Shincheonji Zion Christian Mission Centre anticipates fourth ‘100,000 graduation ceremony’ this year
As secularisation increases in Europe and much of the developed world due to, among other factors, the closure of churches and the withdrawal of religion from the public sphere, there is a church that is drawing attention as the number of its members is rapidly increasing. That is Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony. The reason why Shincheonji Church of Jesus has been able to grow rapidly over the past 40 years is due to its unique systematic Bible education and ‘revealed theology.’
The Zion Mission Centre, established by Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the Republic of Korea in 1990, offers comprehensive, free Bible education based on Jesus' teaching, "Freely you have received; freely give." The mission has led to continuous growth and global recognition.
Since its first 86 graduates in 1991, church membership soared to 1365 graduates in 1998, 11,214 graduates in 2010, 25,099 graduates in 2014, 103,764 graduates in 2019, and 106,186 graduates again in 2022 and 108,084 graduates in 2023, which included a significant number of pastors and seminarians.
The Zion Mission Centre's curriculum consists of:
- Introductory Level: Basic Bible knowledge and understanding of Jesus' parables
- Intermediate Level: Understanding the Bible's structure, God's creation, and re-creation
- Advanced Level: In-depth study of the Book of Revelation, the prophecy and its fulfilment
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Zion Mission Centre successfully transitioned to online classes, ensuring accessible Bible education for all. An average of 20,000 people per year graduated through the online graduation ceremony held in 2020 and 2021.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus's Bible education is proven to be excellent in that it is recognized and taken not only by non-religious people or believers, but also by church leaders (pastors, evangelists, etc.) of established denominations, seminarians, and people of other religions such as Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism. This is evidenced by the fact that the proportion of religious people among graduates is increasing every year.
In fact, in 2022, there were a total of 522 pastors and seminarians, but the number jumped more than 10 times to 6274 the following year.
As of the end of April this year, more than 10,300 domestic (in Korean) and foreign religious leaders are already taking the course, and there are more than 1800 students who have completed the course and are waiting for the graduation ceremony.
The growth of Shincheonji Church of Jesus is expected to continue in the future. As of the end of May, the number of students currently studying the Word at the Zion Christian Mission Center was approximately 110,000. The church plans to hold a graduation ceremony for 100,000 students this year as well.
The curriculum concludes with the advanced course on the Book of Revelation, which contains the most important content that concludes God's 6000-year history of restoration, and in this course, one can learn the prophecies and fulfilment of Revelation based on the 5W1H method.
An official at the Zion Christian Mission Centre said, “By teaching the fulfilment in an easy-to-understand way based on the 5W1H method, and taking it to heart through exams, students who have completed the course are literally becoming ‘walking Bibles.’”
Mr. Kwak, a final year student living in Daejeon City, who recently completed the course, said, “Before I heard the message, I only believed in the slander that people said,” and added, “I hope that you will learn and confirm it yourself instead of just listening to what others say.”
0 comments