Nick Ebner
Pioneers — Osaka, Japan
My name is Nick Ebner, and I serve as a part of the mobilization team at Pioneers. As the Director of Field Mobilization, I focus on equipping and empowering our field leaders and international mobilizers so that our teams can flourish and sustain effective church planting ministry among unreached people groups.
In addition to that, I am very excited at the opportunity to help a good friend and ministry partner of mine, Pastor Fumi Chito, begin the Tamarisk Church Planting Network in Japan. My wife and I served seven years as church planters in Japan, and we are thrilled that God has allowed us to continue making an impact there even if we are no longer in country. We are prayerfully seeking to partner with anyone who has a heart for seeing God glorified throughout Japan and Japanese leaders raised up to plant more churches!
Here's more about our network:
Mission
We equip and mentor emerging Japanese church leaders to glorify God and plant thriving, disciple-making churches that spark sustainable church planting networks.
Vision
Empowered and connected Japanese pastors who lead multiplying churches that saturate Japan and beyond with the Gospel, and coach other pastors to do the same.
Why Tamarisk?
The Tamarisk tree in Genesis 21 has major significance to us as we pursue church planting in Japan. The tamarisk tree symbolizes long-term faith and investment—it grows slowly, offering no immediate benefit, yet provides life-giving shade in the desert for future generations. Planting a tamarisk tree is an act of trust in God, a declaration that you believe in promises that will outlast your lifetime and impact many generations to come. We believe that the work God is leading us to do will play a small but vital role in His promise:
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Revelations 7:9
Background
by Fumi Chito, Lead Pastor of Crossroad Nishinomiya
Japan is one of the hardest places for the gospel to take root. Despite the effort of previous generations of pastors, denominations and mission boards, the percentage of Christians has stayed the same (1% or less). Many pastors are burnt out, working to maintain their ministry without clear direction on how to grow their church and reach their city. They lack the training and resources to identify and take their next best step.
Despite this, there are younger church planters who are seeking to rediscover what Jesus intended His church to be, and how to contextualize it in Japan. These capable young planters often labor alone, without consistent coaching or mentoring. To address this, the Tamarisk network identifies church planters who desire to multiply disciples and churches, and trains them in a relational equipping and disciple-making framework. As a result of healthy church growth, we believe that future leaders will be raised up from churches led by these pastors, and the Church across Japan will grow exponentially.
For more than ten years, Pastor Fumi has been coaching other Japanese church leaders, helping them to pursue relational discipleship and community outreach with one thing in mind – to see Christ glorified and the church grow among the Japanese in this generation. Through this hands-on, personal coaching, many pastors have faithfully stepped forward, and seen God bear fruit through their efforts. We are excited to see how this same strategy can be used to affect change in churches across Japan, while simultaneously raising up strong, passionate church leadership for the future.
The Ask
Join us in transforming Japan through church planting for the glory of God! Together we can provide vital coaching, training, and resources to grow a vibrant, multiplying church rooted in relational discipleship.