👋Pastor Ki-Dong Kim, Sungrak Church, and the Berea Movement

Sungrak Church

The history of Sungrak Church starts with the first worship service with seven people in attendance. It took place on November 30, 1969 in Shingil-dong of the Youngdungpo District of Seoul. Pastor Kim’s dedication toward God, the powerful words coming from his mouth, and the works of the Holy Spirit which testified to the authority of the Word, were the driving forces behind the fast growth of Sungrak Church.

The first ten-year period, from its foundation until 1979, was dedicated to planting faith in the congregation in order for the foundation of the church’s growth to be laid. As the church’s motto ‘Absolute Double’ for the years 1980, 1981, 1984 suggest, the 1980s was a time when the entire focus of the church was on growth. As a result, the number of registered members went from 3,950 in 1980 to 37,809 in 1987. The number multiplied tenfold in just seven years.

In 2010, on the 41st anniversary of the church’s establishment, the congregation had grown to 180,000 members, with 80 pastors, over 200 evangelists, and over 150 employees. For worship on the Lord’s Day, there are now four services, a variety of Bible study groups, many groups for fellowship, and training programs offered by different departments - all of which are held every week. At each of the 50 or so worship centers spread all over South Korea, congregations hear Pastor Kim’s sermons preached from the Christian World Mission Center (CWMC) through satellite broadcast on the Lord’s Day.

On January 1, 2013, Pastor Sung-Hyun Kim was ordained as the new overseer of Sungrak Church. With this crucial event, a new era has opened for Sungrak Church’s Berea Mission for the 21st century. In October of that same year, the 1st World Bereans Convention was held under the direction of Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim, with around 600 Bereans attending from all over the world. Today, Sungrak Church continues to move forward with the leadership of the new overseer and continues the work of Senior Overseer Ki-Dong Kim. It stands as the Mother Church and root for all Berean churches worldwide.

The Christian World Mission Center and The Christian World Leader Center

In May of 2009, Sungrak Church completed the construction of the 19-storey (13 stories above ground and 6 stories underground) Christian World Mission Center. The main worship sanctuary, which can hold 15,000 people all at once, is 77,000 square meters in area, making it the biggest sanctuary in the world. The completion of the Christian World Mission Center is the result of Pastor Kim’s 40 year-long prayer along with the faith and devotion of the Sungrak people and Bereans worldwide.

On October 7, 2013, a worship service was held commemorating the groundbreaking of the Christian World Leader Center, which is roughly the same size as the Christian World Mission Center. With the completed construction of the Christian World Leader Center, the next generation of spiritual leaders from all over the world can come and learn first-hand about ‘The Picture of God’s Will’.

As of 2010, there are a total of 128 regional worship centers, retreat centers, and training centers belonging to Sungrak Church. There are many churches in South Korea, but the majority of them cannot afford their own buildings due to financial difficulties. Some churches having long local history cannot afford to pay the rent and lose the lease on the building. This is one of the reasons why Sungrak Church focuses so much on constructing buildings. Without an effective support system in place, the Berea Movement cannot spread throughout the world.

The Annual Dedication Service

One of the reasons for Sungrak Church’s rapid growth in such a short period of time is the complete devotion of the overseer and the whole congregation towards God. Sungrak Church holds a worship service focused on dedication every year. This ‘dedication worship’ is not just a one-time event, but the true and complete devotion of the each member’s life to God. The congregation starts preparing for dedication two months before the day of the worship, through both prayer and evangelism as well as their actual dedication of offerings. Through this dedication towards God, the church experiences revival and the congregation grows closer to God.

But among those people who know about Sungrak Church only superficially, it is known as ‘a demon-expelling church’. But Sungrak Church not only casts out demons, but it endeavors to obey every commandment of Jesus. If anyone actually came to Sungrak church, they would have no problem understanding Sungrak Church to be ‘a church which knows God, a church which serves God, and a church which is devoted to God’.

The Limitations of Human-Centered Theology’ as taught at Sungrak Church

‘The Picture of God’s Will’ is a phrase heard everywhere in Sungrak Church. The Picture of God’s Will is the center of faith for the congregation at Sungrak Church. Many Christians today try to use God to fulfill their own desires, instead of devoting themselves to fulfilling His Will in their daily lives. These types of people forsake their faith when things do not seem to go their way. They will say believing in God does not profit them in their lives. But they fail to understand the reason why God created the heavens and the earth, why God sent Jesus Christ to the world, why God sent the Holy Spirit to the saints, and what God desires from each saint.

The fact that Christians are overly self-centered and filled with human-centered theology in their spiritual lives today is no surprise. The doctrines promoted during the Reformation were developed solely focusing on the salvation of man. During the Reformation, the question the reformers often asked was ‘How does man receive salvation?’ Just before the Reformation, the Catholic Church was so much out of touch with the truth of the Bible that they sold indulgences to people as a ticket to heaven.

Under these circumstances, the proposition the reformers were most interested in was ‘Salvation comes by faith alone.’ The theology and doctrines of the reformers were inherently limited to the teaching of the salvation of man, since they thought of themselves as having come out from Roman Catholicism.

Yet five hundred years after the Reformation, Christian churches today are still limited by this human-centered theology when it comes to understanding God’s Will. To Christians today, God is ‘the God who loves us.’ ‘We’ are the reason why God created heaven and earth, ‘we’ are the reason why God sent Jesus to the world, and ‘we’ are the reason why God exists. The sad fact is that Christians today are still at this level of spirituality, even after 2,000 years has passed since Christ’s coming. It is like an adult still asking for milk instead of solid food.

I John 2:12-13 says, “I am writing to you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I have written to you, children, because you know the Father.” The faith of children is concerned with the atonement of sins and salvation; the faith of young men is concerned with the Will of God teaching us that Jesus came in the flesh to destroy the works of the devil and that they can also partake in his destruction; and the faith of adults seeks to know God fully and seeks to know how they can partake in the work of God. The Christian Church should no longer be like children. Instead, the Church should be like young men who fight against the enemy, and the Church should have the faith that knows God and serves Him.

Berea Academy

The reason Sungrak Church emphasizes the destruction of the devil and devotion to God is because it understands the Will of God so deeply. The Bible reveals the Will of God. But people read the Bible today and still fail to understand His Will. This is because they do not know how to read God’s word. When you need to see distant objects, you need a pair of binoculars. When you need to examine microscopic objects, you need a microscope. Similarly, you need the proper lenses to view the Bible. Berea Academy, established by Pastor Ki-Dong Kim in 1976, is a Bible teaching Institution which prescribes the precise lenses to view the Bible and the Will of God.

The faith of the Bereans as found in Acts 17:11-12 is the model of Berea Academy. The people of Berea examined the Bible every day in order to see if Jesus, whom Paul had preached, was indeed the Christ prophesied in the Bible. The result was that they gained faith through the Scriptures. The noble attitude and mind displayed by the Bereans is a mirror for all those who criticize people who live according to the Bible and choose to follow it. They criticize them simply because they follow the Bible and do not wish to follow doctrines.

Berea Academy is made up of 52 lectures taught over four semesters for two years. The first two semesters cover the theme of ‘The Proper Lens to View the Bible’, the third semester covers ‘The Picture of God’s Will’, and the last semester deals with ‘The Mediation of the Gospel.’ There are several common factors discovered by those who come to know God’s Will through Berea Academy for the first time. Firstly, they see the reality of the spiritual realm. Secondly, they willingly dedicate their lives to fulfilling God’s Will. Thirdly, they preach the word of God based upon God’s Will using just the Bible. Fourthly, the signs and wonders promised by Jesus are manifested. Is this not what all pastors desire in their ministry? Featured below is a letter written by a pastor in 2010, after he graduated from Berea Academy.

“As I learned Berea Academy, I realized just how arrogant, foolish and incredibly ignorant I was about spiritual matters and about God’s Will. Berea Academy took me to a new spiritual level which I had never experienced before. I saw the works of God and His mighty power at work. I witnessed His Revelations and Plan with my own eyes.

At the same time, I also saw the problems and corruption of today’s churches. The things I learned from Berea Academy in a single month is much more than what I had learned from seven years at my local church. It is a sad reality to see the state of today’s churches. Ignorant religious life and false teachings are leading people toward mysticism, ignorance, and hypocrisy.

I now truly understand that Berea is the vessel of God this generation needs. I understand that it is the backbone to the Berea Movement which returns to the Bible. Berea is already giving new hope to countless churches around the world. This is why all of us at our church desire to spread the name of God and be a part of the Berea Movement.

How can I express the joy which I have received from Berea? I desire to spread the message of God’s Will to all Christians around me. I want to make them into righteous servants and children that please God. Please pray for me and my ministry. O my Soul, be His servant! O my family, be His servants! O my household, be His servants!

Let us all be the witnesses of His name!”

Persecuted for the sake of the Truth

Berea Academy is producing effective spiritual leaders throughout the world. There are already some great spiritual leaders within South Korea. But due to their unwillingness to take part in persecution for the sake of the teachings of the Berea Movement, they either hide their past or take out any key words related to the Berea Movement in their ministry. But their Berea Academy-based teachings and ministries are clearly producing big spiritual results. It can confidently be said that the contribution of the Berea Movement towards the growth of the churches in South Korea is far greater than actually credited.

Pastors who have been taught by Pastor Ki- Dong Kim in the past are hiding the fact they were taught by him and are hiding the fact that they had learned The Picture of God’s Will. The reason for this is related to the fact that the 260 or so denominations in South Korea are in conflict with one another. Until the 1950s, churches in South Korea were not divided into so many groups. However, after the war, churches were divided between those who submitted to Japanese shrine worship and those who resisted shrine worship. After this division, many denominations sprang up over the years. The interesting fact is that those who submitted to shrine worship were the first to persecute those who resisted it. Just as it says in Galatians 4:29, “But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now,” these types of persecutions are unfortunately rampant in South Korea. People living according to the flesh are still persecuting and slandering the faithful servants of God in a reckless way. As a result, the efforts of people returning to the Bible through the Holy Spirit are being misunderstood and distorted.

Fortunately, God has installed a few people willing to endure all kinds of persecution and hardship for the sake of spreading the truth. Despite these hardships, they desire to spread it to all the different corners of the world. Just as it says, “And they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd,” those who love the word of God will have the ability to discern the truth. Even if the majority of people are distorting the truth with their own ideologies and doctrines, there will always be those who desire to hear the word of God. The works of God are manifested through those who are able to endure persecution for the sake of the truth.

The Universal Right to Receive God’s Power

The reason why the Berea Movement has been able to spread throughout the world today, despite the persecutions and misunderstandings, is because the signs and powers of the Holy Spirit have followed those who understood God’s Will. The Berea Movement teaches the universal right to receive power. The signs and wonders which followed the Early Church can still be manifested through the saints today. Power is not a ‘special gift’ only to be received by certain people. It is the promise of God which people who know and obey His Will can exercise. There have been many servants for God throughout history. Some of them even showed these signs and healing power. These servants gave great shock to the people and many followed them. But when they passed away, the signs and healing power disappeared along with them. People had to wait until the next servants of God with signs and healing power could come. But the Berea Movement universally proclaims that whoever believes and obeys the Bible can become powerful saints. Every day, throughout the world, this claim has proven true through the Bereans.

The following is a letter from a pastor who witnessed the reality of the spiritual world through Pastor Ki Dong Kim’s books:

Let me first thank the Lord! We held a ‘Resurrection Praise Worship’ today at our church. Today, me and my co-workers prayed for the sick as we relied on the power of the Holy Spirit. As we prayed for them, signs and healing powers were manifested and people were healed. People with arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, heart problems, headaches, and other sicknesses were healed in the name of Jesus. Even though there were not many people, this was the first time anything like this had happened at our church. A lady who suffered rheumatoid arthritis had to be carried by her husband in order to come to our church, but she was completely healed during worship. She was jumping up and down as she gave her testimony. We witnessed the love of God abundantly that day. He truly loves us! Hallelujah!

Once again, we want to thank Pastor Kim. It is due to his books that we are aware of the Holy Spirit in this way. I also wish to thank all of the team at Sungrak Church who helped our ministry here. I am sorry I cannot remember all of your names, but God bless you all! Furthermore, as I mentioned in the previous letter, the young girl who was oppressed is now fully healed. Thank you for your prayers. Once again, thank you all. Immanuel!

From brother W of T city on April, 4 2010

Letters pour into our offices from churches all over the world, giving their testimonies about how they were able to show signs and healing powers. These people read the books of Pastor Kim and are now following exactly what the Bible is telling them. They have never met Pastor Kim, but from his books, they comprehend the spiritual world and gain faith. As a result, they have the same spiritual experiences as Pastor Kim himself. An important factor we must consider is that in order for people’s experiences to be universal, the principles for manifesting spiritual powers have to be clearly declared. If these principles are true, whoever exercises them will experience the same things. This is the universal right to receive God’s power, which the Berea Movement is proclaiming to the world. The Berea Movement teaches us that if you know these principles, you can utilize the same power and authority as revealed in the Bible. As mentioned before, this principle is ‘The Picture of God’s Will’.

Raising Leaders

When Pastor Ki-Dong Kim goes overseas to teach church leaders, he always teaches them about the Will of God as found in the Bible. Pastor Kim has been teaching and showing signs and healing power for many years. But the difference between him and other evangelists who perform similar signs is that his focus is more on the teaching of the Bible. So many times, we find this situation: people who focus on power and the works of the Holy Spirit lack the skills to teach the Bible, and those who focus on the teaching of the Bible lack the power and signs of the Holy Spirit. However, Pastor Kim has enabled people to possess power and authority through the teaching of the Bible.

Some churches invite famous evangelists to speak to their congregations. They hold huge assemblies and people come and receive God’s grace. But the sad reality is that the fervor of those who have attended these assemblies does not last very long and they return to how they were before. These types of assemblies may bless people and inspire them, but they cannot bring any fundamental changes. The only way these people can be filled with God’s grace is to invite another famous evangelist to speak. This results in repeated evangelical assemblies taking place throughout the year.

Pastor Ki-Dong Kim was once invited to speak in a particular place, and the congregation wanted to hold a massive assembly. But Pastor Kim insisted on only allowing 100 leaders to attend the meeting, since he wanted a fundamental change instead of a repetitive assembly. After the assembly, one of the pastors said this:

We have had assemblies in the past with world famous speakers and pastors coming to us and to our city. When we invited Pastor Kim, we thought of him as just one of the pastors like before. We did not expect anything different. However, we do not think the same now. When other pastors came, we thought they were powerful. But after they left, we found ourselves still spiritually weak and powerless. Because of this, we had to repeatedly call other guest speakers. If someone was sick, they had to wait until the next assembly. Everything, however, changed when Pastor Kim came. He taught us how to catch the fish instead of simply feeding us the fish.

Through Pastor Kim, we have learned that the Bible tells us about the reality of the spiritual world and about the reality of the authority of every Christian. But that is not the whole story! We realized this power is not just for Pastor Kim! The team members that came with him also drove out demons and healed the sick! We were able to witness firsthand the teachings of Pastor Kim being fulfilled. We even saw the cameramen casting out demons and healing the sick as they laid hands on the people! But a further surprise awaited us. We discovered that when we followed the teachings of the Bible and of Pastor Kim, we could also cast out demons and heal the sick by the laying on of our hands. As a result, instead of waiting for another revival or assembly, we now pray for the sick and cast out demons ourselves.

The Author of Over 250 Books

Pastor Ki-Dong Kim has written over 250 books in order to pass on the message of ‘The Picture of God’s Will’. It was revealed to him by God and the books were written for the many generations to come after him. These books focus on the Will of God through different topical themes, utilizing different approaches. Pastor Kim’s books have been translated into 30 different languages, and over 600 thousand copies have been spread throughout the world.

Some of the books he has written are Let Us Know God, The Picture of God’s Will, Let Us Know Jesus, God’s Perfect Decrees for Man, The Son of Man Came, Let Us Know the Holy Spirit, The Name of God, Let Us Return to the Bible , What is the Devil?, What are Deceiving Spirits?, What are Demons?, The Power to Vanquish the Devil, The Law and the Gospel, Wise Living Through Successful Worship, Covenant and Faith, Pray In This Way, Theories on Preaching Practices, Three Steps towards Pastorship, The Way to Great Lay Leadership, Principles of Pastoral Practices for Church Growth and The Understanding of the Original Greek in the Four Gospels.