What happens when God calls you back into ministry after deep wounds?
In Part 2 of her story, Sarah Hinlicky Wilson reflects on moving from disillusionment in New Jersey to surprising renewal in Tokyo. With honesty and humor, she describes serving a fragile, English-speaking congregation during COVID, watching people show up because Jesus himself drew them, and discovering her pastoral heart restored.
🎙️ In This Episode:
- Recovering from disillusionment and learning to be a parishioner again
- Moving to Tokyo and reluctantly stepping back into pastoral ministry
- The loneliness of Japan—and the surprising ways God calls people to church
- How catechesis shaped new believers and renewed her pastoral heart
⏱️ Timestamps:
00:00 – Leaving Trenton and healing in Strasbourg
03:00 – Becoming a supportive parishioner before pastoring again
06:00 – Moving to Tokyo and reluctantly accepting a call
09:00 – Serving in a city of 40 million isolated people
11:00 – COVID, reopening, and an unexpected growth in the church
13:00 – “Jesus told me to come to church”: new believers in Tokyo
17:00 – Using the Small Catechism as an evangelism tool
20:00 – Formation vs. just getting people in the door
24:00 – A renewed pastoral heart and the gift of a faithful congregation
God doesn’t waste seasons of pain. In Tokyo, Sarah discovered that even when she felt unqualified, God was faithful to bring people, heal her wounds, and give her back a pastoral heart.
Popular Podcasts
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.