The purpose of our lifetime ministry in Japan is to encourage BOTH the vision for church planting and strengthening AND the development of evangelical theology which gives rise to that vision.

--Dale and Ann Little's vision statement

A key aspect of our work in Japan is Dale's ministry of leadership development or theological education. He holds a Ph.D. in systematic theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (TEDS). Theology provides the basis and motivation for missional church planting. Good theology enhances church planting, particularly the aspect of church planting which has in view the maturing of the planted church. To plant healthy churches and then to encourage them toward further maturity requires an intentional engagement with theology. Theology is one of the church planter's best, though largely untapped, resources for encouraging maturity and growth in newly planted churches and their church associations.

Our mission organization, the Evangelical Free Church of Canada Mission (EFCCM), is committed to helping birthed churches grow toward maturity. Its purpose statement is as follows: "The EFCCM exists to serve in the birth and growth of healthy churches internationally."

On the basis of this kind of vision, our ministry in Japan encompasses both church planting and leadership development. Combining the ministries of theological education and church planting requires deciding what ratio of time and energy should be allotted to which ministry. But no matter what the actual ratio of church planting to theological education becomes, our goal is to stay involved in both. Note, for example, the current church planting we are involved in. Our commitment to both church planting and leadership development can also be seen in that Dale's theological education ministry is intentionally focussed on raising up and training church planters. Because of the dynamic and mutually beneficial relationship between church planting and theology, it is not possible to draw an exclusive line between the two ministries. Our desire is to contribute to both because both are necessary and important.