Discerning the call to step into primary leadership in Japan’s churches
The statistics are sobering. Nearly half of Japan’s Protestant pastors are over seventy years old, and that number is climbing. Within a few years, more than seventy percent of Japan’s pastors could be in their seventies, eighties, or nineties. Many churches already exist without shepherds. Meanwhile, Japan’s seminaries produce barely three percent of what will be needed.
Behind those numbers lies a spiritual challenge. The Japanese church is small and ageing, but God’s mission has not slowed. The harvest is still plentiful, and the workers are still few. So perhaps the question many faithful servants must ask is this: Is it time to leave the team member role?
The team member role is a good and godly place. It is the space of the deacon, the elder, or the leader who supports others and serves faithfully behind the scenes. But what if God is calling some to move into the role of primary leader—to lead as pastors, planters, and primary shepherds? How can we discern that call without pride or fear?
To explore this question, let’s turn to Joshua 1:1–9. Joshua knew the team member role well. For decades he had served under Moses. Joshua had led battles, carried reports, and stood faithfully at Moses’ side. But now Moses was gone, and God said, “Arise.” Joshua had to step into leadership facing complexity, uncertainty, and fear. His story offers lessons for those discerning whether to move from the team member role into the position of primary leader.
God’s Call Comes in the Context of Loss and Need
“Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise.” God’s words are startling. Before Joshua’s call comes the reminder of absence. The old leader is gone; the need is real. Every generation faces this moment when yesterday’s servants have finished their race and new ones must rise.
In Japan, many “Moseses” have served faithfully for decades. They have prayed, preached, and pastored through hardship. But the time is coming when they will hand over the baton. The need is immense—not for celebrity leaders, but for faithful shepherds who will arise in obedience to God’s word.
Joshua did not volunteer out of ambition; he responded to a divine summons born of necessity. Likewise, those considering primary leadership must listen for God’s call in the midst of the church’s need. The question is not, “Do I feel ready?” but “Is God asking me to rise?”
When God calls, he also promises his presence: “I will be with you” (Joshua 1:5). Leaders step forward not because they are sufficient, but because God is.
Leadership Means Facing Complexity with Courage
Joshua’s task was to lead a vast, weary people into a hostile land. He would face military threats and internal division. God did not minimise the challenge; instead, he repeated an imperative three times—“Be strong and courageous.”
Primary leadership always brings complexity. Decisions multiply. Relationships become multidirectional. Expectation and criticism come from every side. The temptation is to shrink back, to remain in the safety of the team member role. But God calls leaders to courage rooted not in personality but in promises.
“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life… I will not leave you or forsake you” (Joshua 1:5). Courage is not the absence of fear but the presence of a greater assurance. The leader who knows that God is with him can face ambiguity with confidence.
In ministry, courage often looks like making wise decisions without seeing the full picture. It means trusting God with what we cannot control, and trusting others with what we cannot carry alone. For those considering the move to primary leadership, the question is not “Can I handle everything?” but “Can I trust the One who can?”
The Role of Primary Leader Requires Obedience and Humility
God’s next words to Joshua have nothing to do with strategy and everything to do with integrity. “Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you… This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night” (Joshua 1:7–8).
In other words, leadership begins in submission. The primary leader’s role is not a throne but an altar. God’s work advances through leaders whose hearts are shaped by his word. Joshua’s success would not come from charisma but from obedience—steady, humble, daily faithfulness to Scripture.
For potential leaders in Japan and beyond, this is vital. The temptation of leadership is to define ourselves by performance or popularity. But our identity must be anchored in God’s calling and character, not in our own achievements. A leader who knows that their worth is secure in the Lord is freed from the exhausting need to prove themselves. Obedience then becomes an act of trust rather than a test of competence. When a leader’s sense of value flows from belonging to God, rather than from human approval or visible results, humility becomes natural and courage sustainable.
Humility is the soil in which courage grows. A humble leader can learn quickly—because he knows he doesn’t know everything. When Joshua stepped into Moses’s role, he didn’t try to imitate his predecessor’s style. He sought God’s presence afresh. Likewise, those stepping into the role of primary leader must learn what they don’t yet know, seek counsel, and depend on the Spirit. The best leaders are lifelong learners—repenting, reflecting, and renewing their minds day by day.
If you are considering such a move, ask: Am I willing to be taught? The role of primary leader will test your humility. You’ll face problems you haven’t seen before, seasons where you feel out of your depth. Yet the Spirit delights to meet leaders there, shaping them into Christ’s likeness through weakness. When we confess our limits, God’s grace fills the gap.
Leading from Rest, Not Restlessness
Finally, God sums up Joshua’s call: “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Every primary leader—whether a church planter, pastor, or ministry director—will experience moments of fear and fatigue. But the antidote to anxiety is not self-reliance; it is the presence of God. “The Lord your God is with you.”
Notice how often this promise appears in Scripture. God said it to Isaac in famine (Genesis 26:24), to Moses before Pharaoh (Exodus 3:12), to Israel in exile (Isaiah 41:10), and to the disciples before the Great Commission: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). The same God who sent Joshua into Canaan sends his church into the world—with the same promise of presence.
In Japan, this truth is crucial. The challenges are real—cultural resistance, declining numbers, limited resources. Yet Christ has not abandoned his people. His Spirit still empowers those who step forward in faith. The leader who knows that God is with him can face the unknown with a non-anxious presence.
This is not a call to reckless ambition, but to restful obedience. We lead from rest, not restlessness; from identity, not insecurity. Our worth is not in our role but in our Redeemer. Even when we fail, he remains faithful. Even when we stumble, his grace restores.
Discerning the Right Time
Joshua’s story didn’t begin in Joshua 1. He had spent years preparing—serving Moses, observing leadership, and learning obedience in small things. When the moment came, he was ready not because he felt ready, but because faithfulness had formed him.
For those in Japan (or anywhere) discerning a transition from team member to primary leader, the process often involves similar questions:
Am I leaving from faithfulness or frustration? Have I invested in those who will continue the ministry I now lead? Have I developed systems and people who can flourish without me? And, most importantly, will this new role allow me to serve the gospel more fruitfully?
It is rarely the “perfect” time to leave. There will always be unfinished work and unresolved questions. But when God calls, delay becomes disobedience. The key is not to rush ahead or lag behind, but to walk in step with the Spirit.
For many in Japan’s churches, the need is urgent. Numerous congregations await leadership. The next generation must rise—not to chase prestige, but to shepherd God’s people with courage and compassion. If not you, then who?
The Gospel and the Call to Courage
Joshua’s commission points us beyond itself. The leader who would perfectly embody courage, obedience, and presence was not Joshua but Jesus. He is the greater Joshua—the one whose very name means “The Lord saves.” Christ crossed the ultimate Jordan, leading his people not into a physical land but into the kingdom of God. Through his death and resurrection, he secured the promise that God will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5).
When we step into leadership, we do so under his authority and in his strength. The gospel frees us from the fear of failure because our success is secured in Christ. It humbles us because leadership is service, not status. And it emboldens us because the Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in us.
So, as the Japanese church faces a critical generational moment, perhaps God is whispering to some faithful team members: Arise. Not because you are ready, but because he is with you. Not to build your kingdom, but to serve his.
Here are a few reflections for those discerning this step:
First, remember that courage grows from communion. Spend time in God’s Word and prayer until His presence becomes your confidence. Joshua’s success began with meditation on Scripture, not management technique.
Second, hold leadership with open hands. You are a steward, not an owner. Serve joyfully, but be ready to release when God calls.
Third, lead through dependence, not dominance. Seek wise counsel, share responsibility, and cultivate humility. God delights to use leaders who know their need of him.
Fourth, find your identity in Christ alone. Titles change; fruit comes and goes. But nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).
Finally, remember that the role of primary leader is still a servant’s role. Jesus said, “Whoever would be great among you must be your servant” (Matthew 20:26). True leadership mirrors the cross: self-giving love for the sake of others.
The Japanese church needs such leaders today: men and women of Scripture, humility, and courage, who will arise for the sake of Christ’s name. The question is not whether you are sufficient, but whether you will trust the One who is. After all, the Lord who called Joshua still calls his servants today: “Be strong and courageous… for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Author:Damian Grateley
