Both Ends of the Rope

Episode 4: What Are Short-Term Mission Trips Actually For? — ft. James Miyashita

Short-term mission trips can get a bad reputation. Sometimes for good reason. But they can also be one of the most strategic tools a sending church has when everyone involved knows what they are actually trying to do. In this episode, Chad Farmer and Jay Greer sit down with James Miyashita, born and raised in Japan, now church planting in Nagoya, to talk through what makes a short-term trip genuinely helpful versus a burden, why "just send money and pray" is more biblical than it sounds, and how James's Recon Tour helps people discern their role in missions before anyone twists their arm into going. This episode is for the church that wants to send well, the missionary trying to figure out how to receive well. Chapters 00:00 — Intro: welcoming James Miyashita 03:30 — James's background and Nagoya 07:00 — Have any of you been on a short-term trip? 11:00 — What missionaries actually need from visiting teams 12:30 — Vision trips vs. mission trips 18:00 — The goal: love Jesus more when you leave 21:00 — When churches want to come and see the work 26:30 — What makes trips go poorly 29:30 — Who should come on a vision trip 33:00 — Why we moved to invite-only 37:00 — The "we just want to bless you" problem 45:00 — "Just send money and pray" 50:30 — About Recon Tours Scripture Romans 15.24, 30 · Ephesians 6.19-20 · Luke 8.1-3 · Luke 1.1-4 Featuring James Miyashita — church planting in Nagoya, leading Recon Tours: seven-day vision trips to Japan for people exploring whether missions might be for them. reachingjapan.com [https://reachingjapan.com] · @reachingjapan [https://instagram.com/reachingjapan] Both Ends of the Rope is a podcast about Christian missions. Chad and Jay serve with the Mustard Seed Network — a network of gospel-centered church-planting churches in Japan. mustardseed.network [https://mustardseed.network] Voiceover: Ben Mayer — benmayerdonethat.com [https://benmayerdonethat.com] Theme music: Studio Inlight — inlight.co.jp [https://inlight.co.jp] Follow Chad → @chadfarmer.tokyo [https://instagram.com/chadfarmer.tokyo] Jay → @jaygreer [https://instagram.com/jaygreer] Mustard Seed Network → @mustardseednetworkjapan [https://instagram.com/mustardseednetworkjapan] If this episode was helpful, share it with someone who's thinking about a short-term trip or someone who sends people on them.

Episode 3: The Word, the Culture, and the Gap

Missionaries aren't just crossing borders. They're crossing cultures. And the words they've used their whole lives don't always make the trip. In this episode, Chad Farmer and Jay Greer work through what contextualization actually means — and why it matters more than most sending churches realize. They start with five phrases from American evangelical culture that don't translate: "do community," "a God thing," "it's," "just" in prayer, and "share your faith." From there they trace Tim Keller's definition through the book of Acts, showing how Paul preached differently in Athens than he did in Antioch — not because the message changed, but because the starting point did. They walk through two real ways contextualization goes wrong: under-contextualization (a scene from a crowded Tokyo intersection) and over-contextualization (prosperity gospel, Buddhist-Christian syncretism, and liberal theology). And they keep coming back to 2 Timothy 3: the Word is living, active, and sufficient — and missionaries need to know it, preach it, and let it sustain them. This episode is for the church and the missionary candidate who want to understand what it means to bring the gospel to a culture that has never heard it. Chapters 00:00 — Intro 01:40 — "Do community" 03:29 — "A God thing" 04:32 — "It's" 07:14 — "Just" in prayer 08:39 — "Share your faith" — and why precision matters 11:07 — What is contextualization? 13:05 — How Paul preached differently in Acts 17:21 — What the Word says about itself 21:30 — Two ways contextualization goes wrong 23:32 — Under-contextualization 29:14 — Over-contextualization: the prosperity gospel 31:27 — Syncretism: Christian and Buddhist 33:18 — Liberal theology 37:47 — Hebrews 9.27 and reincarnation 40:42 — Preach the Word: back to 2 Timothy 44:30 — Get reps at home before you go 46:42 — The Word sustains you on the field Scripture 2 Timothy 3.14-4.2 · Hebrews 9.27 · Matthew 6.24 · Acts 13 · Acts 14 · Acts 17 · Acts 19 Both Ends of the Rope is a podcast about Christian missions. Chad and Jay serve with the Mustard Seed Network — a network of gospel-centered church-planting churches in Japan. mustardseed.network [https://mustardseed.network] Voiceover: Ben Mayer — benmayerdonethat.com [https://benmayerdonethat.com] Theme music: Studio Inlight — inlight.co.jp [https://inlight.co.jp] Follow Chad → @chadfarmer.tokyo [https://instagram.com/chadfarmer.tokyo] Jay → @jaygreer [https://instagram.com/jaygreer] Mustard Seed Network → @mustardseednetworkjapan [https://instagram.com/mustardseednetworkjapan] If this episode was helpful, share it with someone preparing to go — or with the pastor who's sending them.

Episode 2: Who Should We Send?

Japan is one of the least-reached countries in the world. The need for workers is real and urgent. But does that mean we will take anyone? In this episode, Chad Farmer and Jay Greer talk through what they are actually looking for when someone says they want to go to the mission field — and what gives them pause. They work through the qualities that matter most, the red flags that are hard to ignore, and the question that frames it all: are you the part of the body of Christ that should be sent? This is not meant to discourage anyone. It is meant to help the right people get ready well. Scripture: Matthew 9:38, 1 Timothy 3. Next episode: what a missionary actually needs to carry — the Word, the gospel, and why it matters more than you think. Chad and Jay serve with the Mustard Seed Network, a network of gospel-centered church-planting churches in Japan — mustardseed.network Voiceover by Ben Mayer — benmayerdonethat.com Theme music composed by Studio Inlight — inlight.co.jp

Episode 1: What is the Mission?

Japan has fewer Christians per capita than almost anywhere on earth. Two missionaries who have lived and worked there for a combined three decades want to talk about why that matters — and what it actually looks like to go and to send. In this episode, Chad Farmer and Jay Greer introduce Both Ends of the Rope, explain what the name means, and lay out the theological foundation the whole show is built on: the Great Commission, the church as the agent of mission, and why the gospel — not just good neighboring — is what missionaries are there to bring. This episode is for anyone who wants to understand what Christian missions actually is before deciding what to do about it. Chapters 00:00 — Intro 01:30 — What "Both Ends of the Rope" means 05:32 — The rope metaphor: William Carey and Japan 09:02 — The Great Commission: why we go 11:14 — What church planting actually looks like 15:03 — Why the church is not optional 18:02 — God works through the church 21:00 — The gospel vs. social programs 25:31 — The Great Commandments without the gospel 28:00 — When the gospel takes root in Japan 30:01 — "I feel like I am not right before God" 31:44 — 1 Timothy 3: the church as pillar Scripture Matthew 28.19-20 · Acts 14.21-23 · John 13.34-35 · Ephesians 2.8 · Ephesians 3.20-21 · Ephesians 5.25 · 1 Timothy 3.15 · Revelation 7.9 Both Ends of the Rope is a podcast about Christian missions. Chad and Jay serve with the Mustard Seed Network — a network of gospel-centered church-planting churches in Japan. mustardseed.network [https://mustardseed.network] Voiceover: Ben Mayer — benmayerdonethat.com [https://benmayerdonethat.com] Theme music: Studio Inlight — inlight.co.jp [https://inlight.co.jp] Follow Chad → @chadfarmer.tokyo [https://instagram.com/chadfarmer.tokyo] Jay → @jaygreer [https://instagram.com/jaygreer] Mustard Seed Network → @mustardseednetworkjapan [https://instagram.com/mustardseednetworkjapan] If this episode was helpful, share it with someone thinking about missions — or with the church that's supporting them.

Both Ends of the Rope - Trailer

Both Ends of the Rope is a podcast for those who send and those who go. Hosted by Chad Farmer and Jay Greer from Tokyo, Japan, we talk about missions and the local church — who to send, how to support missionaries well, how to evaluate the work faithfully, and what long-term faithfulness looks like on the field. Episode 1 coming soon. Voiceover by Ben Mayer — benmayerdonethat.comTheme music composed by Studio Inlight — inlight.co.jp Chad and Jay serve with the Mustard Seed Network, a network of gospel-centered church-planting churches in Japan — mustardseed.network