Candidate Arakawa

MEET THE REV. CANON ANDREW J. ARAKAWA

The Rev. Canon Andrew J. Arakawa
Canon for Ministry Formation and Dean of Waiolaihuiʻia Center for Ministry, The Episcopal Diocese of Hawai'i
Lower School Chaplain, ʻIolani School Honolulu, HI

Andrew Junichi Arakawa is recognized as a calm, non-anxious, pastoral leader in the Episcopal Diocese of Hawaiʻi (The Episcopal Church in the Hawaiian Islands, Guam and Saipan). He is a third‑generation Okinawan‑Japanese American whose family’s roots extend to Hawai’i’s plantation era of the 1890s. He currently serves as Canon for Ministry Formation and Dean of Waiolaihuiʻia Center for Ministry, as well as Lower School Chaplain at ʻIolani School in Honolulu. Across these vocations, his ministry is centered on relational, contextual, and formation‑focused leadership anchored in listening, aloha, and the deepening of pilina, the sacred relationality that binds people to God, one another, and creation.

Andrew’s spiritual life has been shaped by the simple yet demanding conviction to choose love over fear and to live authentically. Baptized as an adult at Holy Apostles in Hilo, he experienced the Baptismal Covenant, naming the commitments that had long been stirring within him: compassion, justice, reconciliation, and steadfast love. His formation as a Christian was further deepened at Virginia Theological Seminary, where he learned to integrate theology, pastoral care, and leadership in community and received the Bishop Mark Dyer Prize for Theological Reflection. These experiences ground his sense of call to an incarnational episcopate that is lived in the particularities of local stories, lands, and communities.

Born and raised on Oʻahu, Andrew is shaped by the complex interplay between Kanaka ʻŌiwi (Indigenous Native Hawaiian), colonial, and plantation histories and the ongoing call for justice. His kuleana (responsibility) as a disciple of Jesus is to stand in truth, to advocate for equity, and to support the Diocese’s commitment to healing and shared leadership with Kanaka ʻŌiwi, locals, and newcomers. His work as convener of the Racial Reconciliation Task Force and co-creator of Hōʻimi Pono, along with his doctoral research exploring decolonizing theological education and cultivating contextual leadership reflect this commitment.

Andrew’s leadership spans education, nonprofit work, and organizational systems. At Kamehameha Schools and ʻIolani, he has served in teaching, chaplaincy, and senior administrative roles, coordinating large‑scale programs, stewarding budgets, supervising staff, and guiding institutional culture change. As a co‑owner of Prune LLC, he helped nonprofits across Hawaiʻi Island secure over $1.25 million in competitive grants and strengthen their internal systems aligned with their missions and sustainability goals. In his diocesan role, he oversees clergy and lay formation, stewards grants, develops curricula, and builds transparent, relational processes that integrate pastoral care with administrative clarity.

Andrew’s vision for episcopal ministry is rooted in a call to follow Jesus, to deepen pilina, and to expand the practice of aloha. He is committed to listening first, to collaborative and co-creative leadership, to multilingual and contextual worship, to a renewed culture of truth-telling and healing, and to sustainable and creative models of ministry for a multi‑island Diocese. Formed by Hawaiʻi’s high-context cultural environment and shaped by international experience in Japan, Europe, and the continental United States, he seeks to serve as a bridge‑builder across cultures and geographies, representing the Diocese within the wider Episcopal Church and the global Anglican Communion with humility, integrity, and hope.

New! Candidate Essay Responses

(Posted April 8, 2026)

Once the candidates for bishop were selected, three questions were presented to each for a response. The questions are listed below along with candidate response:

Spiritual Autobiography:
As a candidate discerning a call to serve as Bishop in Hawai‘i, reflect on your spiritual journey and formation. Describe how your faith and spiritual values have developed over time - highlighting formative experiences, significant turning points, and how these have influenced your ministry. Discuss how your spirituality shapes your vision for leadership and service, especially within the unique and diverse context of Hawai‘i.
What are your vision and strategies for moving the Diocese toward the church of the future, considering current financial, structural, and cultural realities facing our people, congregations, and diocese?
Embodying Aloha:
‘Aloha’ is central to life in Hawai‘i and speaks deeply to our values as a church and community.
What does ‘aloha’ mean to you personally, and how would you embody and express the spirit of aloha as Bishop—in your leadership, relationships, and ministry?

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Candidate Video

Candidate Resume

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