Tens of thousands of graduates from Shincheonji Church of Jesus, including more than 2,200 pastors, gathered on 2 November to celebrate the completion of an intensive Bible course at the church’s Cheongju headquarters. The 116th class of the Zion Christian Mission Centre marked a milestone for the movement, with a total of 59,192 students graduating this year.
The church described the event as a celebration of “believers who have mastered the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.” Chairman Lee Man-hee told graduates, “The Bible warns that no one who adds to or takes away from God’s Word can enter heaven. Our church has mastered the Book of Revelation. If you want genuine faith—if you truly want to know God’s Word—come to Shincheonji and learn.”
The Zion Christian Mission Centre requires students to complete three levels of study—elementary, intermediate, and advanced—and achieve at least 90 out of 100 on the final comprehensive exam.
Lee urged Christians worldwide to “look to the Word, and see if your faith is truly biblical,” emphasising that understanding Scripture should not depend on church hierarchy.
The church said that 2,248 ordained pastors were among this year’s graduates, bringing the total number of pastors who have completed the program over the past four years to more than 13,500. One such graduate, former pastor Oh Sun-kyung, said she had “preached with confidence but carried a heavy burden—I could not understand Revelation.”
“I read the Bible over 30 times, but the answers never came,” she said. “Within an hour of the first class, my heart opened. Every lesson was grounded in Scripture—nothing else. Now I can say with conviction: I have mastered Revelation.”
Testimonies were shared from across the world, including from the Netherlands and South Korea. Lígia Monteiro, a 19-year-old graduate from the Netherlands, said, “What makes Shincheonji different is that they don’t interpret the Bible based on personal opinion. Every verse is explained using Scripture itself. That’s what moved me.”
Tan Young-jin, Director-General of the Zion Christian Mission Centre, said, “Despite prejudice and misunderstanding, more people are being renewed through the Word. This proves God is with us. These graduates have uncovered biblical truths even pastors once struggled to understand—this isn’t just knowledge, it’s transformation through truth.”
The ceremony, themed “Love and Blessing—The Light That Shines on the World,” drew more than 20,000 participants in person and thousands more online from Shincheonji churches worldwide. The event concluded with worship and thanksgiving, as graduates described the occasion as a celebration of “faith reborn through the Word.”
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