Engrained in Seoul’s religious landscape is the \uc21c\ubcf5\uc74c\uc6d0\ub2f9\uad50\ud68c. It is a beacon of faith for its community. Let’s take a closer look at its story.
\uc21c\ubcf5\uc74c\uc6d0\ub2f9\uad50\ud68c is a YouTube channel. It offers a glimpse into the church’s activities. The channel provides videos. These videos likely showcase sermons and events.
The story of churches in South Korea is interesting. After World War II churches were able to develop freely. Help came from abroad. American Pentecostal denominations established Korean missions. Abner Chesnut was the first missionary in 1952. He was sent by the Assemblies of God Church. His contacts were with the Chosun Pentecostal church. It was led by Sung San Park.
Mary Rumsey wanted to be a missionary to Korea. This was as early as 1939. She was seen as an unofficial representative. She represented the Assemblies of God. The Korean Assemblies of God were organized in 1953. The Subinggo church was its nucleus. The Korean Assemblies of God opened their Bible School the next year. Young Korean preachers came to study the Bible. One student was Paul Yonggi Cho. His family suffered during the Korean War.
Cho was born a Buddhist. He rejected his religion when he was dying. He hoped to become a doctor. Jesus Christ appeared to him. This happened in the middle of the night. Healed by Jesus he was called to preach. He was filled with the Holy Ghost. After Bible School he started his church. It became the Yoido Full Gospel Church.
The Yoido Full Gospel Church began in 1958. It started in a tent. It was in a poor slum in Seoul. In 1961 Cho was an interpreter. He interpreted for Sam Todd. Todd was an American Pentecostal healing evangelist. The meetings helped the church to grow. Cho learned about prosperity teachings. He learned from evangelists like Oral Roberts.
In 1962 Cho built a revival center. It seated 1500 people. Later the name changed. It became the Yoido Full Gospel Central Church. Healings caused the church to reach 2000 members by 1964. Building the church caused stress for Cho. He organized cells. Responsibility was given to co-workers. Most cell group leaders were women. This was a breakthrough in Korean culture. By 1985 there were 50000 cells in the church. Besides his duties Cho became General Superintendent. He became superintendent of the Korean Assemblies of God Church in 1966.
The church grew. In 1973 a new auditorium was completed. It seated 10000 people. Billy Graham was the speaker. That year the church hosted the Pentecostal World Conference. By 1974 the church reached 23000 members. In 1979 it passed 100000. This was a big size at the time. More growth occurred. Thousands of new members were added. At one point 10000 new members were added each month. By 1994 the number of members reached 700000. There were plans for the Yoido congregation to reach 1000000.
Cho wrote several books. One book was The Fourth Dimension. He wrote about cell groups. He also wrote about prayer. He wrote about prosperity. In 1976 he founded Church Growth International. It was a group of pastors. They spread his theology. Cho started a newspaper in 1989. It was called the Kook Min Daily News. By 1994 it had a circulation of over 700000. It became a voice for Christianity in Korea.
\uc21c\ubcf5\uc74c\uc6d0\ub2f9\uad50\ud68c shares a broader narrative. It is about the growth of Christianity in Korea. From its humble digital beginnings to its place within a larger movement. The \uc21c\ubcf5\uc74c\uc6d0\ub2f9\uad50\ud68c continues to serve its community.