Meanwhile, the number of YouTube views of the Bible Seminar in Masan that was live-streamed online is approaching half a million.

These are the words of Pastor Arias, who was running a small church in Kenya and recently changed the church sign to 'Shincheonji Church of Jesus'. Since doing so, the church has grown from less than 50 to over 500 members within less than a year.

The movement to change the number of church signs to 'Shincheonji Church of Jesus' is growing not only in Africa, but globally. As of the 19th September, the number of churches in Central and South America that have requested to change their church names to Shincheonji Church of Jesus since 2022 has reached 332. The number of affiliated members is approximately 22,000.

According to Shincheonji Church of Jesus, churches which have changed their signboards to Shincheonji Church of Jesus have achieved qualitative growth, both as pastors and an increase in the number of believers.

Pastor Eric, who is serving in Ghana, said, “The words I learned from Shincheonji Church of Jesus were words I had never heard in the four years of seminary I attended, or anywhere else.” He added, “They helped me grow as a pastor and as a person.”

Pastor Fred Minase Matiti, who runs four churches in Kenya, experienced a church growth after changing the signboard and explained the reason behind the sign change, saying, “I wanted to become one with Chairman ManHee Lee of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, who fully understands the Bible and can speak the truth without adding to or subtracting from it.”

He continued, “We are receiving many requests from pastors who want to join us,” and “I want to spread this message to more people, so I have established Zion Christian Mission Centres (free Bible education institutions of Shincheonji Church of Jesus) in various areas where I am.”

Pastors cited the excellence of the biblical teachings, that is, the teachings of the revealed word, as the greatest advantage of all.

As of the 11th September, the number of churches in Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya that requested the sign change to Shincheonji Church of Jesus since April of last year has reached 69. The number of churches is expected to increase further. With around 50 churches requesting to change their signs and 1784 churches actively exchanging words after signing a business agreement (MOU) with Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the pace of change is expected to accelerate.

As of the 19th September, the number of churches in Central and South America that have requested to change their church names to Shincheonji Church of Jesus since 2022 has reached 332. The number of affiliated members is approximately 22,000.

Changing the signboard to Shincheonji Church of Jesus reflects the intent to spread the revealed theology from Shincheonji Church of Jesus and unite with Shincheonji Church of Jesus. 

The Jeonnam region, where the majority of the Peter Tribe churches are situated, has a higher percentage of Protestants than other regions, and thus, the established religious groups have strong influence within the region. Despite this, among the 12 tribes, the largest number of domestic believers in Shincheonji Church of Jesus belong to the Peter Tribe, which increased from 43,530 domestic believers in 2020 to over 60,000 today, including overseas believers.

Despite being nearly 94 years of age, Chairman Lee in this year alone has visited 39 churches to listen to the voices of the faithful and create a better religious environment for them. Whenever the Chairman visits a church on Sundays and Wednesdays when there is a service, he stands on the pulpit to confidently testify the Word of God, centred on the Book of Revelation, preaching powerfully for about an hour.

On that day, Shincheonji congregants lined up 4km from the church waving palm branches in the blazing sun - a scene reminiscent of Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on a donkey at the first coming -  with flags symbolising the 12 tribes of Shincheonji, and pickets that read “Glory in heaven, peace on earth”.

On that day, Shincheonji believers warmly welcomed Chairman Lee with the belief that he is the ‘promised pastor who appeared according to the Bible’ when the Book of Revelation was fulfilled, and the ‘promised pastor who testifies to the Book of Revelation that Jesus fulfilled.’

In addition, whenever the Chairman visits a church on Sundays and Wednesdays when there is a service, he stands on the pulpit to testify the Word of God with conviction, preaching powerfully for about an hour, centred on the Book of Revelation. The Chairman does not open the Bible when he preaches, and never deviates from the Bible, to the degree that pastors who have seen and heard him testify are left bewildered.

ManHee Lee was born in 1931 in Cheongdo, North Gyeongsang Province, Republic of Korea. His grandfather is said to have named his grandson 'ManHee' after dreaming of a light shining on his daughter-in-law's belly. He grew up in a very poor rural family and often climbed mountains with his grandfather and prayed, but did not formally attend church. When the Korean War broke out, he fought on the frontlines as a student volunteer at the age of 17 and witnessed the deaths of many comrades. The experience at that time would become the catalyst for his decision to launch a global peace movement.

After being discharged from the army, he worked in the countryside, and out of gratitude for surviving the war, prayed to God every morning and evening in the fields of the farmhouse, following in the footsteps of his grandfather. Then one day a star in the night sky appeared in front of where he was praying. After that, he climbed the mountain with the guidance of this big star and swore allegiance to God in blood.

ManHee Lee then sought the church for his life of faith. One day, he found a church that had seven pastors (named the Tabernacle Temple in Revelation chapters 2-3). Those pastors slit their wrists as a promise to devote their lives to God. After discovering the church was corrupted, he had to return to his hometown and took part in the “New Village Movement (a domestic political initiative for revitalisation of the rural economy)” for seven years (c.1971-1977). After that, he met a spiritual entity from heaven and began to carry out a life of faith based on heaven's command. He returned to the church he had left and began to testify the fulfilled realities of Revelation to a few of the brothers and sisters there. It was around that time in the early 1980s that he came to realise that the Book of Revelation was being fulfilled and that he was the messenger of Jesus and the messenger of prophecy sent for the churches (see Revelation 22:8, 16). Thereafter, Chairman Lee held Bible seminars on Revelation throughout South Korea and, in more recent years, offline and online to an audience of pastors and congregants globally.