The power of Christian churches rests in their ability to communicate the Word of God and draw people to the Teachings of Jesus Christ. In some cases, that is accomplished by touching large numbers of people. In others, reaching the ears of powerful people that influence the daily lives of millions can make a significant difference in Christian life. These are six of the world’s more forceful churches.
6: Deeper Christian Life Ministry
Growing from humble and what some might call radical roots, the Deeper Christian Life Ministry was founded by a Mathematics lecturer as a Bible study group at the University of Lagos in Nigeria. W.F. Kumuyi, a baptized Anglican, joined the Apostolic Faith Church but was expelled. The non-credentialed minister formed Deeper Christian during the 1970s and it spread internationally to places such as the sub-Sahara, U.K., Russia, India and North America.
The now Holiness-Pentecostal church reaches Christians in some of the most remote areas of Africa and focuses on specific doctrines such as water baptism, repentance, redemption and personal Evangelicalism among others.
5: Victory
This Every Nation, non-denominational church in Manila was founded by Steve and Deborah Murrell in 1984. The pair were on a short-term mission with 65 others and established the church that has flourished and grown to more than 60 cities in the Philippines.
The religious makeup of the multi-island nation has been under threat from Islamic Extremists in recent years. The Victory church, however, provides a strong Christian voice for a population that speaks at least 19 different languages and enjoys an 80-percent Roman Catholic makeup. Victory conducts more than 90 weekly sermons and has a leadership of more than 10,000 that minister to small groups. Its congregation totals more than 110,000.
4: Calvary Temple Church
Located in Hyderabad, India, this non-denominational Christian ministry has an average weekly attendance that exceeds 150,000. Founded in 2005 by pastor Satish Kumar and 25 faithful Christians, hundreds quickly attended regular services that reached 3,000 in just two years. In 2012, the megachurch erected a home that seated 18,000 and opened in 2013.
Services begin at 6am and end at 8pm daily. Senior Pastor Kumar places emphasis on connection to Israel, prayer and fasting. The Cavalry Temple goes as far as to issue members swipe cards that register upon entering. People who miss services automatically receive a phone call checking up on their welfare.
The church is the physical focal point of Indian Christianity and provides 10,000 Sunday meals for the poor, helps provide medications for about 50 percent of the congregants and flies the Israelis flag alongside India’s. Many consider the church a superhighway between Hyderabad and Jerusalem.
3: Without Walls International Church
This non-denominational, multi-cultural church may not garner the numbers of some other megachurches, but it includes the powerful senior Pastor Paula White. Founded by her and her former husband, Randy White, the church struggled during the 1990s to secure a fixed location, but now has several in Florida and attends to more than 20,000 weekly.
What makes this church so influential is senior Pastor Paula White. Combining a television show called “Paula White Today” and being the sitting chair of the president’s Evangelical Advisory Board, she has been named No. 3 on the “50 Most Powerful 2017: Philanthropy & Community Voices. She has been credited with facilitating Pres. Trump’s Born-Again awakening and acts as his personal spiritual advisor. Her direct communication on spiritual matters with the most powerful secular office in the world is important.
2: Yoido Full Gospel Church
In South Korea, this Pentecostal is a household name for good reason. Founded in 1958, it stands as the world’s largest fixed congregation at nearly a half-million souls. Its umbrella institution, Korean Assemblies of God, has garnered more than 800,000. So overwhelming is the Yoido following that services begin at 7am and run until 7pm daily.
Regular weekly worshipers are said to number more than 200,000 at the primary church on the island of Yeouido on the Han River. The church seats approximately 15,000, utilizes jumbo TV screens and offers translations into Japanese, English, Chinese and other languages via headsets.
If you consider that many define a “megachurch” by 2,000 or more in the flock, the Yoido Full Gospel Church and Korean Assemblies of God are global phenomenons.
1: Lakewood Church
Founded by televangelist Joel Osteen, sermons reach more than 7 million weekly and 20 million in more than 100 nations on a monthly basis. So prevalent in Christian life are Osteen’s sermons that they literally run 24/7 on Sirius XM Radio and he has seven NY Times Best-Selling books.
The son of a former Southern Baptist pastor, Osteen declined his father’s encouragement to preach. After returning from Oral Roberts University to Houston without graduating, he started a Lakewood television show to air his father’s sermons. His father passed six days after Joel gave his first sermon.
Even without a formal degree in divinity, his charismatic and heart-felt sermons quickly drew a large following and he was installed as Lakewood’s senior pastor. Attendance and church prominence grew exponentially. The Lakewood Church bought and renovated the former home of the Houston Rockets to house the growing congregation. His penchant is to focus on God’s goodness and living a life of obedience.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
