John Stephen Wright is a missionary, church planter, pastor, Bible teacher, and writer whose ministry in Japan has spanned more than fifty years. His teaching and writing grow out of a lifetime of reading the Greek New Testament while serving in church-planting ministry in both Japanese and international settings.
John lives in the mountains of Nagano, Japan, where he serves as a co-pastor of Karuizawa International Bible Church (KIBC). His writing ministry is centered on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ.
He earned his B.A. with honors from Baylor University (1978), majoring in Oral Communication with double minors in Greek and Christianity, and his M.Div. in Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (1989). From 1991 to 2012 he taught New Testament Greek and other New Testament courses at Tokyo Baptist Theological Seminary.
Over five decades John has planted Japanese-language congregations in Houston, Texas, and Tokyo, an international church in Tokyo, and pastored an international church in Yokohama. In 2007 he began developing the teaching materials, seminars, and books now available on this site — resources designed to equip believers to fulfill the Great Commission by “teaching them to carefully observe everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).
Bi-lingual (English/Japanese) messages from KIBC are available on the church website, http://www.kibc.world, and on the KIBC YouTube channel (@kibc.world). John also shares Jesus-centered English video messages on YouTube at @atjm4ever.
John is married to Rhonda, a fellow missionary kid who grew up in Japan. They have two children and ten grandchildren.
Endorsement
“Having known and ministered alongside John Wright for more than a decade, it is with great pleasure and without reservation that I endorse his ministries.
“I had the privilege of working with John on a church plant west of Tokyo. Weekly I sat in a rather jealous awe as I heard him teach in fluent Japanese using the Greek New Testament and an English outline. John is a scholar. But more than his scholarship, he is a passionate disciple of Christ.
“God has placed a clarion call on John’s life—to obey Christ’s command to make disciples of all people groups. I can think of no one better qualified to provide doctrinally sound and culturally unbiased discipleship materials. I heartily recommend John and the resources he has developed.”
— Mark Edlund, Executive Director, Colorado Baptist Convention (2001–2017)
It is John’s desire that the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified through his life and ministry. He would love to hear from you.
Contact: wrightjohns@mac.com
John Stephen Wright 