[Cheonji Ilbo = Reporter Hye-ji Lim] “In the past, I believed that I would receive heaven's grace and the gift of salvation just by saying 'I believe in Jesus'. I was certain that I would go to Heaven after death. Now that a new era has come, I hope that every pastor and congregation member will come here to learn and gain the correct understanding, live, and keep their faith. I wish to convey the revealed word of Shincheonji to my fellow pastors. Coming to the realisation that the existing soteriology is wrong, I only have a desperate desire to know this word.” - Mr. A, Senior Pastor of Peace Church

Established denominations, such as the Presbyterian Church, have completed their studies on the Bible teachings of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus), and are now conveying this word in their sermons. Currently, there are a total of 125 pastors in South Korea who have signed an MOU with Shincheonji Church of Jesus and are teaching the Word of Shincheonji to their congregations.

On the 7th November, Shincheonji Church of Jesus announced the current status of its operations after the signing of memorandums of understanding (MOU) with pastors. At present, among the 125 pastors who signed the MOU, 87 are from the Presbyterian Church, accounting for 69.6%. This is followed by 4% (5 pastors) from the Full Gospel Church and 3.2% (4 pastors) from the Baptist Church.

In addition, various denominations such as the Holiness Church, Methodist Church, Pentecostal Church, and Anglican Church all participated in signing MOUs, as did the Missionary Church, prayer centres and theological seminaries, according to Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

In particular, 88 of the 125 pastors who signed the MOU, or more than 70%, were found to have completed the Zion Christian Mission Center curriculum. 20 pastors responded to say that they had given a sermon at their church reflecting the contents of the curriculum on at least one occasion.

Most of the pastors who signed the MOU answered that having done so has been of great help in preparing for sermons, and they even said that they were recommending an inter-denominational MOU to fellow pastors.

These pastors are said to have shown great interest in the operations of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, which increased by 40,000 members even during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this regard, Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “With the Bible as the sole standard and through the clear teaching and explanation of the prophetic books and teachings of the Bible, which is scripture the existing denominations have been unable to clearly comprehend, church members who are disillusioned with the current reality of the religious world, tainted by commentaries and incidents, desire to practise a proper life of faith.”

An official from Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “Bible-centred teaching and one's faith are the only solutions to addressing the decline in church attendance, but there are quite a few pastors who are struggling in ministry due to the lack of related education.” “We will do our best to give more and share love.”

The inter-denominational MOU with Shincheonji Church of Jesus was initially proposed by about 40 African pastors who had attended an online seminar for pastors held in August 2021 under the vision of “We Are One in GOD.”

Taking that as an opportunity, on September 26 of the same year, the first MOU was signed with 'Church of the Presence of Uganda', and since then, 3,000 MOUs have been signed in 67 countries. In fact, overseas churches have testified one after another that they have experienced an amazing revival within their faith communities since signing an MOU.

Pastor Wilfried Endohu, who has been running a church in Côte d'Ivoire for 11 years, said at the "Shincheonji MOU Invitation Meeting for Pastors" held in April this year, “I was raised as a pastor while studying at a seminary, and I was able to conduct church ministry through prayer meetings and worship services in a small room. It started, and thankfully, it has now reached its 11th year and has grown to 500 people. I am currently working as a professor at a seminary.” He said, “Listening to Shincheonji’s lectures has given me the opportunity to break and change my thoughts and understanding of the Bible. The reality of who Jesus is and God's Word have come closer to my heart.” “Now, after learning the entire word of revelation, I want to convey it properly. I want to pass it on to church members who have been with me for 8 years.”

He also said, “I want to say 'thank you' because I was able to receive the revelation from God, thanks to Chairman Lee. If he had not met God and Jesus, he would not have been able to convey such a profound message.” “What I have seen and can confirm is that the answers to every question can be found in the Bible, and Shincheonji is testifying the word according to the Bible. Please come and check for yourself.”