Former member exposes Shincheonji recruiting pastors

A former member who claims to have worked inside South Korea’s Shincheonji Church for several years told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that he was part of a team responsible for contacting and recruiting other church pastors. This is not ordinary evangelical outreach; it is a strategic operation with plans, lists, and progress tracking, aiming to attract entire parishes or congregations to Shincheonji.

The former member, Matthew, said the team, called the “Pastor Evangelism Team,” targeted pastors across Australia to convince them to adopt Shincheonji teachings. Once a pastor changed allegiance, they would bring their entire congregation with them. At least ten pastors reportedly had ongoing dialogues with the team, and around five showed keen interest in joining. Internal records revealed that Shincheonji had compiled over a thousand Australian churches’ and pastors’ contact details, tracking progress of communication, whether the pastor knew the church had been labeled a cult, and whether they opposed it.

Melbourne pastor Rasenberger said he had received multiple contact invitations. Some invitations appeared to be “interchurch dialogue” or “Bible study sessions” but were actually disguised recruitment activities. Upon investigation, he immediately refused and warned colleagues that it was a cult.

Shincheonji founder Lee Man-hee claims to be “divinely inspired,” teaching that only he can interpret the true meaning of the Book of Revelation and promising salvation to believers at the end of days. Mainstream Christian churches generally consider Shincheonji a fringe religion or cult rather than traditional Christianity.

The report notes that Shincheonji’s Australian branch is registered as a charity, currently enjoying certain legal protections and tax benefits. Supporters of former members and aid organizations are calling on the government to review which groups can receive such benefits to prevent cults from exploiting legal loopholes.