on the Ministry at the Kyodan level that includes a service provision for “matters related to personnel exchange.” It would be good if these provisions were functioning, but in reality that is not the case. In districts where there is strong cooperation, these needs will be addressed. But where that does not exist, consulting with a seminary, depending on relationships within churches tied to the original denomination, or just seeking the advice of a minister with a large number of connections may be the only source of real help. In addition to problems related to the system, there is something else that is very important. This is that the constituency issuing the invitation is the local church. The Kyodan Bylaws, Article 106, stipulates: “The local church will be the one to give the invitation to the minister responsible for that church,” so the one issuing the invitation is the local church. I will offer three points to help clarify this matter. 1) What has the church treasured in its formation heritage, and on what kind of traditions is it based? 2) What kind of situation is it in today? 3) What kind of church is envisioned for the future? I am hoping that the church members will discuss these three points and come to a common understanding.
Interviewer: So, while the pastoral candidate will present his or her own resume, the church, from its side, must also indicate its basic aims in concrete terms as well.
Naito: It is important to decide carefully the details of the invitation. 1) When will the pastor arrive? 2) What are the duties? In a situation where there is a kindergarten or an institution, are there duties there? 3) Where will the pastor live? 4) What is the salary? For example, are utilities included, etc.; these details must be reviewed and decided. 5) How long is the term of service? In the case of an invitation, stipulating the term of service is not that common, and so determining if it will or will not be stipulated is important. In addition, there are the issues of the sacraments and church government, etc. No matter how careful the church is, a mismatch may arise. I think that if the church is thrown into confusion, the pastor must take responsibility and resign, saying: “My work as pastor and my evangelism was not sufficient.” However, if it is a matter central to the Gospel, that’s a different matter. Nevertheless, in many of the actual cases that have arisen, various misunderstandings on even small matters, together with a lack of consideration, is the root of the problem. The cause is often related to the pastor’s adaptability. What I am seriously thinking is that the pastor’s prayer life is insufficient. That may seem very harsh, but the number of pastors who make others aware of their humility, prudence, and spirituality is decreasing. To begin with, I think that both pastors and laity must be nourished by the Holy Spirit, as it all starts from there!
Interviewer: At the pastor’s installation ceremony, the pastor and the church members make a promise before God. Focusing on prayer and returning to that starting point is important. Lastly, please give us some advice for churches without pastors and churches with part-time pastors.
Naito: Do not give up hope. That, and give one another support. I hope the care of the small churches in central towns in rural areas will be kept in mind. I hope that the large churches might always be mindful of the small churches to which they have given birth. (Tr. RT)
—From Shinto no Tomo (Believer’s Friend), February 2015 issue
Summarized by KNL Editor Kawakami Yoshiko
失敗しない招聘のために まず教会の自己像を明確に
内藤留幸 牧 師へのインタビュー記事
日本基督教団前総幹事、日本基督教団隠退教師
聞き手 大 村直子 信徒の友誌 編集委員長、東京・三田教会員
内藤＊日本キリスト教団はもともと異なる伝統を持つ30余の教派
インタビュアー 牧師は使命を感じて次の任地に行くのでしょうが、 信徒にとっては寂しいことです。時に、
＊牧師には原則転任があります。「
インタビュアー 新しい牧師を探すのは、信徒だけでは荷が重いこ とです。教区、地区のサポートがあればいいと思うのですが。
＊教規113条に、「教区人事部に申しいで」とあります。
インタビュアー 牧師からは履歴書が提出されますが、教会側からも 見える形で教会の基本方針が示されなければならないのですね。
＊招聘の、より細かい条件をきちんと決めておくことも大事です。
インタビュアー 牧師就任式で神さまの前に牧師も信徒も誓約しまし た。折りに触れてその原点に立ち返ることが大切ですね。最後に、
＊希望を失わないこと。それと支えあうこと。
The second Executive Council meeting of the 39th biennial Kyodan General Assembly period was a special session held on Feb. 10, 2015 at the Japan Evangelical Lutheran’s Tokyo Church, with 29 members in attendance.*
As this was an extraordinary meeting, there were only four agenda items: determining subsidies for evangelism, work on remodeling the Japan Christian Center building to bring it up to earthquake standards, the selection of an Executive Committee member, and continued relief efforts related to the East Japan earthquake.
At the beginning of the meeting, Moderator Ishibashi Hideo reported that a prayer meeting had taken place on January 29 on behalf of the Japanese hostages being held by ISIS in Syria. With respect to the subsidies for evangelism, applications were received from 14 districts. At the subcommittee meeting on Feb. 6, each application was reviewed and all were accepted, with the total subsidies for all of the programs amounting to 51,253,000 yen.
Of the total planned budget for the earthquake retrofitting of the Japan Christian Center building, which is expected to be 280 million yen, it was decided that the Kyodan’s upper limit for its portion of the cost would be 60 million yen but that it would also loan the building maintenance union an additional amount of up to 40 million yen.
Regarding the selection of a new Executive Committee member, Sugimori Yoko was chosen to replace a member who had resigned after being elected to the ten-member committee at the first Executive Council meeting. It was also decided to provide funds for the rebuilding of churches and parsonages that were damaged due to the East Japan Disaster in the form of loans totaling 200 million yen from the denomination’s church building fund, with repayment over a 15-year period. Executive Secretary Iijima Makoto reported that for fiscal years 2015 and 2016, a total of 350 million yen was budgeted for ongoing relief efforts, and loans would be necessary for that purpose. (Tr. TB)
—Kato Makoto, executive secretary
*Due to the limited space in the temporary headquarters building, this nearby church is sometimes rented.
第39総会期第2回（臨時）常議員会報告
第39総会期第2回（臨時）常議員会が、2月10日、
本常議員会は臨時であるため、伝道交付金決定、
会議の冒頭、石橋秀雄議長は、
伝道交付金については、交付申請を14教区から受付け、2月6日
日本キリスト教会館耐震改修工事費用概算目論見書では、
常任常議員選出に関しては、第1回常議員会で選出した常任常議員
東日本大震災救援対策に関しては、被災教会会堂・
〒169-0051 東京都新宿区西早稲田2-3-18-31
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