How does a worship service at Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Chairman ManHee Lee) look?

Believers who have neither the experience of attending a seminary nor the experience of preaching are going up to the pulpit to deliver sermons on the Book of Revelation of the Bible in hundreds of branch churches of Shincheonji Church of Jesus worldwide. Congregation members from their teens to their 70s are eloquently preaching on the book of Revelation, which even pastors with decades of experience are reluctant to do. It is an unprecedented step that is causing a stir among the established churches.

Since the 19th of July, 78 churches of Shincheonji Church of Jesus have appointed congregation members with no preaching experience to lead the Wednesday worship service to realise the “shepherding of the saints”, which has been advocated since the founding of Shincheonji Church of Jesus.

On the 26th July, Shincheonji congregation member Se-hyeon Jang (72, male), who delivered the sermon at the Wednesday worship service at Shincheonji Tongyeong Church, said, “I usually studied Shincheonji Church of Jesus' YouTube Revelation seminar video, and thanks to the 'Revelation 10-minute speech' material provided to all members, I was able to prepare well and testify.” He said, “I gained confidence after giving the sermon and I hope there will be more opportunities like this.”

Min-hee Jeong (18, female) of the students group of Shincheonji Wangsimni Church also gave a lecture on Revelation 2-3 that day. She said, “I often listened to the Book of Revelation during the regular sermons, and this year, it was helpful to consistently give a 10-minute speech on the Book of Revelation.” She added, “The hope of every member to assume the role of a pastor has become a reality, and I'm happy because I've gained confidence through this.”

Shincheonji Dongdaemun Church member Eun-ji Lee (28, female), who gave a sermon after 3 years and 5 months since joining Shincheonji Church of Jesus, said, “After joining the church, I thought I must become a priest (pastor) someday even though I was worshipping online due to COVID-19.” She said, “I am grateful for the understanding and perception of the Book of Revelation gained through this sermon.”

Won-young Bae (54, male), who joined Shincheonji Church of Jesus in his late 40s after practising a life of faith at a traditional church since the age of 7, said, “When the congregation members were first given the opportunity to preach, I had a strong desire to do it.” He said, “While preparing for the sermon, I had the time to fully understand the Book of Revelation and engrave the Word on my mind and heart, so I believed that I could do it.”

In addition, other congregation members who preached the Word said, “If it wasn’t for Shincheonji Church of Jesus, I wouldn’t have had this kind of opportunity”, “I’m a layperson, but I gained confidence that I can do everything if I have the Word”, and “I received much hope while preparing the sermon; I hope that other members will also take on the challenge with a joyful and willing heart.”

Regarding this, Ji-yeon Lee, director of education at Shincheonji Church of Jesus, said, “Shincheonji Church of Jesus is holding a 'sealing confirmation lecture' as evidence that all believers, from children to groups and departments, have mastered the Bible. The church is being inundated with requests from outside for participation in the educational courses.”

He emphasised, “In this world, the only denomination where believers can master the Book of Revelation and even give lectures is Shincheonji Church of Jesus.”