Graduation address for the September 2025 academic year

To all the graduates of the September term, congratulations on your graduation! We can only imagine the joy of your parents and guardians who have been eagerly awaiting this day. On behalf of Tohoku Gakuin University, I offer my heartfelt congratulations.

Now, to all of you graduating from Tohoku Gakuin University today, I would like to talk about love, which is part of Tohoku Gakuin's school motto, LIFE LIGHT LOVE. As you go through life, there is nothing more important than love. This is because we hold love in our hearts and are supported by love, not only in the love between men and women, between spouses, but also between parents and children, family, friends, work, community, hometown, country, hobbies, pets, and so on. It is because of love that we can endure and persevere, rather than only seeking our own needs or self-interest. It is love that fosters the strength to help, comfort, and encourage each other, and to build a better future with hope, and that leads to growth. If love disappears, we cannot hope for a sense of purpose or growth, and as the phrase "love-hate relationship" suggests, love can turn into hatred, and not only will there be a sense of loss, but worries, suffering, disappointment, and anger will accumulate, turning everything into a burden through divorce, separation, job loss, and so on. On the contrary, unfortunately, humans are capable of committing crimes such as denying the existence of others through harassment, violence, and war, and not hesitating to even kill them.

As you enter society today, you will undoubtedly experience many difficult situations at work and at home. No matter how well things seem, in a long life, there will inevitably be two or three times when you face unbearable hardship. At such times, as a Christian, I try to think of it as a test of my faith by God. Instead of complaining about others or the organization I belong to and becoming cynical, I try to face the difficulties head-on. My thinking when facing difficulties is this: Compared to the suffering of Jesus Christ, who was crucified, bled, endured pain, and was executed, the suffering I am experiencing is insignificant. Christian faith has prevented me from gritting my teeth and enduring to the point of being completely broken down and unable to recover. Because, instead of blaming myself and suffering alone through self-love, I have been protected from despair by believing in the love of Jesus Christ, as written in the Bible: "This is love: It was not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

By the way, as you enter society, more than half of Tohoku Gakuin University graduates will remain in their hometown of Tohoku. Some of you will move to the Kanto, Chubu, or Kansai regions for work, but some of you will eventually return to Tohoku. In that sense, like many of your predecessors, you should play a leading role in your hometown of Tohoku. What is expected of you is leadership based on love and service.

Love and service leadership, also known as servant leadership, was formalized in 1970 by an American Quaker businessman. Servant leadership is a combination of "servant" (a servant, a servant) and "leader" (a leader, a guide). While a direct translation might seem contradictory, it's not. Servant leadership is not about being subservient or acting like a servant, nor is it about blindly following orders. It's about becoming a servant in the name of a mission. Without a mission, it cannot be called servant leadership. Under a mission—for example, fulfilling a chosen profession, increasing sales for one's company, or creating a vibrant community where residents can live happily—one must first serve others and then guide them. Without this practical philosophy, it cannot be called servant leadership. In short, servant leadership is about setting a specific mission and serving (supporting) followers who follow it.

The important thing is that Jesus Christ is the epitome of servant leadership. Leadership is a very simple phenomenon. Leadership is a social phenomenon where followers willingly follow someone they believe in and want to follow, and the qualities that such a person possesses are leadership qualities.

The ultimate ideal in servant leadership is Jesus Christ. Under the mission of spreading God's truth, Jesus guided his disciples and believers by telling simple parables and healing those who were ill in mind and body. Similarly, servant leadership in the workplace and organization can be described as providing careful guidance and care to subordinates in order to achieve the mission.

The Bible contains many passages that evoke servant leadership. “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45). “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be chief among you must be your slave.” (Matthew 20:26-27)

Servant leadership, which demonstrates love, is a fundamental philosophy at the core of every leader's style. Some leaders may appear top-down on the surface, but are actually servant leaders at heart. Conversely, many may behave democratically and seem to listen to everyone's opinions, but they are not servant leaders because they merely listen without having a concrete mission of action. Servant leadership is not simply a bottom-up approach; it is the power to motivate people and organizations by setting a mission.

Now, you are graduating from Tohoku Gakuin University, where you have completed your specialized academic studies and learned about Christianity. When you face difficulties, or when you are creating something with others, please return repeatedly to the Bible you received at your entrance ceremony, reflect on yourself, and continue to take on the challenges given to you in life. For 139 years since its founding, Tohoku Gakuin has stood in the heart of Sendai City, upholding the mission of LIFE LIGHT LOVE. It may be good to visit your alma mater from time to time, whether in difficult or joyful times, attend worship services, and reflect on yourself. I offer my congratulations and best wishes for your bright future.

September 30, 2025

Haruki Onishi, President of Tohoku Gakuin University