Yoido Full Gospel Church Complete Profile & Latest Information
All important details about Yoido Full Gospel Church. Yoido Full Gospel Church is a mega church in Seoul, South Korea that believes in Pentecostal Christianity. It is affiliated with the Assemblies of God. Around 480,000 people go to this church, which makes it the largest Pentecostal church in South Korea. The Ministry is presided over by Young Hoon Lee. The church has a few branches in Seoul where people can go to worship.
This write-up is a complete profile of Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, South Korea, which is the largest Pentecostal church in the country with around 480,000 members. It provides information on the history of the church, including its founding in 1958 by Pastor David Yonggi Cho and his mother-in-law, Choi Ja-shil.
The article also discusses the growth of the church, its organizational structure, its belief in Pentecostal Christianity, and its affiliation with the Assemblies of God. In addition, it highlights the current leadership of the church, including its senior pastor, Young Hoon Lee, and provides statistics on the number of members, headquarters, and branches of the church.
History of Yoido Full Gospel Church
Who Is the Founder of Yoido Full Gospel Church?
Yoido Full Gospel Church was founded on the 15th of May 1958, by Pastor David Yonggi Cho and his mother-in-law Choi Ja-shil , the Ministry is presently led by Young Hoon Lee.
The ministry started, In 1958, Pastor David Yonggi Cho and his mother-in-law, Choi Ja-shil, who were both pastors of the Assemblies of God, founded the Yoido Full Gospel Church. They started with a worship service in Choi Ja-shil’s home attended by only a few people. Pastor Cho and his mother-in-law went door-to-door providing help to the poor and praying for the sick, and the church grew to fifty members in just a few months. They moved their worship services to a tent in Choi Ja-shil’s backyard to accommodate the growing number of members.
Pastor Cho preached about the Three-Fold Blessing, which included physical health and financial prosperity, and many people joined the church. By 1961, membership had grown to a thousand, and the church bought its first plot of land in Seodaemun. The Yoido Full Gospel Church had plans for expansion, but Pastor Cho was called up for mandatory military service, which was a setback. Luckily, he was assigned to an American Army base near Seoul, so he could keep preaching on Sundays with the help of an American missionary named John Hurston.
However, Cho’s poor health led to a major operation and discharge from the army. Despite his illness, he continued to lead the church. They built a new auditorium on the plot of land they had purchased and named it the Full Gospel Revival Center. Membership continued to grow, so Cho restructured the church by dividing it into zones, with members meeting in cells led by a “cell leader” for worship and bible study. Each cell leader was instructed to train an assistant, and the cells were divided when they reached a certain number of members.
At the time, Yeouido, was located in the middle of the Han River that flows through the heart of Seoul, Eventually, the 12,000-seat auditorium was completed in 1973, and its first worship service was held on 19 August of that year. A month later, the Full Gospel Central Church hosted the 10th Pentecostal World Conference at the Hyochang Stadium. By 1977, membership of the Full Gospel Central Church had reached 50,000, which doubled in only two years. The church celebrated this achievement with a special worship service featuring Demos Shakarian, the President of the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Fellowship International.
In the 1980s, the Full Gospel Central Church decided to establish satellite churches throughout Seoul and beyond, as the church could not continue to expand indefinitely. Despite expanding the auditorium to seat 12,000 in 1983, seven Sunday services were not enough to accommodate the entire membership. In 1993, with a membership of 700,000, the Yoido Full Gospel Church was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest congregation. Despite members being drawn to satellite churches, new recruits joining the mother church through the vast cell network offset the losses, and by 2003, membership had reached 780,000.
The church was renamed Yoido Full Gospel Church in the 1990s. Although its founder, David Yonggi Cho, retired as head pastor several times, infighting among remaining ministers caused him to come out of retirement, most recently in late 2006. As of 2007, membership stood at 830,000, with seven Sunday services translated into 16 languages.
On 9 January 2009, a Sunday church service was featured in a BBC documentary titled “Around the World in 80 Faiths.”In 2008, Young Hoon Lee became the senior pastor. In 2020, the Yoido Full Gospel Church had a membership of 480,000 people in Seoul.
Yoido Full Gospel Church Statistics
- FOUNDING DAY: Yoido Full Gospel Church was founded in the year 1958
- NUMBER OF MEMBERS: Yoido Full Gospel has an average attendance of 480,000+Members Weekly
- HEADQUARTERS: The headquarters is located at 15 Gukhoe-daero 76-gil Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul
- BRANCHES: The church has several satellite locations throughout the city of Seoul.
- FOUNDER: The founder of Yoido Full Gospel church is Dr. David Yonggi Cho
- CURRENT LEADERS: The current leader of Yoido Full Gospel Church is, Young Hoon Lee
Yoido Full Gospel Church Leadership
- Pastor David Yonggi Cho & Kim Sung Hae
Pastor David Yonggi Cho For over 44 years, Cho emphasized the significance of cell group ministry and team ministry, which he believed were essential for church growth. In November 1976, he founded Church Growth International, an organization devoted to instructing pastors worldwide on the principles of evangelism and church growth. In January 1986, he initiated the establishment of Elim Welfare Town, a facility designed for the elderly, youth, homeless, and jobless, with the latter given training and the option of four different occupations.
In 1988, he also founded Kukmin Ilbo, a newspaper company. Cho served as Chairman of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship from 1992 to 2000 and the Korean Christian Leaders Association since November 1998. He started serving as Chairman of the Good People charity organization in February 1999.
David Yongi Cho married his ex-wife Kim Sung Hae who accompanied him throughout his years of ministry. Kim and David married in 1965 and gave birth to Cho Hee-jun, Cho Min-JE, and Cho Seung-Je. In 2008, Cho retired, and Young Hoon Lee became the new senior pastor.
Born on November 19, 1954, in Seoul, South Korea, Lee was raised in a Christian family and joined Yoido Full Gospel Church in April 1964. He pursued his theological studies at Yonsei University in Seoul, following which he enrolled in Full Gospel Theology Seminary (now Hansei University) in Gunpo. Subsequently, he earned a master’s degree in theology from the United Graduate School of Theology at Yonsei University.
In 1982, Lee was ordained as a pastor He then went on to pursue another master’s degree in theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in the United States, followed by an MA and a PhD in religion and philosophy from Temple University. Lee and his wife, Inja Baek, are parents to a daughter.
⇒ Click here to view more churches’ profiles and current information.
Yoido Full Gospel Church Programmes / Events Calendar
Stay- up-to-date with Yoido Full Gospel Church events and programs calendar for this year.
- Twelve-Basket Early Morning Prayer Service for the New Year
- Friday Night Holy Spirit Prayer Service
- Cell Group Service
- Wednesday Midweek
- Regular Sunday Service
How to be a Member of Yoido Full Gospel Church?
Strengthening your connection with God is possible through numerous opportunities available to both new and existing members of Yoido Full Gospel Church. By becoming a member, you can cultivate a sense of community and belonging, engage with individuals who share similar beliefs, and nurture your faith.
To join The Waterbrook Church, kindly Click here to learn more about the Ministry.
Yoido Full Gospel Church Mission Statements
Younghoon Lee, Yoido Full Gospel Church continues to expand the Lord’s Mission by practicing love, becoming an example to society, and raising up disciples.
Mission; At the Yoido Full Gospel, The Mission and mandate is to win lost souls for Christ and depopulate hell.
Yoido Full Gospel Church Social Media Handles and Contacts
Following the Yoido Full Gospel Church Social Media Handle will grant you access to the most recent updates, happenings, and valuable perspectives from the church. Moreover, you will have the opportunity to connect with fellow believers who share your passion for Jesus Christ.
⇒ Click here to view more churches’ profiles and current information.
Yoido Full Gospel Church Ministries, and Affiliations
- Education Development Institute
The Education Development Institute, founded in 1978, is a department within Yoido Full Gospel Church that provides systematic Biblical teachings to all members. Drawing from the Fivefold Gospel, Threefold Blessing, Fourth Dimensional Spirituality, and Full Gospel Theology, the institute covers various topics related to the Bible and a life of faith. Its goal is to equip believers, lay leaders, and staff with the truth of the Word of God and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, thereby nurturing effective workers for Christ.
- Spiritual Training Institute
The aim of the Spiritual Training Institute is to foster spiritual growth in members and offer spiritual renewal to the church’s pastoral staff. Its programs and training are rooted in the Full Gospel faith of the Fivefold Gospel and Threefold Blessing, as well as the spirituality of the Fourth Dimension.
The institute offers various programs, including the intercessory prayer training school, Pentecostal Holy Spirit school, spiritual warfare training school, Holy Spirit healing school, Father’s Dream (Full Gospel father’s school), Mother’s Dream (Full Gospel mother’s school), cell leader’s training school, weekday and Sunday intercessory prayer meetings, home ministry training, lay ministry training, and pastoral training. Through these programs, the institute strives to produce genuine disciples of the Full Gospel who abide in Jesus Christ and contribute to bringing revival to the districts, cell groups, and churches.
By building a spiritual foundation for families and individuals, the institute hopes to become a cornerstone of spiritual renewal and growth.
- Pentecostal Love Training School
The Pentecostal Love Training School is a training institute dedicated to restoring individuals’ first love for Jesus. Through an intensive 3-night and 4-day training program, participants learn about the Christian life, enabling them to cultivate the Christ-like qualities of humility, gentleness, and love. This prepares them to live as mature Christians and authentic disciples of Jesus.
The institute strives to assist believers of all denominations in establishing communities of love in their churches and places of ministry. Additionally, it seeks to enhance their faith capacity.
- Newcomers Department
The Newcomers Department provides foundational teachings on the Christian faith to new believers. Its primary objective is to assist them in navigating the journey of faith and church life. The department’s curriculum consists of a three-week basic course on faith.
Yoido Full Gospel Missionary work
- Domestic Mission
In line with Pastor Yonggi Cho’s vision of being a pioneering church, Yoido Full Gospel Church established Domestic Missions in 1993, making domestic missionary work a regular part of its ministry.
Since then, the church has planted over 500 churches in remote areas throughout Korea and plans to continue doing so. To support this effort, Yoido Full Gospel Church also operates a church planting school that assists pastors in successfully planting churches and provides adequate support to those who show potential for church growth.
Every year, on “Church Planting Day,” church plant pastors are invited to share their vision for ministry and renew their commitment. Additionally, Yoido Full Gospel Church has taken the lead in evangelizing the Korean nation by planting churches in small and medium-sized cities and supporting dependent churches in farming and fishing communities across denominations.
- Overseas Mission
World Mission is a mission fellowship within Yoido Full Gospel Church that empowers young people with the Pentecostal power of the Holy Spirit and sends them on overseas missions. The members obey the Lord’s command to “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15) and dedicate themselves to this task.
Since its inception in July 1990, World Mission has mobilized thousands of church members for short-term missions to various countries. Its primary objective is to share the love of the Lord with dependent and regional churches and serve them with the heart of Jesus and humility.
Yoido Full Gospel Church in Photos
[ngg src=”galleries” ids=”14″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″]
