80,000 members of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus gathered for Sunday service astonishes Cheongju, South Korea
Chairman Lee Man-hee of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, during his nationwide tour, emphasized the significance of the revealed Word of God. His visit was met with a welcoming procession stretching over 4 kilometers, along with more than 100 pastors from traditional churches joining the service. In 2024 alone, Chairman Lee has visited over 40 churches, covering a distance equivalent to more than half the circumference of the Earth.
On the morning of September 8, 2024, the city of Cheongju in North Chungcheong Province was bustling with activity as over 80,000 people gathered for a Sunday service.
This crowd, equivalent to one-tenth of Cheongju’s population (850,000), gathered at the Cheongju Church of the Matthias Tribe, Shincheonji Church of Jesus to hear the sermon by Chairman Lee Man-hee. In addition to the local congregation, members from other regions, including the John Tribe from southern Gyeonggi and Seoul, as well as key figures from churches across the country, came together to attend this service.
The event also coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Cheongju Church’s founding, making it particularly significant. Furthermore, over 100 pastors from various Protestant churches attended as well, eager to hear Chairman Lee’s sermon.
From early in the day, crowds of Shincheonji members lined up along a 4 km route from the Cheongju IC to the church to welcome Chairman Lee. They expressed deep appreciation because of his clear explanations of biblical prophecies, including the Book of Revelation, which many theologians find difficult to interpret.
The 100 pastors that visited Cheongju Church gathered on this day because they also acknowledged these teachings.
One member, who had arrived early, said “I am grateful for Chairman Lee’s clear explanations of the prophecies and their fulfillment because this is something I had never experienced in my life as a believer”. The member added “I came to express my gratitude to him for teaching Revelation”.
Just as what the congregations mentioned, Chairman Lee said “how thankful are we that God gave us the understanding of Book of Revelation that no one knew for 6,000 years” and added on that “this Word is life”. He emphasized the importance of a faith that aligns 100% with the Word and described that this is how we can become in unity with God.
He continued “the biggest difference that we have is that we are able give the physical fulfillment [of the prophecy of Revelation]. And in the past we were the same as the people who did not know. This is why we must become humble before all people and explain what is right and help them to understand.”
Lee has consistently emphasized the importance of scriptural teachings since the founding of Shincheonji Church. In 2024 alone, he visited over 40 churches domestically and internationally, sharing the teachings of the Bible and Revelation.
Many individuals who had previously felt spiritually unsatisfied have since turned to Shincheonji.
For example, one individual, who had spent over 30 years in a Presbyterian church, shared how they had never found spiritual understanding despite many sermons, morning lectures, and cell meeting from different churches until they attended one of Chairman Lee’s two-hour-long lectures on the Book of Revelation. They were shocked, when they heard Chairman Lee’s lecture, as he explained the all chapters of Revelation clearly.
When the individual set aside the stereotype and focused on the Word, they felt like the question marks of the Bible that used to frustrated them was being solved one by one. This became the reason for over 100,000 members graduating worldwide as they shared a similar experience.
Such testimonials are not unique, as data supports the growing trend of individuals seeking deeper spiritual guidance. A survey conducted on 1,000 churchgoers over the age of 18 in September 2023 by the Pastoral Data Research Institute showed that 65% of churchgoers in South Korea feel a spiritual thirst, and 55% expressed a desire for more structured biblical education from their pastors. This shows the current status of Biblical education of Korea.
The greatest concern in the Korean Christian churches is the consistent decrease in the number of youth who are in their 20s and 30s as they choose to leave religion. Shincheonji Church has seen increasing numbers of young adult members and, over 100,000 people completing an eight-month educational course every year. Shincheonji Church of Jesus explains the growth attributed from the “Word centered faith” and “Uniqueness of the revealed Word”
A staff member of Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “the main takeaways from Chairman Lee’s revealed word is that the Book of Revelation that we thought as a fairytale is actually being fulfilled with its reality”. He explained, “in regards to this, Shincheonji Church of Jesus has a strong evidential proof and a structured curriculum, which becomes the reason why many people despite their background are accepting this”.
He added, “because this originates from the pastor who has seen and heard the physical fulfillment of the prophecies, we hope that believers would check and decide with a mature attitude.”