In the spring of 2023, as cherry blossoms bloomed in Tokyo, I stepped out of the Nippori Station on the Yamanote Line and took a taxi through the city’s winding streets to the new meeting place of Nippori International Church. Across the quiet street, I heard Chinese hymns. I was there to interview Pastor Soo-min Park (朴树民), a Korean missionary serving the Chinese diaspora in Japan. As the founding pastor of Tokyo Nippori International Church and the Japan Chinese Christian Center (JCC)1, and author of a booklet on diaspora missions2, Pastor Park’s passion for mission and humble character have inspired many, including me, since our first meeting years ago in Tokyo.
A Calling Shaped in China
Born in 1968 in South Korea, Soo-min Park grew up attending church with his grandmother, but faith was merely a family tradition. In 1987, while studying Chinese at Konkuk University in Seoul, a student camp changed his life. A preacher’s message about the cross stirred his heart, and the Holy Spirit led him to believe, “Jesus died for me.” He embraced the gospel.
During this time, China was opening to the world. Park, a Chinese major, saw learning the language as a career asset. But his newfound faith reshaped his path. At a 1987 missions conference, a Korean missionary to India inspired him to pray, “Lord, if You call me to missions, I will obey.”
In 1993, Park pursued a master’s in business administration at a prestigious university in Beijing, planning to work in China and serve as a tentmaker missionary. There, God led him to a Korean diaspora church that prioritized missions and cared for Korean students. “This church helped me rediscover my faith and grow spiritually,” Park recalls. “It trained many students who later became missionaries and pastors, serving in places like Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and beyond.”
The church encouraged Park to serve, sending him to share at Korean student gatherings. Through this, he discovered his gifts. Though torn between full-time ministry and tentmaking, a 40-day fast in 1997 brought clarity. “In a vision, I saw the Great Wall collapsing outward from Beijing,” he says. “I interpreted it as God using China for global missions. I told God, ‘If You give me the chance, I’m willing to join this great work.’” Despite his father’s initial disappointment, his parents recognized God’s call. Park returned to Korea to study theology at the Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Suwon.
From Saipan to Sapporo: Training Ground for Mission
During seminary, God burdened Park and his wife to serve the Chinese diaspora. They prayed about ministering in Europe or Japan and were mentored by Pastor Man-yeol Lee, a Korean missionary whose fervent prayer and devotion to Scripture became a model. At 80, Lee invited the Parks to serve for a year in Saipan, where he pastored a Chinese church.
In 2002, the newlywed Parks arrived in Saipan. The church, primarily Chinese women working long hours in garment factories, was vibrant. After work, they studied Scripture late into the night. Over a decade, 1,300 had been baptized. “These sisters, trained for three years, became gospel seeds,” Park says. “As they moved, they planted house churches in 40 places in China and established Chinese churches in Cyprus and Jordan.”
In 2004, the Parks moved to Sapporo, Japan, to serve at Sapporo International Church. Without knowing Japanese, they learned the language while ministering to Chinese “war orphans” and their families. By 2008, the church grew to over 100 members, with many baptized. Before taking a sabbatical, Park and a Chinese brother visited Chinese churches across Japan, discovering a need for pastors and new congregations. With their church’s support, they decided to pioneer new ministries after their sabbatical.
Pioneering in Tokyo: Nippori International Church
In 2009, the Parks arrived in Tokyo with just a suitcase, settling near a Korean church where Park prayed daily, emulating Pastor Lee. Enrolling in a Japanese language school, they found 90% of the students were Chinese. “They were surprised to meet Koreans who spoke Chinese,” Park says. “We invited them to our home for meals, hosting 600–700 people in the first few years.” Some showed interest in the gospel, and on January 4, 2010, Chinese worship began in their home. Baptisms took place in their bathroom, and Nippori International Church was born.
Pioneering wasn’t easy. Many Chinese believers struggled to integrate into churches back in China when they return to their home country. Inspired by Missionary Methods: St. Paul’s or Ours?, Park began trusting the Holy Spirit’s work in believers. Once, while on a mission trip abroad, he encouraged young members to lead worship themselves. “They prepared eagerly, arrived early, and even brought extra food for the fellowship meal,” he recalls. “I learned to support their growth, not control it.”
The Parks planted several churches, including one in Nishi-Nippori. During a sabbatical, they entrusted the church to young leaders, who, empowered by the Spirit, saw a revival. “God doesn’t rely on individuals,” Park reflects. “My role is to pray, wait, and let God work in his people.”
After a sabbatical in Africa, the Parks saw a vision: God using Chinese churches for global missions, including diaspora ministry. “Chinese diaspora Christians, with their cross-cultural and multilingual gifts, are a treasure for God’s kingdom,” Park says. “Burying this talent, like the servant in Matthew 25:18, displeases God.”
Nippori International Church’s mission is “saving souls, making disciples, and world missions.” To reach Japan’s secular youth, where Christians make up less than 1% of the population, the church opened an international school teaching English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, attracting non-Christian families. The church also plants new congregations, dispatching pastors and members as missionaries. These churches operate independently but support each other through joint baptisms, retreats, and shared resources, aiming for financial independence within 3–5 years.
Local and Global: Japan Chinese Christian Center (JCC)
In 2012, Park founded the Japan Chinese Christian Center (JCC) to unite Chinese churches for large-scale evangelism. Despite initial skepticism due to his Korean background and small church, Park invited all believers to join. JCC’s monthly prayer meetings welcome anyone passionate about reaching Japan’s Chinese diaspora, now over one million, with 800,000 from mainland China.3
JCC focuses on evangelism and discipleship, partnering with Chinese churches and global ministries like Overseas Campus Ministries in the US. It has expanded from evangelistic events to training and mobilizing Christians for missions. “Our vision is to send missionaries, especially Chinese diaspora and believers from China,” Park says. “We train Chinese missionaries in Japan and send them to Africa to plant churches and support local ministries. South America is next in our prayers. Japan is both a mission field and a missionary training ground.”
JCC estimates that reaching 3% of Japan’s Chinese population requires 400 churches. “We don’t seek megachurches but small- to medium-sized congregations across Japan,” Park explains. “We pray for 800 church planters to start 400 churches, with every two churches sending one missionary—200 in total. House churches in China pray for sending 20,000 missionaries out; we aim to contribute 1% from Japan’s Chinese churches in the next decade.”
Reflections from Coworkers: A Portrait of Pastor Park
Three coworkers shared their impressions of Pastor Park with the author. Pastor Fei Lü, a young minister at Nippori International Church, praises Park’s humility, faith, and kingdom vision: “He founded this church but never acts superior. He listens in meetings, prioritizes God’s kingdom over our church’s gain, and seeks God’s will above all. In 2026, he’ll step down as senior pastor to empower younger leaders, saying missionaries are like scaffolding—removed once the building is complete.”
Sister Yù Chén, a JCC coworker, describes Park’s servant leadership: “He’s humble, prayerful, and seeks the Spirit’s guidance. He unites churches for God’s kingdom, shares his vision without pressuring others, and serves humbly, even sweeping floors at retreats. His church constantly supports missionaries, seminarians, and JCC’s work.”
Sister Qiáng Chéng highlights Park’s prayerful obedience: “He waits on God, sometimes delaying decisions until he senses clarity, but his choices prove right. He breaks down barriers between Chinese churches, inspiring mission passion. JCC’s training, including online courses during the pandemic, has equipped leaders globally. His church even hosts Vietnamese believers, reflecting his kingdom heart.”
Conclusion
In August 2024, Pastor Park represented the China team at the Fourth Lausanne Congress in Seoul. “As a Korean, I was honored to join the Chinese delegation,” he said. From hosting meals to baptizing in his bathroom, from discipleship to church planting, Park’s humble service reflects his love for Chinese diaspora souls—a love rooted in Christ. His journey from China to Saipan, Japan to Africa, embodies a global missionary vision. A Korean missionary fluent in Korean, Chinese, English, and Japanese, serving Chinese in Tokyo, Park’s story is a powerful testament to God’s work in diaspora and global missions today.
- Japan Chinese Christian Center website, accessed May 19, 2025, http://tokyo-jcc.com/.
- Soo-min Park, Diaspora Missions at a Glance, Tokyo:Japan Chinese Christian Center,accessed May 19, 2025, https://www.tokyo-jcc.com/images/diaspora-Eng-p.pdf.
- “There Are Over One Million Chinese in Japan,” Voices of Chinese in Japan, April 2, 2024, accessed May 19, 2025, https://info.fqqz-aa-japan.com/4223/.
