Early
life: 1958–1961
He was born on February 14, 1936, in
Ulju-gun, now part of Ulsan metropolitan city.[3] The son of Cho Doo-chun and Kim
Bok-sun, Cho was the eldest of five brothers and four sisters. He graduated
from middle school with honours. Because his father's sock and glove business
went bankrupt, he
could not afford high school or university tuition. Subsequently, he enrolled in an inexpensive technical high school to learn a trade. At the same time, he began frequenting an American army base near his school, and learned English from soldiers whom he befriended. He mastered English quickly, and became an interpreter for the commander of the army base, and also for the principal of his school.
could not afford high school or university tuition. Subsequently, he enrolled in an inexpensive technical high school to learn a trade. At the same time, he began frequenting an American army base near his school, and learned English from soldiers whom he befriended. He mastered English quickly, and became an interpreter for the commander of the army base, and also for the principal of his school.
Raised initially as a Buddhist,[4] Cho converted to Christianity at the age of 17, after a girl
visited him daily telling him about Jesus Christ, after he was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Believing that God had called him
to the ministry, Cho began working as an interpreter for the American
evangelist Ken Tize.
In 1956, he received a scholarship to study theology at Full Gospel Bible College in Seoul.
While there, he met Choi
Ja-Shil (최자실),
who became his mother-in-law and a close ministerial associate. He graduated in
March 1958.
The
Daejo Church
In May 1958, Cho held his first
worship service in the home of his friend, Choi Ja-shil. Only Choi and her
three children attended the service, but the church grew rapidly and soon had
50 members. Cho and church members began a campaign of knocking on doors and
inviting people to come to church, and within three years, it had grown to four
hundred members.[citation needed]
In 1961, the church purchased its first plot of land at Seodaemun-gu.
The church's expansion program
suffered a setback in January 1961, when Cho was conscripted by the South Korean army for national service. He asked John
Hurston, an American missionary, to pastor the church in his
absence. Cho's service in the army was short-lived. He required surgery for a
serious intestinal illness, and on the grounds of ill health, he was discharged
from the army after just seven months of service.
The
Seodaemun Church: 1961–1973
Following his military discharge,
Cho once again began his pastoral work, despite continuing ill health. A
1500-seat auditorium was constructed on the plot of land at Seodaemun. It
opened in November 1961. The church soon outgrew its premises: by 1964 it
numbered three thousand.[citation needed]
Soon afterwards, Cho had married Kim
Sung-hye (김성혜),
the daughter of Choi Ja-shil, on 1 March 1965. In the meantime, Cho had been
continuing to overwork, and suffered a collapse in 1965. Realizing that the
work of leading a large congregation was too much for one person, Cho divided
the city of Seoul into twenty zones, or "cells," as
he called them, and began training leaders for each cell, who would hold
services for worship and Bible study in their homes
during the week. Cell leaders were encouraged to invite non-Christian
neighbours to attend, to learn about Christianity. Each cell leader was
required to train an assistant, and when cell membership reached a certain
number, the assistant leader would form a new cell, taking about half of the
old cell with him or her.[citation needed]
By 1968, the church numbered eight
thousand members;[citation needed]
in addition to weekly cell meetings, the church was holding three Sunday
services. Even three services proved insufficient to accommodate all members of
the church, however, and Cho decided to purchase a larger property on Yeouido Island, in the Han River, which
flows through Seoul.
The
Yoido Church: 1973–present
Economic problems delayed the
construction of a church on Yeouido (Yeoui Island), but
in 1973, the new ten thousand-seat auditorium was completed. Its first worship
service was held on 23 September 1973. In the same year, Prayer Mountain, a sanctuary where individuals
can lock themselves away in small cubicles for prayer and fasting, was
established. Expanded in 1982 to accommodate ten thousand people, Prayer
Mountain is now visited by more than a million people each year, including some
ten thousand foreign pilgrims. The church continued to grow exponentially; its
membership reached 400,000 in 1984, and 700,000 in 1992. In the 1990s, Cho
decided that rather than expanding further, the church should establish
satellite churches in other parts of the city.
Wider
ministry
Cho has spent more than 44 years
emphasizing the importance of cell group ministry, which he believes is the key
to church growth, as well as team ministry.
In November 1976, Cho founded Church Growth International, an organization
dedicated to teaching the principles of evangelism and church growth to pastors
all over the world. In January 1986, he led the way in establishing the Elim
Welfare Town, a facility for the elderly, the young, the homeless,
and the unemployed. The latter would be given training and a choice of four
occupations. In March of the same year, he founded Hansei University. In 1988, he founded newspaper
company, kukmin Ilbo. He was Chairman of the World
Assemblies of God Fellowship from 1992 to 2000, and has served as
Chairman of the Korean Christian Leaders Association since
November 1998. He has also served as Chairman of the Good People charity
organization since February 1999.
Distinctive
teachings
Salvation for the soul, Good health,
Prosperity
As well as the usual salvation for
the soul, David Cho wishes for every believer that salvation would ensure
wellness of the soul which brings the true essence for good health (healing)
and wealth .
Biblical basis: 3 John 1:2 says,
"Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go
well with you, even as your soul is getting along well." (NIV)
"Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in
health, even as thy soul prospereth." (KJV)
He calls these the threefold
blessing:
- Salvation for the soul: "When a man accepts Christ as his Saviour and his
spirit comes alive, that reborn spirit becomes the master of the soul,
having command over it, and uses the body as a place of residence. A
person who experiences a rebirth of the spirit also experiences a rebirth
of the conscience, a longing for the Word of God, a hope for the spiritual
realm, and begins to communicate with God through prayer and worship and
praises the Lord, and comes to feel the existence of God through every
fiber of his body."
- Good health:
"The physical curse of illness and death which were handed down
through generations after the first sin of Adam were cleansed whole with
no trace. Now, we must base our lives on the redemption of Christ, and
claim our right to health and divine healing. Also, Christians receive the
seed of eternal life (I Corinthians 15:42-45)."
- Prosperity:
"We must rethink our misguided thoughts considering material wealth
as being equated with sin. We must drive out our subconsciously rooted
thoughts of poverty, condemnation and despair. God acts in concordance
with our conscience; If our thoughts are filled with poverty and despair,
God bless us with material blessing."
Belief
in the fourth dimension
"Then God spoke to my heart,
'Son, as the second dimension includes and controls the first dimension, and
the third dimension includes and controls the second dimension, so the fourth
dimension includes and controls the third dimension, producing a creation of
order and beauty. The spirit is the fourth dimension. Every human being is a
spiritual being as well as a physical being. They have the fourth dimension as
well as the third dimension in their hearts.' So men, by exploring their
spiritual sphere of the fourth dimension through the development of
concentrated visions and dreams in their imaginations, can brood over and
incubate the third dimension, influencing and changing it. This is what the
Holy Spirit taught me." — Cho, The Fourth Dimension 1979: p 40
Awards
and honors
Cho received an honorary doctor of
divinity degree from Bethany Bible College, Santa Cruz, California, in 1968. He
has also received honors such as being a passenger of a car that was driven by
a president of a country. Pastor Cho has had many distinct privileges and
honors during his years, and one time, he was able to hold a crusade with an
attendance of over one million. [4]
Controversies
In March, 2011, Cho again became a
subject of controversy when he reportedly made comments suggesting that the 2011 Tōhoku
tsunami "could be a warning from God to Japan, which has become
an increasingly materialistic, secular and idol-worshiping country."
However, this interview was so distorted, text of apology was announced by The
News Mission.[5]
In September 2011, 29 church elders
out of 1,500 elders filed lawsuit by South Korean prosecutors. The prosecutors
began an investigation of Cho's alleged embezzlement of 23 billion ($20 million
USD) from the Yoido Full Gospel
Church's funds. A national broadcaster, MBC,
released a documentary that claimed the money had been used to buy properties
for Bethesda University in Anaheim, California, United States, which Cho
founded.[6] In June 2016,This incident became a
non-prosecution because "no suspicion".[7]
No
suspicion
On 20 February 2014, Cho was found
guilty of tax evasion, sentenced
to three years imprisonment, suspended for
five years, and fined the equivalent of almost $5 million. His oldest son Cho
Hee-jun was sentenced to three years imprisonment. The charges arose from Cho's
church purchasing shares from his son's church at above market value and
fraudulently claiming tax relief.
Dr. Cho was not sent to prison, and
was able to continue his work. The church remains strong, and according to the
current senior pastor, is growing.
Dr. Cho has apologized publicly, and
said "God forbid, if God calls me back today, I will still be able to go
to the Kingdom of God," acknowledging his wrongdoings.
This conviction has been known by
inside sources as not a controversy that directly happened because of Dr. Cho
himself.[8][9][10][11]
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