The Good News Mission is an evangelical Christian organization founded in South Korea in the 1960s. Their beliefs are rooted in the Bible and focused on spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world.
History and Origins
The Good News Mission was founded in Seoul, South Korea by Rev. Ock Soo Park in 1963. Park had a dramatic conversion experience after attending a Billy Graham evangelistic rally in Seoul in the late 1950s. He felt called to preach the gospel and started holding revival meetings that grew into the Good News Mission organization.
The Good News Mission spread rapidly in South Korea and by the 1990s had expanded internationally to over 70 countries. They are especially active in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Their global headquarters is still located in Seoul.
Beliefs and Practices
As an evangelical Christian organization, the Good News Mission adheres to orthodox Christian beliefs based on the Bible. Some of their key beliefs include:
- The Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God.
- There is one God who exists eternally in three persons: God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- Jesus Christ is the Son of God who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died for the sins of the world, and bodily rose again from the dead.
- Salvation is by grace alone through faith in Jesus Christ.
- The Holy Spirit indwells believers and enables them to live godly lives.
- The church is the body of Christ and carries on His mission in the world.
- Jesus Christ will one day return bodily to judge the world and rule forever.
Some of the major practices and activities of the Good News Mission include:
- Evangelism and revival meetings – The core focus is proclaiming the gospel message and calling people to repentance and faith in cities around the world.
- Discipleship – They place a strong emphasis on training and discipling new believers to grow in maturity.
- Literature distribution – Print and digital Christian literature is distributed to spread their message.
- Media outreach – Television, radio, social media, and online channels are leveraged for evangelism.
- Education and training – Bible colleges have been established to train missionaries, pastors, and lay leaders.
- Church planting – New churches are planted in areas where the mission has evangelized new believers.
- Social service – Ministries of compassion to the poor and needy are part of their holistic mission.
Organizational Structure
The Good News Mission has a decentralized structure. Local congregations and ministries have autonomy but are connected and aligned through the central leadership in Korea:
- The International Headquarters in Seoul, led by the founder Rev. Ock Soo Park, provides overall direction and vision.
- National Headquarters in various countries provide coordination and leadership for their nation.
- Local churches and ministries carry out evangelism, discipleship, and works of service.
There are over 200 missionaries from Korea serving around the world. The churches planted by the mission are self-governing with leadership developed from local believers.
Controversies and Criticisms
The Good News Mission has faced some controversies and criticisms over the years, including:
- Accusations of cult-like authoritarian leadership under the founder.
- Complaints of overly aggressive evangelism tactics in some areas.
- Doctrinal disputes with other Christian groups over issues like speaking in tongues, interpretation of some prophecies, and claims of miracles.
- Questions about the founder’s dramatic conversion account and claims of receiving special revelation.
Defenders of the mission say these criticisms are unfounded or exaggerated. They point to the strong evangelical statement of faith, decentralized structure, and fruits of converted lives as evidence of an authentic Christian ministry.
Presence and Influence Today
Today the Good News Mission has churches and ministries established in over 90 countries worldwide. Some details about their current global presence include:
- Over 2 million registered members globally.
- Active churches, Bible colleges, and ministries across Asia, Africa, Latin America, North America, and Europe.
- Extensive literature published in dozens of languages.
- 24/7 cable TV channel and social media networks spreading their message.
- Conferences and events that draw tens of thousands of attendees.
- A growing presence on university campuses for evangelism.
While still centered in Korea, the Good News Mission aims to raise up local leaders and develop self-supporting, self-governing churches and ministries around the world. Their passionate focus remains on preaching the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ to all nations.
The Good News Mission provides an example of how a grassroots evangelistic movement from the developing world has taken root and spread globally. Though relatively unknown in Western nations, it represents a rapidly growing missionary force with influence across Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Their millions of converts and churches planted testify to an evangelistic zeal that resonates in societies often untouched by older denominational missions.
Relationships with Other Christians
As an evangelical movement with some doctrinal distinctives, the Good News Mission has faced tensions with other Christian groups at times. However, their statement of faith affirms orthodox Christian beliefs and they actively cooperate with other believers where possible.
In South Korea, the mission has strained relationships with established Presbyterian and Methodist churches due to aggressive evangelism controversies decades ago. This led to government restrictions on their public preaching that have since been lifted.
In the USA, the mission has Criticized trends toward theological liberalism and efforts to water down the gospel message. Their zealous evangelism and claims of miracles have also been controversial in American churches.
At the same time, the Good News Mission partners with many evangelical churches, ministries, and Christians from various denominations who share their concern for gospel proclamation and conversion. The mission has successfully contextualized their methods and trained local leaders to reach societies often resistant to traditional Christianity.
The phenomenal growth of the Good News Mission represents both a challenge and opportunity for the global evangelical movement. Their single-minded focus on the biblical gospel of salvation leads to inevitable tensions with Christians who may disagree on doctrines or methods. Yet their passion can also reinvigorate evangelistic urgency in churches tempted toward complacency and compromise. The breadth of their impact will likely continue influencing worldwide Christianity in the 21st century.
Training and Operations
The Good News Mission has developed an extensive infrastructure to train believers and operate their ministries around the world:
- International Headquarters – Located in Seoul, this 60,000 square meter complex houses the mission’s leadership, training center, media production, and international coordination.
- USA National Headquarters – Based in Los Angeles, this serves as a hub for American operations with offices, lodging, and event facilities.
- Regional Bible Centers – Multiple training centers in Asia, Africa, and Latin America offer 3-6 month intensive discipleship courses.
- International Internet Bible Seminary – Online 3-year seminary training program accessible globally to equip leaders.
- Good News Corps – A program for graduates who commit 1-3 years to gospel work as missionaries.
- Media Networks – Global TV and radio broadcasts, social media, literature distribution expand their reach.
- Conferences and events – Large-scale regional events mobilize and train believers around the world.
This extensive infrastructure enables systematic evangelism, discipleship, leadership development, and coordination across the mission’s global network. Their operations capacity rivals many denominations and maximizes impact from limited resources. It provides a platform poised for continued growth.
Philosophy of Ministry
Several key aspects shape the Good News Mission’s philosophy of ministry:
- Urgent evangelism – With the belief that Jesus could return at any time, proclaiming the gospel widely and rapidly is critical.
- Revival focus – Events aim for spiritual awakening, repentance, and conversion versus simply teaching.
- Equipping laity – Ordinary believers are trained and activated to evangelize, plant churches, and lead ministries.
- Purity of gospel – Compromises to the biblical message must be avoided in reaching cultures.
- Decentralization – Local leaders given authority avoids rigid top-down hierarchy.
- Holistic mission – Addressing physical needs demonstrates Christ’s love alongside evangelism.
- Contextualization – Adjusting methods to effectively communicate the unchanging gospel in each culture.
This philosophy pairs passion for biblical truth with flexibility in application. It has enabled adaptation across diverse settings while retaining focus on their core priority – calling people everywhere to repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
Conclusion
In just a few decades, the Good News Mission has grown from a small Korean evangelistic ministry into a global network spanning nearly 100 nations. Their vision remains reaching the lost with the message of salvation in Jesus Christ until He returns.
While facing controversies and criticisms common to movements experiencing rapid growth, the fruits of changed lives testify to authentic Christian faith. Their philosophy of urgent evangelism, revival focus, dedicated discipleship, and grassroots leadership development fuels ongoing expansion.
As the Good News Mission continues contextualizing their methods for new cultures without compromising the biblical gospel, it is positioned to keep impacting the worldwide Christian movement. Increased cooperation with other evangelical churches and organizations could also enhance their future influence for Christ’s mission on earth.
