WHO WE ARE
We believe that SIBC is unique among Christian churches in Osaka. Here's why:

We are a bilingual church. Everything in the service, from singing to announcements to the message, is done in both English and Japanese.

We are an international church. Currently, we average about 30-35 adults each Sunday. About 40% of those are foreigners from many different countries.

We are a non-denominational church. Because we are an international church, people come to us from a variety of church backgrounds and traditions. This rich diversity is one of the great blessings of SIBC.

We are a young church. The average attendee is between 20-40 years old. They are either foreigners living in Japan, young Japanese who have lived abroad, Japanese who are currently studying English, or young international couples.

We are a casual church. We prefer the guitar and piano over the organ, and feel much more comfortable in jeans and sweaters than we do in suits and neckties.  

OUR MISSION
The mission of Sakai International Bible Church is to help both Japanese and English-speaking foreigners to become genuine lovers of God (Matthew 22:36-39) and fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ (Matthew 29:18-20).

OUR VALUES
Worship- More than just singing praise songs to God, true worship should be sincere, passionate, and intimate, flowing from a heart of love for Jesus Christ (John 4:24, Ephesians 5:19).

Bible- We desire to hear, read, study and apply God's Word to our daily lives. There is no other foundation upon which our lives should be built (2Timothy 3:16-17, Colossians 3:16, James 1:22).

Prayer- Prayer is not only the driving force for church growth, but it is also one of the main ways that we draw near to the Lord on a personal level (Proverbs 15:29, Colossians 4:2, James 5:16b).

Service- Following the example of Jesus, each Christian has the responsibility to serve one another, using their unique talents, skills and spiritual gifts to help the church to grow (Mark 10:45, 1Peter 4:10, Galatians 5:13).

Evangelism / Missions- It is Jesus's heart to reach the lost. We desire to commit time, prayer and resources to help expand the kingdom of God in Japan and around the world (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 10:42).

Community- The Christian life is most meaningful when experienced within the context of a loving, supportive Christian community. Part of being a Christian means being committed to that community and active in a local church (Hebrews 10:25, Acts 2:42-47).

Spiritual Maturity- Christian maturity, whole-hearted commitment to Christ, and a Spirit-filled life should be the goal of each Christian (Hebrews 6:1, Colossians 1:10, Galatians 5:22-23).

Church Growth- Since Jesus has commanded us to win the lost, we believe that God wants us to influence as many people as possible with the message of Jesus Christ. Therefore we desire to see the church grow (Acts 16:5, Colossian 1:6).

Unity- We demonstrate the love of God when we are in "complete unity" with one another. This includes unity not only within our church body, but also between churches and denominations so that we can work together to build the kingdom of God (John 17:20-23, Romans 15:5, Psalm 133:1).

OUR HISTORY
Sakai International Bible Chapel was started by Pastor Teiichiro Kuroda in 1986. The initial vision of the church was to minister to the spiritual needs of English-speaking foreigners living in the Osaka area. As time went on, many Japanese young people began attending the Sunday service. It was soon after this that SIBC decided to become a bilingual church. By the end of 1997, the weekly attendance had reached about 35 people.

In 1998, Pastor Kuroda planted another church in the center of Osaka City called Kitahama International Bible Church (KIBC). At that time, about half of our members went to KIBC to help Pastor Kuroda with the new ministry there.

In September 2001, the church officially changed its name. The church is still SIBC, but now the "C" stands for "Church" instead of "Chapel." This change was made in order to avoid confusion with the growing number of wedding chapels here in Japan. This was also when Pastor Kuroda officially handed the ministry of SIBC over to Michael & Chris Mason. Though much of his time is spent on his ministry at IBC, Pastor Kuroda still functions at SIBC in an advisory capacity.

The Masons, the leadership team and the members at SIBC are currently working to reestablish a strong spiritual foundation that will allow SIBC to make a difference for the kingdom of God in the southern Osaka area. Our average Sunday attendance is once again about 35 people.

In November 2006, we moved into our current location in the Shin-Nikken Building.