EFCCMJ History

It can be said that the EFC of Canada Mission (EFCCM) officially began its work in Japan in 2004. But in reality a few missionaries from the EFC of Canada have served in Japan since 1964 under the umbrella of the EFC of America International Mission (EFCA-IM). The field's American mission name is the EFC Mission in Japan (EFCMJ). During those forty years, in addition to a few short termers from the EFC of Canada, first Lea & Louise Little and then Dale & Ann Little served as career missionaries in Japan. Click here to see a one page history of the EFCA-IM work in Japan.

Lea and Louise transferred from the Overseas Missionary Fellowship (OMF) to the EFCA-IM in 1964. Lea and Louise decided to make the transfer to the EFCA-IM after serving in China with China Inland Mission and then in Japan with OMF because their views on missional strategy and missionary children's education better aligned with the EFCA-IM. They planted the Mukonoso EFC (between Kobe and Osaka cities) from 1965-70. Lea then served as field leader for the EFCA-IM until 1975. Due to Louise's cancer they abruptly returned to Canada in 1975. From that time until retirement in 1989 Lea served in Canada as the first Executive Director of the EFCCM.

Dale (Lea and Louise's son) and Ann Little began their ministry in Japan in 1984. They planted the Owariasahi EFC (greater Nagoya city area) (website in Japanese) from 1987-93 and Sunrise Chapel (an EFC in Tokyo) (website in Japanese) from 1999-2004. Dale served as field leader for the EFCA-IM from 1990-94.

So the EFC of Canada has had personnel in place in Japan for many years. But by late 2003 it became clear that Dale and Ann Little's ministry in Japan, and that of any future EFC of Canada personnel, would be enhanced if they were to serve in Japan under the EFCCM rather than the EFCA-IM. The primary consideration here was financial: Canadian tax laws preclude Canadian tax payers from fitting smoothly into the financial structure of the EFCA-IM. Any Canadian tax payers serving with the EFCA-IM must be labouriously treated as exceptions within the EFCA-IM financial system. Secondary consideration was given to differences in leadership philosophy of the two missions. So in 2004 Dale and Ann Little transferred from the EFCA-IM to the EFCCM. The two missions continue to partner together in order to serve in the birth and growth of healthy churches in Japan.

The EFCCMJ also partners with the EFC of Japan (website in Japanese). For example, from 2003-2008, the Central District of the EFC of Japan (greater Nagoya area) and the EFCCM had a outreach English ministry partnership. In the summer of 2008, Dale initiated another outreach English ministry program in a few EFC of Japan churches in the greater Tokyo area. This partnership is called KEEP (Kanto English Evangelism Program). More here.