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We make our home in Tokyo, Japan, ministering in church planting and leadership development under the Evangelical Free Church of Canada Mission (EFCCM), in partnership with the EFC of America international mission, known as ReachGlobal.
From 1986-93 we planted the Owariasahi Evangelical Free Church in the greater Nagoya area. During three of those years Dale served as the field leader for the Japan ministry of the EFCA-IM. From 1999-2003 we planted the Higashimurayama EFC (Sunrise Chapel) in Tokyo.
Currently we are the missionary pastoral couple and church planters at Tokyo Musashino EFC. Dale also lectures in theology at Japan Bible Seminary and Tokyo Christian University. Ann leads a monthly evangelistic English class ministry north of Tokyo in Gunma-ken.
Ann is from Cape Elizabeth, Maine, where she was raised on a vegetable farm, Maxwell's Farm. After graduating with a B.R.E. from Glen Cove Bible College in 1974 she served for four years as Director of Christian Education (part time) at First Evangelical Free Church of Maine, her home church in Portland Maine. Then in 1982 she completed her M.A. in Christian Education at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). While studying there she met and married Dale. She knew that living in Japan came as part of the marriage package!
Dale was born and raised in Japan as a <missionary kid>. His parents, Lea and Louise Little, first served in China under the China Inland Mission and then in Japan under the Overseas Missionary Fellowship before transferring to the EFCA-IM in 1965. For a website that describes the life and ministry of Lea and Louise Little, go to www.dalelittle.net/lealittle. A few years of Dale's childhood were spent in northern BC and Alberta, his parents' home area. After graduating from Trinity Western University (TWU) with an A.A., Dale earned his B.A. in philosophy and anthropology from Simon Fraser University (SFU) in 1977. Both universities are located in the greater Vancouver area of BC, Canada. After study at both Regent College in Vancouver and at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (GCTS) in Boston, Dale received his M.Div. degree from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS) in 1982. Dale met Ann at breakfast one morning shortly after he began studying at TEDS. Seventeen months later they were married. Dale also holds a Ph.D. in systematic theology from TEDS (2000).
Dale and Ann Little
The Littles minister in Tokyo in church planting, church strengthening, leadership training, and missionary encouragement.
Their ministry includes... (click here to view/hide ministry summary)
Planting a multi-cultural church in Tokyo with multiple congregations, each worshipping in their own languages. The two core congregations will be Japanese and English.
Leading evangelistic English classes north of Tokyo in Gunma prefecture (Ann);
Developing and guiding a partnership of three churches in their evangelistic English class program in the greater Tokyo area (Dale);
Serving as president of the Japan Evangelical Missionary Association (JEMA) which exists to network, equip, and encourage all evangelical missionaries in Japan (Dale);
Encouraging missionary women in Japan by leading the Women in Ministry commission of JEMA (Ann);
Contributing to the education of missionary children in Japan by serving on the executive of the PTA of Christian Academy in Japan (Ann);
Training future pastors, missionaries, and lay leaders by lecturing part-time in theology at two schools in greater Tokyo (Dale).