When Pastor Patrick Stitt and his family moved to Osaka, Japan, to engage in missions, they did not expect their traditional church model to completely unravel. Patrick says, “We tried the traditional plant—invite people to our home, worship, preach—and it was a disaster. Our Japanese friends said, ‘Why did you invite us over just to lecture us?’”
Patrick’s journey to missions began in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where he was raised in a non-devout Catholic home during a time of civil unrest. Faith wasn’t part of daily life. Everything changed when he visited his dad in England, where a friend invited him to a “party in the middle of nowhere.” Expecting a wild night, Patrick instead encountered “Diet Coke and a worship band.” Surrounded by believers, the Holy Spirit began to minister. “I just remember being overwhelmed. I knew two things: God exists, and He loves me.”
Soon after, Patrick got involved in a local church. Leadership told him if he wanted to be a pastor, he needed to attend Bible college. He agreed and enrolled at Bethany College of Missions in Minnesota, where he met his wife, Kalyna, who had felt called to missions since childhood. The two served in pastoral ministry, including pastoring in Minnesota.
That’s when God stirred their hearts for global missions. While researching unreached people groups, Patrick discovered Japan ranked second globally, and that no Assemblies of God missionary had ever been sent to Osaka. “We said, ‘Where is nothing happening?’ and they told us: Osaka.”
Upon arriving in 2020, they encountered cultural resistance to a traditional church plant. In response, they launched “Church on the Move”—relational, flexible micro churches meeting in homes, restaurants, or wherever people gather. “We read Scripture together, talk about life, and let them ask questions. It’s about presence.”
They’ve now launched three micro churches and seen college ministry explode. One woman, in tears over dinner, said, “I want God to love me, but I don’t know the rules.” Patrick replied, “There are no rules. God already loves you.”
His message to pastors: “We need more ministers who know how to be a friend. You don’t have to be a preacher—you just have to show up.”
