The Story Behind Klesis

I would like to share the story behind Klesis, which was established as a General Incorporated Association in March of 2022, with all of you.

Born into a Christian family, I grew up in a faith-based community at church from a young age. At 15, I received my life’s calling to become a pastor of a Christian church. After being led to study management (business administration) in university with the intention to later become a pastor, “integrating business and faith” became a major theme throughout my life. At my first job after graduating, I was seconded to a startup company six months after its establishment, where I worked frantically to survive as a salesperson. At 25, I shifted to a strategic consultancy role, experienced the flip side of capitalism and corporate management, and spent valuable time in extreme work environments. This experience helped to re-confirm my identity and professional purpose. While preparing for my studies abroad and facing challenges in my subsequent role as a middle manager at an IT company, I had a miraculous experience of “the excellent power of God working in believers.” This was a turning point for me in discovering the great potential for integrating business and faith. Even while living out my calling as a pastor after studying abroad, I was given opportunities to work in the business field, including becoming a standing lecturer at VIP Owners and starting a ‘Business and Bible ’group. With my transfer to Tokyo in April 2022, after about two years of planning, I decided to establish my missionary activities for business people independently through Klesis, a General Incorporated Association, with the aim of expanding the work.

Klesis is a word from the Bible (Greek) that means “calling.” It can also be interpreted as one’s purpose in life, but living out the “calling” given by God, the Creator, can be said to be the most important matter in life. Especially, discovering one’s “calling” (which could also be called a vocation) in work, where most of one’s time and passion are invested, and living according to that calling, allows us to contribute to society while achieving true fulfillment. When aiming for both growth as a businessperson and growth in faith as a Christian, discovering the calling given by God and adhereing to that calling allows one to realize this aim. During my consultancy days, when I was involved in projects within several large corporations, I witnessed people with excellent abilities being crushed by “labor without calling”. It was a shame to see. I was deeply moved by the thought that if they had had the opportunity to seek their calling earlier, in their youth, the outcome might have been different. My various experiences in business have helped form the foundation of Klesis’s work. Through Klesis, I hope to serve each individual in discovering their “calling” at work and living out that calling. I am honoured by the opportunity to support individuals in confronting and walking in their “calling” through faith based on the eternal word of God: the Bible. Below, I introduce the activities and target audience of Klesis.

Klesis’s Mission Statement and Five Core Values

• Mission Statement:

“Klesis empowers business people to discover God’s calling for them in their work, to exercise their talents in marketplace, and to serve in society with joyful commitment.”

• Five Core Values:

1. Focused on business people: We target business professionals engaged in business and management.

2. Biblical and Christ centered: We learn business modeling Christ, based on the teachings of the Bible.

3. Geared around small group interaction: We value relationships that encourage mutual learning and encouragement.

4. Globally inspired: We re-evaluate our business values using a global perspective.

5. Intentionally diverse: We respect the abilities and diversity given to each individual.

Activities of Klesis

• We create a community that learns together, focusing on the business field, covering both business themes and biblical teachings.

• We develop educational programs to help business professionals discover and live out their calling.

• We provide counseling, mentoring, and coaching according to individual needs.

Target Audience of Klesis

The target audience for Klesis’s activities includes business professionals and executives who wish to seek and excel in their calling in the business world. Currently, Klesis offers learning communities primarily to three groups: 1. Early-stage professionals (with 1-5 years of work experience), 2. Entrepreneurs or middle managers, 3. Executives and management layers (corporate executives, owner-managers).

I am deeply grateful to each and every member who gave genuine insight and encouragement through their participation in the Business and Bible Meeting, which inspired the establishment of Klesis, and to Masaru Tsuneto, who co-founded Klesis as a founding member. As we move forward with our activities, praying for the Lord’s glory to be revealed in Japan’s business field through Klesis, I would be grateful for your participation in the work of Klesis and for your support. I pray for God’s abundant blessings on your work, career, and daily walk.

December 30, 2022, Michito Kasagawa, Representative Director, Klesis