“Our congregation was truly excited and eager to change the church name, and other pastors have been reaching out to me for advice and expressing interest in the sign change.”
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.
An official of Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, “Local governments are looking at the sign changes positively and have been requesting meetings” and added, “I hope that a culture in which churches grow together will become widespread.”
It's incredible to see such enthusiasm from pastors and congregations alike, as well as the genuine impact on church communities.
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