Sanctifying Christ Church
Encyclopedia
The Sanctifying Christ Church (Japanese
: 聖成基督教団, Sei naru Kirisuto Kyōdan) is an independent Japanese
church founded by Konmoto Kaoru (紺本薫) in 1948.
Konmoto Kaoru was born in 1914 and converted to Christianity
at the age of seventeen as a result of attending a small home Bible study
meeting. He went on to attend the Shioya Seisho Gakusha, a bible school with roots in the early missionary
work of Barclay Baxton (1860-1946), a low church Anglican, who served as a missionary in Kōbe
and Matsue, 1890-1891. Konmoto began independent evangelistic work in the early postwar period by holding services on the street, tent revival meetings, and services in the homes of early converts. Kōbe
was the center of these evangelistic efforts and became the church headquarters of the Sanctifying Christ Church. In 1952, Konmoto organized a Bible school (東洋聖書神学院) to train evangelists within the Kōbe church. Thirty individuals have prepared for ministry in the juku
-style Bible school. Over the past fifty years, Konmoto and his disciples have organized eleven congregations .
Konmoto's primary concern has been to establish independent and self-supporting churches faithful to the apostolic tradition. his opinion was that while Japanese churches can learn from the experience of foreign churches and missionaries, they should not seek to copy them. Unlike some of the other indigenous Christian movements, Konmoto's writings and messages are essentially Biblical expositions and contain little or no reference to Asian religious traditions. Special emphasis is placed on the biblical teachings regarding spirit baptism and sanctification
. The church observes the sacrament
s of baptism
and the Lord's Supper
and has developed memorial services in response to the Japanese concern to show special care and respect for the deceased.
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
: 聖成基督教団, Sei naru Kirisuto Kyōdan) is an independent Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
church founded by Konmoto Kaoru (紺本薫) in 1948.
Konmoto Kaoru was born in 1914 and converted to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
at the age of seventeen as a result of attending a small home Bible study
Bible study (Christian)
In Christianity, Bible study is the study of the Bible by ordinary people as a personal religious or spiritual practice. Some denominations may call this devotion or devotional acts; however in other denominations devotion has other meanings...
meeting. He went on to attend the Shioya Seisho Gakusha, a bible school with roots in the early missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work of Barclay Baxton (1860-1946), a low church Anglican, who served as a missionary in Kōbe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
and Matsue, 1890-1891. Konmoto began independent evangelistic work in the early postwar period by holding services on the street, tent revival meetings, and services in the homes of early converts. Kōbe
Kobe
, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
was the center of these evangelistic efforts and became the church headquarters of the Sanctifying Christ Church. In 1952, Konmoto organized a Bible school (東洋聖書神学院) to train evangelists within the Kōbe church. Thirty individuals have prepared for ministry in the juku
Juku
Gakushū juku are special private schools that offer lessons conducted after regular school hours and on the weekends....
-style Bible school. Over the past fifty years, Konmoto and his disciples have organized eleven congregations .
Konmoto's primary concern has been to establish independent and self-supporting churches faithful to the apostolic tradition. his opinion was that while Japanese churches can learn from the experience of foreign churches and missionaries, they should not seek to copy them. Unlike some of the other indigenous Christian movements, Konmoto's writings and messages are essentially Biblical expositions and contain little or no reference to Asian religious traditions. Special emphasis is placed on the biblical teachings regarding spirit baptism and sanctification
Sanctification
Sanctity is an ancient concept widespread among religions, a property of a thing or person sacred or set apart within the religion, from totem poles through temple vessels to days of the week, to a human believer who achieves this state. Sanctification is the act or process of acquiring sanctity,...
. The church observes the sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
s of baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and the Lord's Supper
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...
and has developed memorial services in response to the Japanese concern to show special care and respect for the deceased.