True Jesus Church
Encyclopedia
The True Jesus Church is a non-denominational Christian church
that originated in Beijing
, China, in 1917. The current elected chairman of the TJC International Assembly is Preacher Yong-Ji Lin. Today, there are approximately 2.5 million members in fifty three countries and six continents. The church was established during the establishment of the Pentecostal movement in China
in the early 20th century. This movement started in United States and spread to China during the time of the first Pentecostal revival or, the Azusa Street Revival
in Los Angeles led by William J. Seymour
in 1906-1908. The church believes in One True God theology. They were also one of the three indigenous Chinese house church
es that existed before the Communist Party of China
ascension in 1949. The church aims to unite the churches as One Body of Christ and to preach the gospel
to all nations before the Second Coming
of Jesus Christ.
The ten essential doctrines and beliefs, which True Jesus Church believe in to worship God correctly, are:
1. Holy Spirit: "Receiving the promised Holy Spirit
, evidenced by speaking in tongues
, is the guarantee of our inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven
".
2. Baptism: "Water baptism
is the sacrament
for the remission
of sin
s and for regeneration
. The baptism must take place in natural living water, such as the river, sea, or spring
. Baptism, along with faith and repentance
, is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. The Baptist, whom already has had received baptism of water and the Holy Spirit, conducts the baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the person receiving the baptism must be completely immersed in water with head bowed and face downward".
3. Foot Washing: "The sacrament of washing of feet enables one to have a part with the Lord Jesus. It also serves as a constant reminder that one should have love
, holiness
, humility
, forgiveness
and service
.
Every person who has received water baptism
must have their feet washed in the name of Jesus Christ. Mutual feet-washing may be practiced whenever is appropriate".
4. Holy Communion: "The Holy Communion is the sacrament to commemorate the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. It enables us to partake of the flesh
and blood of our Lord and to be in communion with Him so that we can have eternal life
and be raised on the Last Day
. This sacrament shall be held as often as possible. Only one unleavened bread
and grape juice
shall be used".
5. Sabbath Day: "The Sabbath day
, the seventh day of the week (Saturday), is a Holy Day, blessed and sanctified by God. It is to be observed under the Lord's grace
for the commemoration of God's creation and salvation and with the hope of eternal rest in the life to come".
6. Jesus Christ: "Jesus Christ, the Word who became flesh, died on the cross
for the redemption of sinners, resurrected
on the third day and ascended to heaven. He is the only Saviour of mankind, the Creator of the heavens and earth
, and the only True God".
The church differs from most Christian denominations in that they do not believe the doctrine of the Trinity
—A doctrine affirmed in the city of Nicaea by the First Ecumenical Council
, which met there in 325 A.D. They believe in the One True God theology
which is similar to the Oneness Pentecostal
view of God.
7. The Bible: "The Holy Bible, consisting of the Old
and New Testament
s, is inspired by God, the only scriptural truth
, and the standard for Christian living".
8. Salvation: "Salvation
is given by the grace
of God through faith
. Believers must rely on the Holy Spirit to pursue holiness, to honour
God, and to love humanity".
9. The Church: "The True Jesus Church, established by our Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit during the time of the 'latter rain', is the restored True Church of the Apostolic time
".
10. Second Coming: "The Lord's Second Coming
will take place on the Last Day
when He descends from heaven to judge the world: the righteous will receive eternal life
, while the wicked will be eternally condemned".
This is the latest English
version that was adopted during the 9th TJC Delegates Conference in May 2005.
ritual celebrating the birth of the Sun
which was later adopted into the Christian church during the reign of the Roman
emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD. The church also does not celebrate Halloween
because it says the roots of Halloween can be traced back to an ancient Celtic festival called “Samhain” (meaning “Summer’s end,” pronounced “sow-en”). The festival took place on October 31 and marked the beginning of the dark season, which was associated with death and the waning of the sun.
Easter is not observed either, because the name “Easter” is linked to the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. There are also many references to the pagan religions in celebrations of Easter. However, the English word "Easter" derives from Anglo-Saxon customs; many other languages use the historical name of this festival, "Pascha", from "Passover
".
The first Protestant missionaries
to labor on Chinese soil began in 1807 with the arrival of the Scotsman
Robert Morrison.
After the Opium War in the 1840s missionaries from all over the world began to arrive in China. Hudson Taylor
founded the China Inland Mission
in 1865.
The 19th century witnessed a great increase in the number of Christians. In 1900 there were almost 111,000 Protestant Christians with 1,600 Chinese Christian workers and 2,000 missionaries.
, Ling-Sheng Zhang
, and later Barnabas Zhang
. According to the church history, Paul was led by the Holy Spirit
to be baptized in Yongding River
, West of Beijing, near the site of Marco Polo Bridge where the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War
had started later.
Later, the early co-workers met and firmly believed that it was the Lord's will for them to set up a true church that would correct all the past errors and misinterpretations in the doctrines of the other denominations and eventually reach perfection before the Lord's second coming.
For more facts and information, see the Regional histories below, China's TJC History, and Taiwan's TJC History.
In 1956 the Taiwanese General Assembly was established in Taichung
.
In 1967 the International Assembly was formed in Los Angeles (their administrative branch)
Although most of the believers were located in China, contact with the mainland was lost shortly after the 1949 communist revolution in and subsequent persecution of Christians throughout China.
- over 200,000 in Jiangsu
province alone -were members of the True Jesus Church, and in some areas almost whole village communities were converted to this church. The church claimed in 2004 to have 440 churches and 106 prayer houses with 86,970 members from around fifty three countries in six continents and prudent estimates of over 2.5 million more members in China.
s, Deacon
s and Preacher
s which are all below the fellow believers in the system. The following church offices pertain to this church:
A "Deacon" is defined as a member who has been ordained by the church to tend to the faith of the congregation, conduct sacraments, and set good examples for others. An "Elder" is a title given to a TJC member whom has attained at least fifty years of age and has ministered in the Church for at a minimum of seven years. A TJC "preacher" is a full-time church minister whose duties are prayer, preaching, attending to members’ spiritual needs, and the conducting of sacraments
Nowadays, representatives from each of the True Jesus Churches in the world also meet once every few years to elect a chairman of the International Assembly which focuses on the Church's development and future progress internationally.
There is a General Assembly in most of the countries mentioned above. The General assembly comprises the Theology
institution, Financial sector. In Taiwan, Central and local headquarters seem able to deal with the ever-expanding network of both rural and urban churches.
The church's publication effort has also helped the church to grow. Tracts have been written and produced in great numbers and these are made readily available to each church member. The press has become more sophisticated in its presentation of tracts and scriptural materials and is better able to meet the needs of the expanding church.
In some countries where there are not enough numbers of believers, prayer houses are established. When the number of believers are sufficient, a church dedication ceremony is made.
Non-denominational Christianity
In Christianity, nondenominational institutions or churches are those not formally aligned with an established denomination, or that remain otherwise officially autonomous. This, however, does not preclude an identifiable standard among such congregations...
that originated in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
, China, in 1917. The current elected chairman of the TJC International Assembly is Preacher Yong-Ji Lin. Today, there are approximately 2.5 million members in fifty three countries and six continents. The church was established during the establishment of the Pentecostal movement in China
Pentecostalism in China
The Pentecostal movement in China began when the first missionaries arrived in China in 1907. Almost immediately they put down roots in at least three places which later strongly influenced the development of Chinese Pentecostalism...
in the early 20th century. This movement started in United States and spread to China during the time of the first Pentecostal revival or, the Azusa Street Revival
Azusa Street Revival
The Azusa Street Revival was a historic Pentecostal revival meeting that took place in Los Angeles, California and is the origin of the Pentecostal movement. It was led by William J. Seymour, an African American preacher. It began with a meeting on April 14, 1906, and continued until roughly 1915...
in Los Angeles led by William J. Seymour
William J. Seymour
William Joseph Seymour was an African American minister, and an initiator of the Pentecostal religious movement.-Biography:...
in 1906-1908. The church believes in One True God theology. They were also one of the three indigenous Chinese house church
Chinese house church
Chinese house churches are a religious movement of unregistered assemblies of Christians in the People's Republic of China, which operate independently of the government-run Three-Self Patriotic Movement and China Christian Council for Protestant groups and the Chinese Patriotic Catholic...
es that existed before the Communist Party of China
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
ascension in 1949. The church aims to unite the churches as One Body of Christ and to preach the gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
to all nations before the Second Coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
of Jesus Christ.
The ten main doctrines and beliefs
The Church believes the sacraments must fulfill three requirements according to the Scripture. First, they must have been performed by Jesus Christ himself as an example; second, they must be directly related to our salvation, eternal life, entering the Heavenly Kingdom, and having a part with Jesus. Lastly, they must be of the sacraments which Jesus Christ instructed the disciples to do as well.The ten essential doctrines and beliefs, which True Jesus Church believe in to worship God correctly, are:
1. Holy Spirit: "Receiving the promised Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
, evidenced by speaking in tongues
Glossolalia
Glossolalia or speaking in tongues is the fluid vocalizing of speech-like syllables, often as part of religious practice. The significance of glossolalia has varied with time and place, with some considering it a part of a sacred language...
, is the guarantee of our inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
".
2. Baptism: "Water baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
is the sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
for the remission
Remission
Remission may refer to:*Remission , the state of absence of disease activity in patients with a chronic illness, with the possibility of return of disease activity*Remission , the reflection or scattering of light by a material...
of sin
Sin
In religion, sin is the violation or deviation of an eternal divine law or standard. The term sin may also refer to the state of having committed such a violation. Christians believe the moral code of conduct is decreed by God In religion, sin (also called peccancy) is the violation or deviation...
s and for regeneration
Regeneration (theology)
Regeneration, while sometimes perceived to be a step in the Ordo salutis , is generally understood in Christian theology to be the objective work of God in a believer's life. Spiritually, it means that God brings Christians to new life from a previous state of subjection to the decay of death...
. The baptism must take place in natural living water, such as the river, sea, or spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
. Baptism, along with faith and repentance
Repentance
Repentance is a change of thought to correct a wrong and gain forgiveness from a person who is wronged. In religious contexts it usually refers to confession to God, ceasing sin against God, and resolving to live according to religious law...
, is necessary for the forgiveness of sins. The Baptist, whom already has had received baptism of water and the Holy Spirit, conducts the baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the person receiving the baptism must be completely immersed in water with head bowed and face downward".
3. Foot Washing: "The sacrament of washing of feet enables one to have a part with the Lord Jesus. It also serves as a constant reminder that one should have love
Love
Love is an emotion of strong affection and personal attachment. In philosophical context, love is a virtue representing all of human kindness, compassion, and affection. Love is central to many religions, as in the Christian phrase, "God is love" or Agape in the Canonical gospels...
, holiness
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
, humility
Humility
Humility is the quality of being modest, and respectful. Humility, in various interpretations, is widely seen as a virtue in many religious and philosophical traditions, being connected with notions of transcendent unity with the universe or the divine, and of egolessness.-Term:The term "humility"...
, forgiveness
Forgiveness
Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all...
and service
Selfless Service
Selfless service is a commonly used term to denote a service which is performed without any expectation of result or award for the person performing it.-Religious significance:...
.
Every person who has received water baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
must have their feet washed in the name of Jesus Christ. Mutual feet-washing may be practiced whenever is appropriate".
4. Holy Communion: "The Holy Communion is the sacrament to commemorate the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. It enables us to partake of the flesh
Flesh
In vertebrate animals, flesh is the colloquial for biological tissue which consists of skeletal muscles and fat as opposed to bones, viscera and integuments. Flesh may be used as food, in which case it is called meat....
and blood of our Lord and to be in communion with Him so that we can have eternal life
Eternal life (Christianity)
In Christianity the term eternal life traditionally refers to continued life after death, rather than immortality. While scholars such as John H. Leith assert that...
and be raised on the Last Day
Last Judgment
The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, or The Day of the Lord in Christian theology, is the final and eternal judgment by God of every nation. The concept is found in all the Canonical gospels, particularly the Gospel of Matthew. It will purportedly take place after the...
. This sacrament shall be held as often as possible. Only one unleavened bread
Unleavened Bread
Unleavened Bread is a 1900 novel by American writer Robert Grant....
and grape juice
Grape juice
Grape juice is obtained from crushing and blending grapes into a liquid. The juice is often sold in stores or fermented and made into wine, brandy, or vinegar. In the wine industry, grape juice that contains 7-23 percent of pulp, skins, stems and seeds is often referred to as "must"...
shall be used".
5. Sabbath Day: "The Sabbath day
Sabbath in Seventh-day Adventism
Sabbath is an important part of the belief and practice of seventh-day Christians. These believers observe Sabbath on the seventh Hebrew day of the week, from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, in similar manner as in Judaism, rather than Lord's day on Sunday like a most forms of Christianity...
, the seventh day of the week (Saturday), is a Holy Day, blessed and sanctified by God. It is to be observed under the Lord's grace
Divine grace
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
for the commemoration of God's creation and salvation and with the hope of eternal rest in the life to come".
6. Jesus Christ: "Jesus Christ, the Word who became flesh, died on the cross
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
for the redemption of sinners, resurrected
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
on the third day and ascended to heaven. He is the only Saviour of mankind, the Creator of the heavens and earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and the only True God".
The church differs from most Christian denominations in that they do not believe the doctrine of the Trinity
Trinity
The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons : the Father, the Son , and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct yet coexist in unity, and are co-equal, co-eternal and consubstantial . Put another way, the three persons of the Trinity are of one being...
—A doctrine affirmed in the city of Nicaea by the First Ecumenical Council
First Council of Nicaea
The First Council of Nicaea was a council of Christian bishops convened in Nicaea in Bithynia by the Roman Emperor Constantine I in AD 325...
, which met there in 325 A.D. They believe in the One True God theology
Nontrinitarianism
Nontrinitarianism includes all Christian belief systems that disagree with the doctrine of the Trinity, namely, the teaching that God is three distinct hypostases and yet co-eternal, co-equal, and indivisibly united in one essence or ousia...
which is similar to the Oneness Pentecostal
Oneness Pentecostal
Oneness Pentecostalism refers to a grouping of denominations and believers within Pentecostal Christianity, all of whom subscribe to the nontrinitarian theological doctrine of Oneness...
view of God.
7. The Bible: "The Holy Bible, consisting of the Old
Old Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
and New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
s, is inspired by God, the only scriptural truth
Truth
Truth has a variety of meanings, such as the state of being in accord with fact or reality. It can also mean having fidelity to an original or to a standard or ideal. In a common usage, it also means constancy or sincerity in action or character...
, and the standard for Christian living".
8. Salvation: "Salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
is given by the grace
Grace (Christianity)
In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...
of God through faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
. Believers must rely on the Holy Spirit to pursue holiness, to honour
Honour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
God, and to love humanity".
9. The Church: "The True Jesus Church, established by our Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit during the time of the 'latter rain', is the restored True Church of the Apostolic time
Apostolic Age
The Apostolic Age of the history of Christianity is traditionally the period of the Twelve Apostles, dating from the Crucifixion of Jesus and the Great Commission in Jerusalem until the death of John the Apostle in Anatolia...
".
10. Second Coming: "The Lord's Second Coming
Second Coming
In Christian doctrine, the Second Coming of Christ, the Second Advent, or the Parousia, is the anticipated return of Jesus Christ from Heaven, where he sits at the Right Hand of God, to Earth. This prophecy is found in the canonical gospels and in most Christian and Islamic eschatologies...
will take place on the Last Day
End times
The end time, end times, or end of days is a time period described in the eschatological writings in the three Abrahamic religions and in doomsday scenarios in various other non-Abrahamic religions...
when He descends from heaven to judge the world: the righteous will receive eternal life
Eternal life (Christianity)
In Christianity the term eternal life traditionally refers to continued life after death, rather than immortality. While scholars such as John H. Leith assert that...
, while the wicked will be eternally condemned".
This is the latest English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
version that was adopted during the 9th TJC Delegates Conference in May 2005.
Other beliefs
The church does not celebrate Christmas since it considers 25 December to be originally associated with a paganPaganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
ritual celebrating the birth of the Sun
Solar deity
A solar deity is a sky deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived power and strength. Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms...
which was later adopted into the Christian church during the reign of the Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
emperor Constantine in the 4th century AD. The church also does not celebrate Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
because it says the roots of Halloween can be traced back to an ancient Celtic festival called “Samhain” (meaning “Summer’s end,” pronounced “sow-en”). The festival took place on October 31 and marked the beginning of the dark season, which was associated with death and the waning of the sun.
Easter is not observed either, because the name “Easter” is linked to the Anglo-Saxon goddess of spring. There are also many references to the pagan religions in celebrations of Easter. However, the English word "Easter" derives from Anglo-Saxon customs; many other languages use the historical name of this festival, "Pascha", from "Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
".
Historical background and origins
The successful attempts to evangelize China by Nestorian Christians from Persia (635-845 AD), the Roman Catholics and Jesuits (1265, 1601–1724) were short lived - they fell out of favour with the Chinese emperor and saw only scattered underground effortsThe first Protestant missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
to labor on Chinese soil began in 1807 with the arrival of the Scotsman
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Robert Morrison.
After the Opium War in the 1840s missionaries from all over the world began to arrive in China. Hudson Taylor
Hudson Taylor
James Hudson Taylor , was a British Protestant Christian missionary to China, and founder of the China Inland Mission . Taylor spent 51 years in China...
founded the China Inland Mission
China Inland Mission
OMF International is an interdenominational Protestant Christian missionary society, founded in Britain by Hudson Taylor on 25 June 1865.-Overview:...
in 1865.
The 19th century witnessed a great increase in the number of Christians. In 1900 there were almost 111,000 Protestant Christians with 1,600 Chinese Christian workers and 2,000 missionaries.
The origins of TJC
The three early workers of the True Jesus Church were Paul WeiPaul Wei
Paul Wei , previously known as Wèi Ēnbō , was born in Hebei province, China. He was a farmer from a poor family background and had very little education. In 1902 he migrated to Beijing where he later became a prosperous silk and merchandise dealer.By his own accounts, he was previously a...
, Ling-Sheng Zhang
Ling-Sheng Zhang
Zhang Lingsheng , was born in Shandong county, China.In 1900, Zhang converted to Christianity at the age of thirty seven and became a member of the Presbyterian church for seven years and was then appointed as a Deacon for the following three years.On September 1909 after hearing a testimony from...
, and later Barnabas Zhang
Barnabas Zhang
Barnabas Zhang , was an early preacher for the True Jesus Church in China, an indigenous Chinese church. Born in Wei County, Shandong Province, Zhang's former name was Diàn-Jǚ . His mother died when he was four years old and when his father remarried, Diàn-Jǚ often fled to distant locations...
. According to the church history, Paul was led by the Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit
Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of the Hebrew Bible, but understood differently in the main Abrahamic religions.While the general concept of a "Spirit" that permeates the cosmos has been used in various religions Holy Spirit is a term introduced in English translations of...
to be baptized in Yongding River
Yongding River
The Yongding River is a river in northern China. It is one of the main tributaries in the Hai River system and is best known as the largest river to flow through Beijing Municipality.-Geography:...
, West of Beijing, near the site of Marco Polo Bridge where the beginning of the Sino-Japanese War
Second Sino-Japanese War
The Second Sino-Japanese War was a military conflict fought primarily between the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan. From 1937 to 1941, China fought Japan with some economic help from Germany , the Soviet Union and the United States...
had started later.
Later, the early co-workers met and firmly believed that it was the Lord's will for them to set up a true church that would correct all the past errors and misinterpretations in the doctrines of the other denominations and eventually reach perfection before the Lord's second coming.
For more facts and information, see the Regional histories below, China's TJC History, and Taiwan's TJC History.
Regional histories
- True Jesus Church in ChinaTrue Jesus Church in ChinaThe True Jesus Church in China is a non-denominational church that was established in Beijing, China, in 1917 and continues today in the People's Republic of China...
- True Jesus Church in the Democratic Republic of the CongoTrue Jesus Church in the Democratic Republic of the CongoThe True Jesus Church in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the branch in the Democratic Republic of the Congo of the True Jesus Church, a nontrinitarian Christian denomination begun in China, growing out of the Pentecostal movement...
- True Jesus Church in IndiaTrue Jesus Church in IndiaThe True Jesus Church, started in China, is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination growing out of the Pentecostal movement.The True Jesus Church in India was brought there on two separate occasions...
- True Jesus Church in JapanTrue Jesus Church in JapanThe True Jesus Church in Japan was first established in Tokyo in 1946 by the Japanese Preachers Suda and Murata along with forty-four other Japanese church members who were repatriated from Taiwan to Japan.-Introduction: The Pentecostal movement in Japan:...
- True Jesus Church in KoreaTrue Jesus Church in KoreaThe True Jesus Church is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination begun in China, growing out of the Pentecostal movement. Since its foundation it has spread to other countries including Korea....
- True Jesus Church in MalaysiaTrue Jesus Church in MalaysiaThe True Jesus Church was first preached into Malaysia in 1926 when a deacon of the True Jesus Church in Singapore named John Voon handed out a copy of the Holy Spirit News , published by the Nanjing True Jesus Church General Assembly, to friend named En-fook Tsen in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah...
- True Jesus Church in Myanmar
- True Jesus Church in the PhilippinesTrue Jesus Church in the PhilippinesThe True Jesus Church is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination begun in China, growing out of the Pentecostal movement. Since its foundation it has spread to other countries including Philippines.-History:...
- True Jesus Church in SingaporeTrue Jesus Church in SingaporeThe True Jesus Church is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination begun in China, growing out of the Pentecostal movement. Since its foundation it has spread to other countries including Singapore....
- True Jesus Church in TaiwanTrue Jesus Church in TaiwanThe True Jesus Church is a nontrinitarian Christian denomination began in China, growing out of the Pentecostal movement. Since its foundation it has spread to other countries including Taiwan....
- True Jesus Church in Hawaii
In 1956 the Taiwanese General Assembly was established in Taichung
Taichung
-Demographics:Taichung’s population was an estimated 1,040,725 in August 2006. There are slightly more females in the city than males.24.32% of residents are children, while 16.63% are young people, 52.68% are middle-age, and 6.73% are elderly....
.
In 1967 the International Assembly was formed in Los Angeles (their administrative branch)
Although most of the believers were located in China, contact with the mainland was lost shortly after the 1949 communist revolution in and subsequent persecution of Christians throughout China.
Membership
By 2001, an estimated ten percent of Protestants in ChinaProtestantism in China
Protestant Christianity entered China in the early 19th century, taking root in a significant way during the Qing Dynasty. Some historians consider the Taiping Rebellion to have been influenced by Protestant Christian teachings. Since the mid-20th century, there has been an increase in the number...
- over 200,000 in Jiangsu
Jiangsu
' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
province alone -were members of the True Jesus Church, and in some areas almost whole village communities were converted to this church. The church claimed in 2004 to have 440 churches and 106 prayer houses with 86,970 members from around fifty three countries in six continents and prudent estimates of over 2.5 million more members in China.
- TJC Africa - Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Togo.
- TJC Americas
- North America - Canada, United States.
- Latin America - Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Paraguay
- TJC Asia
- Northeast Asia - China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan.
- Southeast Asia - Brunei, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.
- Southwest Asia - United Arab Emirates
- TJC Europe - Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, United Kingdom.
- TJC Oceania - Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga.
Administration
The workers are called divine workers who are the ElderElder (Christianity)
An elder in Christianity is a person valued for his wisdom who accordingly holds a particular position of responsibility in a Christian group. In some Christian traditions an elder is a clergy person who usually serves a local church or churches and who has been ordained to a ministry of Word,...
s, Deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
s and Preacher
Preacher
Preacher is a term for someone who preaches sermons or gives homilies. A preacher is distinct from a theologian by focusing on the communication rather than the development of doctrine. Others see preaching and theology as being intertwined...
s which are all below the fellow believers in the system. The following church offices pertain to this church:
A "Deacon" is defined as a member who has been ordained by the church to tend to the faith of the congregation, conduct sacraments, and set good examples for others. An "Elder" is a title given to a TJC member whom has attained at least fifty years of age and has ministered in the Church for at a minimum of seven years. A TJC "preacher" is a full-time church minister whose duties are prayer, preaching, attending to members’ spiritual needs, and the conducting of sacraments
Nowadays, representatives from each of the True Jesus Churches in the world also meet once every few years to elect a chairman of the International Assembly which focuses on the Church's development and future progress internationally.
There is a General Assembly in most of the countries mentioned above. The General assembly comprises the Theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
institution, Financial sector. In Taiwan, Central and local headquarters seem able to deal with the ever-expanding network of both rural and urban churches.
The church's publication effort has also helped the church to grow. Tracts have been written and produced in great numbers and these are made readily available to each church member. The press has become more sophisticated in its presentation of tracts and scriptural materials and is better able to meet the needs of the expanding church.
In some countries where there are not enough numbers of believers, prayer houses are established. When the number of believers are sufficient, a church dedication ceremony is made.
Nomenclature
Initially, the proposed name was "Jesus True Church" (耶穌真教會) but while the application for the church’s name was being registered at the Beijing police station the characters were accidentally assembled as “True Jesus Church” (真耶穌教會) and attached onto the church building. By 1927, the Shanghai TJC General Assembly decided to stick to the name.See also
- Chinese Independent ChurchesChinese Independent ChurchesThe Chinese Independent Churches are a major category of churches of Chinese people.During Missionary Council Meetings in the mid to late 19th century several Western missionaries started advocating for the Chinese Christians to become independent instead of relying on outside support and funds....
- Christian Sabbatarianism
- Christianity in ChinaChristianity in ChinaChristianity in China is a growing minority religion that comprises Protestants , Catholics , and a small number of Orthodox Christians. Although its lineage in China is not as ancient as the institutional religions of Taoism and Mahayana Buddhism, and the social system and ideology of...