Myungsung Presbyterian Church
| Myungsung Presbyterian Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Country | South Korea |
| Denomination | Presbyterian |
| Membership | 1,000,000 |
| Website | http://www.msch.or.kr |
| History | |
| Status | Megachurch |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Style | Modern |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) | Rev. Dr. Kim Sam-Whan |
| Myungsung Presbyterian Church | |
| Hangul | 명성교회 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 明聲教會 |
| Revised Romanization | Myeongseong Gyohoe |
| McCune–Reischauer | Myŏngsŏng Kyohoe |
Myung Sung Presbyterian Church is the largest Presbyterian church in the world.[citation needed] It was founded in 1980, and is located in Myung-il-dong, Seoul, South Korea, with its Prayer Sanctuary in Wonju. Myung Sung Presbyterian Church has over thirty church plants, including Myung Sung First Presbyterian Church, founded in 2004, and Myung Sung Second Presbyterian Church, founded in 2006, along with an additional ten "screen" (video) churches. The founder and current senior pastor of the church is Dr. Kim Sam Whan.
History
Myungsung literally means "Voice (Sung in Korean) of Myungil-dong" (now Myeongil-dong)[1] and it was named to be a small but earnest and modest praying voice toward God, even from the outskirts of Seoul in 1980. Initially, Myungsung Presbyterian Church was located in the building nearby the terminal of Seoul Bus No. 500 (serving from Myeongil-dong to Dongdaemun)[2] to evangelize people in Myeongil-dong, Gangdong-gu, Seoul, and then from September 1980, they started a campaign to promote "Weekly Pre-dawn Prayer Services (특별새벽집회)" every March and September since then. In addition, because there were lots of farms and orchards around the church, it had been renovated and developed into a huge housing complex by the mid 1980s. Then, it could be introduced to the general public, especially for its early morning Praying worship to the community near the church. Finally in 1989, Myungsung Presbyterian Church was rebuilt on its current site, with a scale of almost 8754 m². In 1990, the senior pastor Dr. Kim Sam Whan (김삼환) from Myungsung Church visited the Soviet Union (now Russia), and Poland for worship missions, as the first among the Protestant pastors in South Korea. In 2004, the church opened its affiliated hospital named MCM (Myungsung Christian Medical Center)[3] in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to serve untreated local people there. Myungsung is involved in social volunteering work such as a feeding service for the homeless. Sunday worship services are at 7:00, 9:10, 11:20, 13:30, 16:30, 17:00 and 19:30 (19:00 in winter). There are also specialized worship services for college students[4] and unmarried young adults[5] at 16:00 and 18:00 on Saturdays. Plus, the podium microphone in the main hall has been used since April 1989, and from January 2011, they began to accept a revised version of the Bible and a Gospel book during their worship time. In 2012, a new main sanctuary was built beside the former building.
Church mottos
“Lord Only” and “Seven Year as One Day”
English Worship Department
The Myungsung English Worship Department, led by Rev. Byun Chang Uk, holds worship services in English every Sunday. The department also offers an English Sunday School and youth group for students and a variety of English and Bible classes throughout the week.
Mission Department
As of 2006 the Myungsung Mission Department has been able to support 56 nations through 92 families and 172 missionaries. Myungsung Church also supports small churches, schools, hospitals, community centers, and future leaders.