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Emeritus Pastor David Yonggi Cho was born on 14 February 1936 as Paul Yungi Cho. He was the World’s Largest Congregation Leader and Founder Yoido Full Gospel Church based in Seoul – South Korea.
Yoido Full Gospel Church is a Pentecostal church affiliated with the Assemblies of God on Yeouido (Yoi Island) in Seoul, South Korea. With a claimed membership of 830,000 as of 2007.
It is the largest Pentecostal Christian congregation in South Korea and the world.
Founded by David Yonggi Cho and Choi Ja-shil in 1958, the church is presently led by Young Hoon Lee.
David Yonggi Cho Early life
Cho was born on 14 February 1936, in Ulju-gun, now part of Ulsan metropolitan city.
The son of Cho Doo-chun and Kim Bok-sun, Cho was the eldest of five brothers and four sisters. He graduated from middle school with honours.
Because his father’s sock and glove business went bankrupt, he could not afford high school or university tuition.
Subsequently, he enrolled in an inexpensive technical high school to learn a trade. At the same time, he began frequenting an American army base near his school, and learned English from soldiers whom he befriended.
He mastered English quickly, and became an interpreter for the commander of the army base, and also for the principal of his school.
Raised initially as a Buddhist, Cho converted to Christianity at the age of 17, after a beautiful girl visited him telling him about Jesus Christ, before he was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Sensing God calling him to the ministry, Cho began working as an interpreter for the American evangelist Ken Tize.
In 1956, he received a scholarship to study theology at Full Gospel Bible College in Seoul. While there, he met Choi Ja-shil, who became his mother-in-law and a close ministerial associate. He graduated in March 1958.
Dr David Yonggi Cho Ministry
Cho has spent more than 44 years emphasizing the importance of cell group ministry, which he believed is the key to church growth, as well as team ministry.
In November 1976, Cho founded Church Growth International, an organization dedicated to teaching the principles of evangelism and church growth to pastors all over the world.
In January 1986, he led the way in establishing the Elim Welfare Town, a facility for the elderly, the young, the homeless, and the unemployed.
The latter would be given training and a choice of four occupations. In 1988, he founded newspaper company, Kukmin Ilbo.
He was Chairman of the World Assemblies of God Fellowship from 1992 to 2000 and did not pursue another term, and has served as Chairman of the Korean Christian Leaders Association since November 1998. He has also served as Chairman of the Good People charity organization since February 1999.
In 2008, Cho retired, with Young Hoon Lee succeeding him as senior pastor.
Death Of David Yonggi Cho
Pastor David Yonggi Cho cause of death is Stroke.
Yonggi Cho died on 14 September 2021 at the age of 85 due to complications from the stroke.
He has been hospitalized since he collapsed from a brain hemorrhage in July 2020, he died in Seoul hospital at the age of 85 years old on September 14, 2021.