The Shalom City Team exists to catalyze gospel movements in Fukuoka for the glory of God and transformation of the city.
In partnership with a local Japanese church, our team is helping to plant a bilingual church called Shalom City Church (SCC) in Fukuoka’s central Tenjin district in order to reach young urban professionals and families.
Besides planting SCC, our local church partner envisions planting five additional churches—adding up to one church for each of the city’s seven districts. The creation of this network of Shalom churches will require the multiplication of many leaders. This means the Japanese mother church and SCC will focus on becoming incubators for training, developing, and sending out new leaders throughout Fukuoka.
Where are we?
Comparable in both population (1.7 million) and density to Philadelphia (USA), the city of Fukuoka is the largest city in western Japan. It is a city known for its rich history and tradition. Many of Japan’s beloved foods and cultural treasures—such as ramen and udon—were first introduced and refined here.
Yet alongside its deep roots, Fukuoka is also a rapidly changing city. It is Japan’s youngest and fastest-growing major city, with a metro-area population of 5.5 million. As the economic hub of western Japan, Fukuoka has gained a reputation as both a “startup city” and an educational center, drawing new businesses and students from across Japan and around the world.
Because of its location, Fukuoka has long served as Japan’s gateway to Asia. The city lies closer to Seoul and Shanghai than to Tokyo, and is within a four-hour flight of major Asian metropolises such as Seoul, Shanghai, Beijing, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Manila. Over the past decade, Fukuoka’s foreign-born population has grown faster than that of any other major Japanese city, making it one of the country’s most rapidly internationalizing urban centers.
Team Ministries
Local Outreach
By leveraging everyday opportunities and engaging with existing groups in our community, such as schools, sports clubs, and language exchanges, we seek to build relationships and share the gospel.
Church Planting
The Shalom City Team is working to bring gospel renewal to the city of Fukuoka through church multiplication. In addition to planting Shalom City Church, a gospel-centered bilingual church in downtown Fukuoka, we are partnering with a local Japanese church to help plant five additional churches throughout the region.
Training Leaders
We are committed to equipping lay leaders within local churches for evangelism and discipleship. Through seminars and training events we also help prepare church planters and ministry leaders from across Japan for gospel-centered ministry.
Team Vision
The Shalom City Team exists to serve as a catalyst for gospel renewal in Fukuoka City as the gospel does its transformative work in us, through us, and beyond us.
Our vision is to see existing churches renewed and new churches planted in the city through the proclamation of the gospel and the empowering of new leaders for gospel ministry.
The Gospel
In Us
We pursue both personal and corporate renewal by applying the good news of the gospel to everyday life.
The Gospel
Through Us
We seek to model missional living and catalyze gospel-community within the city.
The Gospel
Beyond Us
We disciple, train, and send leaders who take the gospel to the places we cannot reach.
Team Values
Gospel Community
We are committed to building a gospel-centered community where we speak the truth of the gospel into one another’s lives and encourage one another toward repentance, faith, and Christlike maturity. As God’s family, we seek to love, support, honor, and respect one another despite our many differences, reflecting the unity we have in Christ.
We also value meaningful relationships, making intentional time for friendship, fellowship, and shared life together.
Gospel-Centered Ministry
We are committed to proclaiming the gospel and making disciples through ministries shaped by the good news of Jesus Christ. We seek to integrate the principles of gospel renewal into every aspect of our life and ministry, helping people grow in faith, repentance, and obedience to Christ. We also strive to create a welcoming environment where unbelievers, seekers, and newcomers experience genuine friendship, culturally appropriate hospitality, and a clear invitation to explore the hope found in the gospel.
Seeking the Shalom of the City
We are committed to loving and serving the city God has called us to by seeking its peace, flourishing, and well-being. We desire to be a faithful presence within our community, building relationships, contributing to the common good, and bearing witness to the hope of the gospel in every area of city life.
Team Members
Ho Family
In 2022, Simon and Song moved from New York City to Fukuoka with their 4 children. They have been a part of the Shalom City Team since Fall 2025. They enjoy playing sports, board games, and creating art. Currently Simon and Song are part of a community volleyball team.
Rose Family
Candie and Jesse Rose have been serving in Japan together since 2012. They have three children, each of whom was born in a different city where the Rose family has served (Nagoya, Osaka, and Fukuoka). Jesse enjoys reading, running, and following his favorite soccer team while Candie is into baking, calligraphy, and water-color painting.
Get in touch if you’re curious about any of these programs or have questions for our team. We’d love to hear from you.