Jeffery & Akiko Sonnenberg - Japan

Jeffery & Akiko Sonnenberg

Japan

Jeffery and Akiko are focused on serving as catalysts to help encourage multiplication in Japanese churches. They are involved in coaching and encouraging church planters on the local, regional and national level. Jeffery is also involved in supporting leadership development focused on Japanese pastors and church planters.

Jeffery is actively involved in researching the churches of the disaster areas of north eastern Japan following the triple disasters of 2011. The lessons learned by the churches after the disaster are helpful and relevant for church planters and Christians across Japan.

Ministry History

Jeffery felt called to work in Japan when he first visited the country as a university student on a short-term mission. In 1995 he returned to Japan where he met Akiko while he was on staff at a Tokyo-area Japanese church. Akiko is a fourth generation Japanese Christian who was born and raised in the Tokyo-area. In 2000 they started as members of a church planting team in a small town in Yamagata in the northern part of the main island. From there they went on to work with three consecutive church multiplication networks on the island of Okinawa. In 2014 they moved back to the Tokyo area to help support local, regional and national church multiplication initiatives.

Prayer Focus
  • For the development and launch of a new leadership program focused on young leaders.
  • For God's ongoing provision and protection for their family.