A 20-year veteran pastor has called on fellow clergy not to dismiss the Shincheonji Church of Jesus based on denominational differences, but instead to listen and make informed judgments.
“A thought occurred to me that we should not disregard Shincheonji just because they belong to a different denomination, but rather listen to their words directly and then make our own judgments,” said the pastor.
Over 100 pastors and 16,000 participants attended the ‘2024 Shincheonji Bible Seminar: Testimony on the Fulfillment of Revelation’ on July 25 at the Shincheonji Masan Church. An additional 380,000 viewers watched the online live stream.
The seminar was organized in response to requests from pastors and believers in the Yeongnam region, following successful events in Ulsan and Busan in January.
Chairman Lee Man-hee delivered a lecture on Revelation Chapter 10, outlining the relationship between prophecy and fulfillment. He emphasized the importance of humility and verifying teachings against the Bible.
“I am sharing the content of Revelation as I have seen and heard it,” Chairman Lee said. “The word of the Bible should be conveyed as if it is stamped, without distortion or alteration.”
Chairman Lee continued, “The Bible records that the way to heaven is small and narrow. Simply saying you believe in Jesus does not guarantee entry to heaven. We must carefully listen to and reflect on each of Jesus’ words, understand clearly who we are according to the Bible, and walk our faith accordingly.”
One pastor, who signed an MOU with the church, said, “Hearing the words directly and making my own judgments has changed my thoughts significantly. I believe that maintaining communication with the Shincheonji Church will be beneficial for my congregation, which is why I decided to create an MOU.”
Another pastor, with 15 years of ministry experience, praised Chairman Lee’s lecture, saying, “I listened carefully and was astonished to find that there was nothing contradicting scripture in his message. After hearing these teachings, I became curious about what the Shincheonji Church is really about and felt a desire to share this with more people.”
A representative from the Shincheonji Church of Jesus stated, “It is very encouraging that many pastors have proactively inquired about holding additional Open Word Seminar. To meet this demand, we will host an event in Busan as well. Since we are all coming together on the foundation of the Bible, regardless of denomination, we believe that our bonds and cooperation through the sharing of teachings will grow stronger and spread further in the future.”
As of June, 727 churches in Korea and 10,053 churches across 84 countries had signed MOUs with the Shincheonji Church for collaboration on teaching exchange.
Notably, 1,671 churches in 43 countries have joined the Shincheonji Church of Jesus and changed their signage accordingly.
The Shincheonji Church of Jesus will hold another Open Bible Seminar in Busan on July 29.
