On the 19th July, Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus), held a press conference at the Shincheonji Peace Institute in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi province and shared the results of the Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) made with the established churches. The signing of an MOU enables a church pastor and its congregation members to study the revealed theology from Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
A pastor expressed his feelings about signing an MOU with Shincheonji Church of Jesus. Pastor A, who has been involved in pastoral activities for 20 years as a pastor belonging to a large Protestant denomination in Korea, said at the press conference, “After signing the MOU, I was freed from worries and stresses about preaching. The congregation were satisfied, and above all, I perceived the grace of God through the message I was preaching.”
The attitude of pastors towards Shincheonji Church of Jesus is changing. In particular, at a gathering of dozens of journalists, an incumbent pastor openly testified about the reason why people are flocking to Shincheonji Church of Jesus.
This is what Pastor A said about the reality of the Korean church that he felt while living in the church himself:-
“The sermons given at the pulpit in the Korean Church are typically focused on didactic content. And that word is not pleasing to God, but is rather a word that pleases people. It is a sermon focused on comfort and instruction, excluding the contents that church members find uncomfortable. The Korean church is in an era where the Word is in short supply.”
He lamented that church members feel 'no need to know the Bible in detail' because 'pastors have strayed far from the words of the Bible'. He raised his voice, saying, “(Pastors) shouldn’t be like this.”
Today, Korean churches are compared to 'salt that has lost its saltiness' and 'lamps that have burnt out.' In brief, it was pointed out that the church has lost its credibility. Despite escaping the pandemic, the church has not been able to avoid the decline in membership, and there is no sign of recovery. Calls, even by pastors, are being made to 'restore the essence of the Church'.
In the midst of this, there is a movement from the established denominations to request the signing of an MOU with Shincheonji Church of Jesus in order to learn the revealed theology from Shincheonji. It is very unusual for pastors to directly request cooperation from Shincheonji, and religious circles are also paying attention. In a situation where the number of believers in all religions is rapidly declining, it is evaluated that pastors have begun to pay attention to the secret of Shincheonji, which is virtually the only church that has shown growth even during the pandemic.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus emphasises that the reason for its growth lies in 'faith that is centred on the Bible'. On the same day, Pastor A also explained, “The biggest characteristic of Shincheonji is that it emphasises the Word and teaches the Word correctly.”
Among some pastors, there is a growing voice saying that it is necessary to think about mutual growth together, rather than blindly opposing it. Chairman ManHee Lee also continues to deliver the message, 'Let's verify the word from Shincheonji in accordance with the Bible'. It seems that the Korean church needs to think carefully about how to grow in the reality where de-Christianisation is accelerating.
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'Shincheonji Press Conference' (July 19th 2023)
“Let’s interact”, Shincheonji holds press conference with journalists
“Let’s communicate with each other through the words of the Bible”, Shincheonji meets with journalists
I love the attitude of that pastor. Perfect example of a humble servant who wants to guide his members correctly
ReplyDeleteI am sure he will be one of many peoples to learn!
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