South Korean megachurch pastor David Yong-gi Cho passed away at 7:13 a.m. September 14 at the age of 85, after suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage since last year, according to Yoido Full Gospel Church.
Cho Yong-gi was a Protestant Christian pastor in South Korea, who founded the world’s largest church Yoido Full Gospel Church.
Born into a Buddhist family in 1936, Cho converted to the Christian faith at the age of 17 under the influence of a friend of his sister, when he was diagnosed with fatal tuberculosis. After experiencing God in a Pentecostal way, including tongues and visions, Cho was assured that he was called to ministry.
In 1956, Cho entered Full Gospel Bible College to study theology, and he held his first service on May 18, 1958, in the living room of his friend Choi Ja-shil, who later became his mother-in-law and an important ministerial associate. Cho and Choi’s church, which was the origin of Yoido Full Gospel Church grew rapidly from three members (Choi’s three daughters) to 50 within months, and by the beginning of 1961, membership had grown to 1,000.
As the church kept expanding, it moved to Seodaemon in 1961 and then Yeouido, 1973. Now with over 800,000 members, Yoido Full Gospel Church holds the Guinness record of the world's largest congregation. The church has established diverse ministries, including a newspaper (Kookmin Daily, 1988), educational institutes (International Theological Institute), charities (Good People), and evangelistic activities. Over 500 churches have been planted in remote areas in South Korea, and over 700 missionaries have been sent overseas.
As an author, Cho’s The Fourth Dimension series had been influential in East Asian countries, including China.
Along with his contribution in founding and pastoring a mega-church, Cho had faced various controversies. He had famously been criticized that his ‘threefold blessings of Christ’ teaching was a version of prosperity gospel. Apart from that, he was accused by 29 church elders and convicted of embezzling $12 million USD in church funds, by using the money to buy stock from his son Cho Jong-Un in 2014. Cho’s friend argued for him afterward that he was ‘cheated’ by his son. Rev Cho later shared openly in a sermon that the day of the verdict was the hardest day of his 50 years of ministry, and that he found it beneficial as he was led by the Holy Spirit to repentance amid the thoughts of revenge and defending himself.
His funeral will be held at Korean time 8 a.m. on Saturday at Yoido Full Gospel Church. Rev. Kim Jang-hwan, chairman of the missionary radio station Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) Korea, will lead the funeral, according to the church.
- Translated by Grace Song
据韩国汝矣岛纯福音教会官网消息，9月14日其创办人赵镛基牧师于上午7点13分安息主怀，享年85岁。
赵镛基牧师(조용기，Yong-gi Cho 1936年2月14日)是大韩民国基督新教的牧师，他创立了汝矣岛纯福音教会。赵镛基牧师一生可谓传奇。他的家庭原是佛教徒家庭，17岁时他得了严重的肺结核，因为他妹妹的基督徒朋友的安慰而皈依基督教。随后他有了一连串属灵经历，包括五旬节派的灵恩经历，经历“说方言”，看见耶稣异象，相信神呼召他事奉。
1956年，赵镛基就读于上帝之圣会纯福音神学校；1958年5月18日，赵镛基在首尔恩平区大枣洞朋友崔子实（他后来的岳母和重要同工）家的客厅举行第一次礼拜。只有崔子实和她的三个孩子参加了礼拜，但这个教会迅速增长，很快达到50人，赵和教会成员开始叩门邀请人去教堂，3年内信徒人数猛增到1000人，主日参加礼拜的600人。这就是纯福音教会创立最初时的情形，后教会继续增长，目前该教会已经拥有80万信徒，成为吉尼斯纪录中世界最大的教会。教会还设立大学、创办《国民日报》社与慈善机构，有3000门徒开拓的教会，设立了500间教会，向全世界差派了超过700名宣教士。同时，他在推动韩国教会参与普世宣教、以及参与社会服务上也有卓越贡献。
赵镛基牧师一生创办了当下全球最大的教会，荣誉颇丰，也面临不少争议，其中最为著名的是他被认为是“成功神学"的代表人物之一。与此同时，他晚年时即在2014年因渎职罪和贪污教会130亿韩元（约合人民币7358万元）而被判刑一事引起国际教会极大关注，对赵牧师和汝矣岛纯福音教会带来直接的负面影响和评论。事后也有赵镛基的好友辩称，赵牧师并非有意破坏教会，而是儿子“故意欺骗”了他。赵牧师自己也曾在主日礼拜中证道，并对信徒言辞恳切的陈述了他当时在接受判决时的心态，告白说虽然过程很痛苦，是他牧会50多年来最难的一天，但也是迄今为止神给他最有益的一天。赵牧师在证道中坦承分享自己当时内心的挣扎，他非常想辩解，也想去对抗和报复，当时有许多复杂和错误的想法在心中涌现出来，但之后感谢神的是，他感受到圣灵带给他里面的变化，感受到了自己里面的悔改。
2016年1月8日，第三届韩国教会元老牧者日“引以为豪的元老牧者大奖”颁奖仪式上，赵镛基牧师因在世界福音传播和社会服务工作上的贡献而获奖。
赵镛基牧师和汝矣岛纯福音教会在过去数十年来对于华人教会的发展和事工也做出过不计其数的努力和服事。
赵镛基牧师辞世 享年85岁 曾创办全球最大教会韩国汝矣岛纯福音教会
South Korean megachurch pastor David Yong-gi Cho passed away at 7:13 a.m. September 14 at the age of 85, after suffering from a cerebral hemorrhage since last year, according to Yoido Full Gospel Church.
Cho Yong-gi was a Protestant Christian pastor in South Korea, who founded the world’s largest church Yoido Full Gospel Church.
Born into a Buddhist family in 1936, Cho converted to the Christian faith at the age of 17 under the influence of a friend of his sister, when he was diagnosed with fatal tuberculosis. After experiencing God in a Pentecostal way, including tongues and visions, Cho was assured that he was called to ministry.
In 1956, Cho entered Full Gospel Bible College to study theology, and he held his first service on May 18, 1958, in the living room of his friend Choi Ja-shil, who later became his mother-in-law and an important ministerial associate. Cho and Choi’s church, which was the origin of Yoido Full Gospel Church grew rapidly from three members (Choi’s three daughters) to 50 within months, and by the beginning of 1961, membership had grown to 1,000.
As the church kept expanding, it moved to Seodaemon in 1961 and then Yeouido, 1973. Now with over 800,000 members, Yoido Full Gospel Church holds the Guinness record of the world's largest congregation. The church has established diverse ministries, including a newspaper (Kookmin Daily, 1988), educational institutes (International Theological Institute), charities (Good People), and evangelistic activities. Over 500 churches have been planted in remote areas in South Korea, and over 700 missionaries have been sent overseas.
As an author, Cho’s The Fourth Dimension series had been influential in East Asian countries, including China.
Along with his contribution in founding and pastoring a mega-church, Cho had faced various controversies. He had famously been criticized that his ‘threefold blessings of Christ’ teaching was a version of prosperity gospel. Apart from that, he was accused by 29 church elders and convicted of embezzling $12 million USD in church funds, by using the money to buy stock from his son Cho Jong-Un in 2014. Cho’s friend argued for him afterward that he was ‘cheated’ by his son. Rev Cho later shared openly in a sermon that the day of the verdict was the hardest day of his 50 years of ministry, and that he found it beneficial as he was led by the Holy Spirit to repentance amid the thoughts of revenge and defending himself.
His funeral will be held at Korean time 8 a.m. on Saturday at Yoido Full Gospel Church. Rev. Kim Jang-hwan, chairman of the missionary radio station Far East Broadcasting Company (FEBC) Korea, will lead the funeral, according to the church.
- Translated by Grace Song
Rev. David Yong-gi Cho, Founder of Yoido Full Gospel Church, Dies at 85
