Volume 15, Issue 2 (2004) Yonggi Cho and the Yoida Full Gospel Church

Introduction to Special Issue on Yonggi Cho

Church growth leaders have studied the Yoido Full Gospel Church, located in Seoul, Korea, since the early 1970s. Its pastor, David Yonggi Cho, is considered to be one of the most innovative and creative church leaders in the world. Since the church’s founding in 1958, it has grown to over 840,000 members as of August 2003. On August 28-29, 2003, an international conference was held in Seoul, Korea to investigate the “Role of Leadership in Church Growth”. Jointly sponsored by the Institute for Church Growth and Hansei University, the conference presented various leadership models for church growth. Most of the models focused on the leadership of David Yonggi Cho. Dr. Younggi Hong of the Institute for Church Growth led the conference, and an international panel made numerous presentations and responses. Eddie Gibbs and Gary L. McIntosh, both members of the American Society for Church Growth, participated in the conference. While the Journal of the ASCG normally focuses on church growth issues related to North America, this issue reprints some of the presentations and responses from the Youngsan International Church Growth Conference. I believe these articles will prove to be of great interest to those who are aware of this great church and pastor.