Over 100,000 Students Graduate from Zion Christian Mission Center

Zion Christian Mission Center, the Biblical theological institution of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, held a graduation ceremony for the Mission Center’s Class #113 at Daegu Stadium in South Korea on November 20th, 2022. A total of 106,186 people from 79 countries - including students from the Washington Metropolitan area - graduated from Zion Christian Mission Center. This marks the world's largest graduation ceremony from a theological education institution.

In light of recent safety concerns, the in-person portion of the graduation ceremony was carefully planned and thoroughly prepared to prevent any safety issues. A representative of Shincheonji Church of Jesus said, "While preparing for this event, safety was considered first...and second...and third.”

In addition to working with local authorities the representative stated, “The church itself allocated a total of 14,000 appointed safety personnel to maintain order inside and outside the venue, and ensured that participants entered and left the venue over a period of four hours to prevent overcrowding. About 180 medical staff and four ambulances were also on standby in case of an accident." Also, church documents state all church safety personnel were given emergency rescue training and all participating graduates were required to watch emergency rescue videos prior to the event to ensure safety.

The event consisted of two parts, an opening ceremony and a graduation ceremony. The first ceremony consisted of a worship service, congratulatory speeches, congratulatory messages, representative prayers, and commemorative speeches by Shincheonji Church of Jesus Chairman Lee Man-Hee. The second ceremony included a congratulatory performance, a congratulatory speech by Tan Young-jin (The head of the Zion Christian Mission Center), the giving of a certificate of completion, a tassel turning, an award ceremony, a testimony from graduates, and a special final performance.

522 pastors were among this year’s Zion Christian Mission Center’s Class #113 graduates. This number is significantly higher than past years and is closely related to Zion Christian Mission Center’s new online class environment that was created due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shift to online classes meant that pastors were able to participate in the Mission Center’s Introductory, Intermediate, and Revelation (Advanced) courses without being exposed to other people during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heo Jung-wook, a student representative who shared his testimony at the graduation ceremony, is a current pastor who has been leading his congregation for a decade. After 20 years of ministry, he said, "I learned traditional theology in seminary, but I didn't know much about Revelation. I had only taught easy words to the saints, and did not share difficult teachings. I repent that I was a sinner who added and subtracted from the word of God," he shared further, "I put down all my possessions and came forward to the truth. Here I learned the true theology that leads me to Heaven, not the teachings of mankind. I thank God for giving me a chance to live".

D. Jackson is an Indian pastor that graduated in this ceremony. Jackson changed the name of his previous seminary to ‘Hepto Zion Christian Mission Center” after signing a memorandum of understanding and receiving the online Bible course from Shincheonji Church of Jesus in October of last year. Currently, 294 members of his church - including a pastor in charge of two affiliated branch churches - have completed the entire Zion Christian Mission Center seminary course and are listed as among this year’s graduating class.

In addition to the theology training of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the church has also focused on positively contributing to the revitalization of South Korea’s local economy. This has been accomplished in large part by holding the first large-scale in-person event in Daegu since the COVID-19 pandemic began. All possible expenditures, including transportation, accommodation, and meals for over 100,000 people were made in the region to help local residents.

After the Itaewon disaster on October 29th, there was great deliberation as to whether or not to proceed with the graduation ceremony. Ultimately, rather than abandon the mutually beneficial event, it was decided to continue with the ceremony and focus on safety as much as possible. This event was carefully conducted utilizing professional expertise on hosting large-scale domestic and foreign events.