New Staff Introduction
Tokyo Marunouchi Partnership
James Ballinger, Samurai Projects Director
It’s my pleasure to introduce myself as the Director of the Samurai Projects. I’m married to Charley and we have four children Wren (7), Ena (6), Louis (4), and Rupert (1).
For the past three years I’ve been the Assistant Pastor of a large Anglican Evangelical Church in Christchurch, New Zealand. My passion is not just to do the work of ministry but to “equip the saints for works of service” in a way that enables other Christians to grow in their love and knowledge of the Lord, and to develop and make use of their gifts in serving the Lord. It has been a privilege to be involved in the training of ministry workers during this time in Christchurch.
I was born in England, but due to my parents work I grew up in Germany and Cyprus. I’m not from a Christian home, and I first met Christians when I began to study at Oxford University. My first degree was in Economics and Management and I expected to make use of this in the business world. In my second year I became a Christian and I realized if the Bible is true, Jesus is Lord and Saviour, and if there is a glorious heaven and a terrible hell then I wanted to be involved in reaching people like me who’d never heard the good news of Jesus as children. I assumed the Lord would use me as a Pastor in the UK, and after university I went to study on a ministry training course in England. The Cornhill Training course (CTC) aimed to help people think how to teach and preach the scripture – in many ways the aims of the Cornhill Training course overlap with those of the Samurai Projects.
During my time at Cornhill I had the opportunity to go on summer teams to Sendai and Morioka. During this time I sensed the Lord wanted me to return to Japan full time. After a BA in Theology, and time as an Assistant Minister in Ireland we went to Japan in 2009. We completed two years of language study in Sapporo before moving to work under Kondo Yoshiya in Morioka Bible Baptist church in Iwate Prefecture from 2012-2014. I love the beauty of Iwate and its many onsens (hot springs), so it is going to be very different to be living in Tokyo.
After returning to the UK in 2014, I spent some time on the staff of a church in London before studying for an MA in Theology at Oak Hill Theological College in London. My dissertation thesis was in Biblical Counseling and the doctrine of Providence.
It’s been a joy to take up my role as the SPs director in April this year, but it hasn’t been totally smooth. Unfortunately we’ve been unable to get a visa because of the COVID-19 restrictions, and so I am involved remotely from Auckland, where I’m also spending some time serving a local church. We’re eager to make the transition and hope to arrive in Tokyo in August. In my spare time I enjoy reading, roasting coffee and making Flat Whites.