Team

Richard and Yuko met in Cambridge, England in 2000. Yuko is from Yokohama, Japan, and Richard is from Edinburgh, Scotland. After university Richard worked as an English teacher in a Japanese high school and then as a tax accountant in London. Yuko worked as a technical translator for Fuji-Xerox and then in the risk management department of a Japanese investment bank. While in seminary, Richard served as an intern in Japanese churches in Sendai, Yokosuka, and Kawasaki. As mission partners with JCL (Japan Christian Link), Richard and Yuko focused on Japanese diaspora ministry and student evangelism for five years in Oxford, England. Richard now serves as Dean of Students and Associate Professor of Systematic Theology at CBS, and Yuko develops Japanese-language gospel resources as CBI Media Translator and Editor. They have two school-age children.

Damon and Young-Mi are from southern California and have two daughters, Aliya and Mikayla. They have been serving in Japan since February 2015 as missionaries sent by Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, CA. Damon (PhD, Old Testament, Fuller Theological Seminary) serves as Lecturer in Old Testament at CBS, and Young-Mi (MA, New Testament, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) focuses on women’s ministry. Damon and Young-Mi have a heart to help build strong, gospel-centered churches in Japan. They desire to nurture and equip the upcoming generations for Christ by training church leaders and seminary students, encouraging Japanese Christians, and sharing the gospel through relationships and other ministry opportunities. Learn more about the Cha family on their website.

Craig and Yumiko met near Tokyo in 1988 and were married there in 1999. Yumiko is from the city of Tokorozawa, and Craig is from the Washington, D.C. area. The Chapins are missionaries with Mission to the World and have served on the CBI team since 2007. Craig teaches New Testament and serves as the Academic Dean of CBS. Yumiko puts her love of music to use at CBS and Nisshin Christ Church. You can learn more about the Chapins on their website.

Rebecca has a B.A. in Mathematics and worked as a Computer Programmer from 2008 to 2016. She served as a singer and songwriter at her home church in Louisville, KY. where she also co-led community groups and facilitated a women’s study of systematic theology. She began serving with CBI in 2017 as a short-term missionary through Serge. In 2020 she became a long-term missionary and now serves as the director of CBI Media and also helps with PR for CBI.

Raised in Mie prefecture, Asako became a Christian at Bethel Korean Church in California. In 2014 she graduated from CBS with an M.Div., focusing her studies on biblical counseling. Asako is a licensed counselor in Japan, and works with CBI Counseling managing the STEPS discipleship program, among other things. She and her husband Yu, who pastors All Nations Fellowship (ANF), have two children.

Karis has a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Bible and is certified in Biblical Counseling. She served on the worship team in her home church in Plano, TX, where she led bible studies for English as a Second Language (ESL) learners. She met her husband, a church planter’s second son Motoki Fukuda, in Japan. They married in 2024. She currently serves as Outreach Coordinator at CBI.

Masakuni Hotta has served with CBI through Mission to the World since 2015. He is a second-generation Japanese American, born and raised in Michigan, where he earned a B.S.E. from the University of Michigan. Soon after college, he moved to Nagoya to serve with CBI while earning an M.Div. at CBS. Kuni currently serves as the General Affairs Director.

Paul and Yu are missionaries with JEMS (Japanese Evangelical Missionary Society) and along with their children, Isaac and Sara, have been serving together as a family in Japan since 2008. Paul serves as academic assistant and interpreter at CBS. Yu was born and raised in Nagoya and became a Christian when she was in high school. She has a heart for children’s ministry and loves to share the gospel with those who are neglected and struggling in society.

Mark and Rachel met at Westminster Theological Seminary, where Mark received his M.Div. and Rachel her M.A. in counseling. Rachel is a half-Japanese missionary kid who grew up in Mexico, while Mark immigrated to the U.S. from Korea. They lived in Philadelphia before joining the CBI team in 2019. They serve with Mission to the World and are currently in language school while assisting with the CBI Logistics and Communications Team, building on their experiences in cross-cultural ministry, the arts, and administration. They have three young children.

Etsuko was born and raised in Nagoya. Since her mother was a Christian, she grew up going to church, though she drifted away during middle and high school. After high school she reaffirmed her faith and was baptized by Pastor Kurokawa at Shiga Church. Subsequently she studied in the U.S. for two years before returning to Japan to work for a Japanese company. She then worked for the International Christian Academy of Nagoya (ICAN) for 15 years, during which time she spent two years serving aboard the missionary ship Doulos. Through her experience studying abroad, her time on the missionary ship, and her previous work at ICAN, Etsuko has had the joy of serving alongside Christians from a variety of countries, and she is excited to continue to serve God through her work at CBI.

Akiko was born in Fukuoka Prefecture and grew up in both Japan and Korea, moving back and forth between the two countries when her father, a pastor, was transferred. After graduating from Tokyo Christian University in 2017, she worked as a staff member at a Presbyterian church in Nagoya. Akiko joined the CBI staff in 2024.

Matt and Caroline made their first short-term trip to CBI in the summer of 2008 and have been long-term missionaries through Mission to the World since March 2016. Matt holds a Ph.D. from Wheaton College and serves as President and Professor of Old Testament at CBS, previously serving as a pastor and professor in the United States and Australia. Caroline earned an MA in Intercultural Studies from Wheaton College, and together with Matt and their five children – Lydia, Silas, Ethan, Chloe, and Moses – she loves to encourage and support seminary students and serve the local church. You can learn more about the Newkirks on their website.

Originally from Tokyo, in 2008, Taka was the sole member of CBS’ first graduating class, after which he went on to earn his MA and PhD in Religious Thought from Nanzan University. At CBI, Taka is Professor of Church History at CBS and Director of the Joy of Japan Center for Church Planting and Development. He also serves as a board member of CBI Press as well as the Chubu Division of the Japan Evangelical Theological Society. Taka is the author of Irenaeus’ Theology of the Holy Spirit: The Trinity and Deification Revealed in the Second Century (Yoberu, 2022).

Brett and Taylor began serving with CBI in 2012 as short-term missionaries through Mission to the World. In March 2013, Brett accepted the call to leadership for CBI, and the family committed to long-term service in Japan. As Executive Director and Team Leader, Brett is responsible for casting vision and leading the team and overall ministry. He graduated with an MDiv from Reformed Theological Seminary in 2012 and is pursuing a PhD in Religion and Theology from the Free University of Amsterdam. They are blessed with three children. Brett writes about missional theology on Medium.

Part of Grace Fellowship Church in Northern Kentucky and sent through Reliant; Jason and Anna joined the CBI team in July 2017.  Jason (MSEd, Virginia Tech) has experience in mental health, event management, and marketing. He now serves as the Virtual Project Manager for CBS.  He also assists with other communications and technology projects. Anna (BS, Radford University) is currently engaged in full-time language study and overseas ministries to MKs and TCKs in the city.  They also enjoy worshiping and serving at Grace City Church Nagoya with their two daughters.

William and Mary Jo met while attending Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly, Missouri, and married soon after graduating in 2007. In 2009 they moved to Sendai, Japan, where they both worked at Meysen Academy. Late in 2011 they moved to Aichi prefecture to attend language school, after which their daughter Elnora was born and William began working at Mustard Seed Christian Church in Nagoya. In 2014 their second daughter, Judy, was born, and in 2017 their son Eddie was born. Currently, William is working as the Technology and Logistics Coordinator for CBI.

Mari was born in Miyazaki and grew up in Fukuoka Prefecture. She graduated from International Christian University and spent over twenty years in Tokyo. She was introduced to Christianity in university through classical music, Christian friends, and mentors, and through these means was led to salvation. In the fall of 2013, Mari became a member of Tokyo Baptist Church. Her mission statement is: through fellowship, Bible study, and biblical counseling, to motivate those seeking the truth to surrender their heart to God and to help them in their walk with Him.

Olivia first served as an intern at CBI in June and July of 2023. Feeling a continued conviction and calling to serve God in Japan, she returned, sent by Mission to the World, after graduating from Anderson University (SC). Interested in missions and exploring other cultures as early as thirteen, Olivia has always loved traveling to foreign countries to share God’s Good News with the people there. In 2022, Olivia felt God calling her to the mission field and felt Japan placed specifically on her heart. While she serves with CBI, Olivia uses her degree in Elementary Education to teach English to missionary children. She is also studying the Japanese language and participating in outreach. Olivia loves making friends and is blessed to experience Japan’s beautiful culture firsthand while serving the LORD.

In 2009, Shannon discovered her calling to the Japanese people through a Google search. She learned that the Japanese are the second-largest unreached people group in the world, with less than 1% of the population being Christian. At that moment, she knew that God was calling her to support the Church there in whatever way she could. Since then, Shannon has spent four years teaching English to high school students in Japan, one year teaching preschool and three years teaching 8th grade Reading in Dallas, Texas. She also has four years’ experience tutoring elementary students one-on-one and has been a child advocate. While with CBI, Shannon will be focusing on education: teaching elementary at Nagoya Christian School and tutoring the CBI missionary kids in English.

Alessandro and Chenpei were both saved while attending Chinese Bible Church in Michigan while working in the automotive industry. In 2017, they moved to California to attend The Master’s Seminary for an M.Div. degree. Upon graduation, Alessandro served as an intern at Lighthouse Community Church in Southern California and was subsequently sent to Japan through Biblical Ministries Worldwide to support church planting. Alessandro is currently serving in the CBI Media department and Chenpei is in language study. Their desire is to support the growth of many strong and healthy churches in Japan, and equip the next generation of healthy church leaders. They are blessed with three young boys named after the Gospels.

Mike was born and raised outside of St. Louis, Missouri. He worked as an automation engineer from 2020-2024, when he was sent by his church Cape Bible Chapel as a missionary with TEAM to join CBI as a 2-year resident. Mike has a passion for reaching and raising up young men in Christ.

Mark and Esther hope to serve the Japanese through theological education and discipleship. They met at Cornell University where God first gave them a heart for missions. To that end, Mark earned an M.Div. at Westminster Seminary and a doctorate in New Testament at Duke University. Esther has been working as a pediatrician for the past several years with the hope that God would use her professional skills to further His kingdom abroad. They are residents at Christ Bible Institute team in Nagoya, where Mark serves as a lecturer in New Testament and Esther serves as a medical advisor to missionary families.

Asa was born in Columbia, Missouri and lived there for 4 years until his family moved to Mission Viejo, California. His home church Christ Community Church of Laguna Hills sent him to Japan as a missionary with Mission to the World. He hopes that his skills with video production can be used to help equip the church in Japan for the furthering of the kingdom.

Caleb Stober began serving with CBI through Serge in 2022. Having grown up as an MK of Bible Translators in Papua New Guinea, he has a deep appreciation for the many cultures and peoples of the world. While he wanted to live in Japan ever since childhood, it was not until moving there in 2014 that he began to understand the spiritual need of the Japanese people and desire to see the gospel go forth among them. Motivated by this, he completed both a B.A. in Intercultural Studies & Bible and an M.A. in Global Migration Studies at Columbia International University, writing his thesis on ongoing obstacles to Christianity in Japan. He is excited to continue his work in this area with the hope of helping to improve the health and strength of the Christian witness among the Japanese, a people much loved by God.

Thomas is from Harrisonburg, Virginia, and received his M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. During his seminary studies he served at CBI as a one-year intern (2017–2018), and after finishing seminary he returned to CBI in 2020 to serve as a two-year intern with Mission to the World. Currently he serves as the administrative assistant for JOJC while he pursues language study. Thomas helps with church planting classes and manages projects related to JOJC, engages in outreach and evangelism, and enjoys meeting people over good food and board games.