UK Shincheonji Church: Separating the wheat from the chaff about their evangelism
A research paper of Human Rights Without Frontiers about a religious movement of foreign origin targeted by hate speech in some British media
By Willy Fautré and Hans Noot, director and associate director (*)
HRWF (12.01.2026) – Shincheonji, whose full name is Shincheonji Church of Jesus the Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony, is a Christian new religious movement which was founded in South Korea in 1984 by Chairman LEE (Lee Man Hee, born in 1931) and is still led by him as of January 2026. In early 2026, their membership could be estimated at over 500,000 with another 200,000 students studying on their Bible course, according to their own statistics.
This expansion could not remain unnoticed from mainline Christian churches in South Korea, particularly because in the past, most new congregation members of Shincheonji were coming from among their ranks. This triggered vigorous anti-Shincheonji campaigns from the religious establishment, especially some conservative Presbyterian Churches.
Pastors of anti-heretical counselling centres largely belonging to Presbyterian churches encouraged and participated in coercive de-conversion targeting Shincheonji congregations, a practice that aims to compel someone to recant the religion he or she has converted to.
According to annual statistics of Shincheonji over 2003-2019, about 1,500 of their congregation members had, as they say, “survived” coercive changes of religion. These included family abduction and confinement as well as ‘deprogramming’ using false rumours and slander about Shincheonji by Presbyterian pastors and other anti-Shincheonji activists. The victims were adults who had freely followed the teachings of the Shincheonji Church but had successfully resisted this “re-education” or had managed to escape. (#)
(#) HRWF does not consider the merits of religions or beliefs, nor align itself with any specific religion, theology or non-religious worldview. HRWF does not defend any particular religion or belief system, but instead defends freedom of religion or belief as guaranteed by Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration.
How Shincheonji members share their faith in the UK
In the UK, Shincheonji mainly gains new contacts through personal relationships, Christian seminars, social media invitations, and public promotion of Bible classes. However, they have been confronted with much criticism concerning their evangelism methods.
Former disgruntled members accused Shincheonji of ‘deceptive evangelism’ attempts under the guise of surveys on the street without their congregation members identifying themselves. For some years the church used this practice in response to already existing misconceptions. In the meantime this policy started to change.
When COVID started in 2019, Shincheonji in South Korea was accused of having hosted a meeting through which the pandemic was introduced in the country. A huge media campaign in South Korea targeted and vilified Shincheonji for months and years.
This further intensified already severe and deeply rooted misconceptions about Shincheonji, particularly prevalent in South Korea. This in turn resulted in numerous instances of discrimination against individuals identified as members of Shincheonji, including physical assaults, public ridicules, and dismissal from employment.
Due to this targeting of Shincheonji, promoting the movement in the UK in the same context was therefore a challenge. This explains the choice of ‘covered evangelism.’ However, this option happened to be counter-productive and generated more hostile media coverage. For these reasons, the movement in the UK has now moved to ‘open evangelism.’ For example, the Korean name of the church, Shincheonji, is translated into English, New Heaven New Earth.
On 11 August 2022, the Korean Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit based on deceptive evangelism. It ruled that what Shincheonji did was not illegal, hereby overturning a lower court’s decision.
On 12 August 2022, the Supreme Court of Korea declared that Shincheonji was not guilty of the widely publicized charge of violation of health regulations on COVID-19. This important court decision in South Korea restoring the truth remained however unreported and unnoticed in Europe.
How one becomes a congregation member of Shincheonji
One is not baptized into Shincheonji and congregation membership is not based on an emotional conversion experience.
Congregation membership can only be reached after actively participating in a substantial number of free Bible classes and passing a comprehensive exam which includes over 100 questions that candidates should answer in writing. This is to ensure a complete understanding of their Bible teachings. They include all the most typical and unique doctrines of Shincheonji. As such, it is impossible to become a part of the congregation of Shincheonji without understanding what the movement is all about.
Free one to one Bible lessons
Those wishing to study the Bible typically first engage in a number of free one to one Bible lessons (on average between 2 and 12 lessons) before embarking on the more in-depth Bible study course Not everyone who engages with the one to one lessons carries on to the Bible study course, but only those who have a strong desire to continue to study.
Free in-depth Bible education
Those who choose to continue, enter the “Zion Christian Mission Center” (ZCMC). It is a free, in-person and online Bible education institution established in 1990, provided without cost. It offers a systematic, multi-level curriculum divided into three main levels:
- Introduction (including parables about the secrets of the kingdom of Heaven)
- Intermediate (journey through prophecy and fulfilment in the Bible)
- Advanced (the testimony of Revelation’s fulfilment)
The training, as of 2025, is offered in more than 363 centers in 78 overseas countries, including London and other cities within the UK. Typical duration of the programme ranges from six to nine months and covers prophecy and fulfilment of the Biblical text.
Intentional commitment in the ZCMC is required: regular classes, exam study, note-taking and diagramming of doctrinal teachings, and active participation in group discussions and activities. Not all students who begin the Bible study go on to graduate, but it is estimated that around half of those registered in the UK to begin the course then go on to complete the graduation.
Graduation
Graduation requires a comprehensive examination which covers all stages of instruction with a formal expectation of a minimum score of 90%.
Graduation events in South Korea are significant public events. In recent years, they have celebrated more than 100,000 graduates almost annually, including 111,628 graduates in 2024, according to Korean media reports. Students don caps bearing the image of an open book, symbolising their acceptance of Shincheonji’s revealed teachings.
Registration in the ‘Book of Life’
Following graduation, students may register as official congregation members of Shincheonji Church if they want. Shincheonji explicitly links its congregation membership registry to God’s Book of Life.
For them, registration signifies taking one’s place among God’s people and becoming a citizen of heaven. It entails standing in full fellowship with the church’s spiritual and organisational life.
(*) While participating in an academic seminar in South Korea, Willy Fautré from HRWF took the opportunity to visit the premises of the Shincheonji Church and interviewed Chairman Lee and members of the church. Both authors interviewed members of Shincheonji in the UK.
