Fetal movement of Full Gospel Tokyo Church, dates back when missionary Ketcham at that time the Far East Pacific Ocean district director for the American Assemblies of God, gave to the late Pastor Choi Jashil, a round-trip air ticket to Tokyo as a gift.
The air ticket was a gift to the pastor to offer time to rest. Yet, while staying about 40 days in Japan, Pastor Choi Jashil led an evangelistic meeting, and started to have a burning desire for evangelistic mission in Japan.
This burning desire was, through the guidance of God, handed down to the late senior deaconess Kang Unsun who was the daugther of a close friend of Pastor Choi Jashil. And through a revival crusade led by Chairman of the Boad Reverend Yonggi Cho, worshippers from three different families started to attend the home worship service in deaconess Kang’s house.
At first in a small house located next to the Russian Embassy in Azabu, then settling a chapel in Tokyo Yotsuya in December 1979, what started as a home worship became an official ministry as Full Gospel Tokyo Church(=”FGTC”). Around that time, church members increased to about 100 members. From July 6 1980, sermons of Rev. Yonggi Cho began to be aired on the Japanese Kinki TV under the title “Invitation to Happiness” , accelerating thus the “the salvation of ten million souls in Japan” . However, during more than two years from December 1982, Full Gospel Tokyo Church went through a time of ordeal by the absence of a pastor. Even admist this ordeal, Rev. Yonggi Cho took more and more zeal in the evangelistic mission in Japan,and led for example a two day big crusade gathering more than 6,000 people at the Nippon Budokan. The works and efforts for Japan evangelism were unstoppable .
Helped by the dispatch of a pastor from Yoido Full Gospel Church in February 1985, the church was relocated from Yotsuya to Okubo area in Shinjuku, on May 5th in the same year. After that, though the church was growing steadily, it was again confronted to a big ordeal in October 1990. Embarassing conditions of having no place to worship lasted more than two months, yet undaunted, they held worship sevices in parks or in language schools, and when all church members prayed joining forces together, God, seeing them crying in their prayers, answered to their prayer. On Dec. 7 1990, a new chapel was given and FGTC was able to freshly start again.
The church continued to grow, and its members numbered around 700-800 people.
In May 1994, the church relocated to Shinjuku Pine Bldg and started to grow considerably. And in March 2002, it signed a contract to purchase the current church building in Shinjuku Kabukicho. God gave to FGTC, its own land and building as a gift for the prayers and devotions of the minister and all the FGTC members and above all for the 25 years of tremendous hard works by Rev. Yonggi Cho. On December 17 2002, FGTC welcomed Rev. Yonggi Cho and dedicated a “FGTC New Sanctuary Consecration” worship service. Becoming a religious corporation in 2003, it achieved further growth and is continuosly advancing in the works for the “salvation of 10 million souls” in Japan.
Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, FGTC continues to work for the evangelism in Japan. FGTC has experienced a lot of hardship to this day, but was able to overcome them by the prayers and words of Rev. Yonggi Cho and of all the current and past pastors and ministers, as well as by the prayers in tears and the dedications of the church members. We firmly believe that such a faithful walk will be passed on to our young members responsible for the next generation, and that the evangelistic mission in Japan which pleases God will be accomplished through FGTC.
2014, 11 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Shigemasa Shigaki |
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2011, 04 | Kasai Branch Church and Hachioji Branch Church become independent |
2011, 03 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Daewon Jung |
2008, 08 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Sangin Han |
2006, 12 | Opening of Nippori Branch Church |
2004, 02 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Sungsoo Kim |
2003, 07 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Bongjun Kim |
2003, 02 | Becomes a religious corporation |
2002, 12 | Consecration Worship Service for New Sanctuary in Kabukicho Shinjuku-ku 2-2-19 |
2002, 11 | Inauguration Worship Service for New Sanctuary in Kabukicho Shinjuku-ku 2-2-19 |
2002, 01 | Branch churches (Yamagata, Sakata, Kofu, Sendai, Fussa, Kashiwa, Hamamatsu, Sapporo) become independent. |
2001, 06 | Integration of Full Gospel Kawasaki Church to FGTC |
2001, 04 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Young Hoon Lee |
2000 | Opening of branch churches in Fujisawa, Kofu, Sendai, Sakata, Kashiwa, Hamamatsu, Sapporo |
1998, 11 | Opening of branch church in Yamagata |
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1997, 07 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Yongwoo Choi |
1997, 02 | Saitamma Branch Church becomes independent as Full Gospel Saitama Church. |
1997, 02 | Matsudo Branch Church becomes independent as Full Gospel Matsudo Church. |
1996, 11 | Opening of Full Gospel Akikawa Prayer Mountain |
1996, 08 | Opening of Kasai Branch Church |
1995, 03 | Opening of Saitama Branch Church |
1994, 07 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Sungnam Shin |
1994, 04 | Relocation to Kita Shinjuku in Shinjuku-ku |
1993, 06 | Integration of Ueno Branch Church to FGTC |
1993, 06 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Byeonggu Song |
1993, 01 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Taesun Cho |
1992, 09 | Opening of Fussa Branch Church |
1992, 02 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Deokgyu Yun |
1991, 11 | Opening of Ueno Branch Church |
1991, 08 | Opening of Hachioji and Matsudo Branch Churches |
1991, 07 | Opening of Kinshicho Branch Church |
1991, 01 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Munsu Han |
1985, 01 | Relocation to Okubo, Shinjuku-ku |
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1983, 12 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Kanghoen Lee |
1979, 05 | Relocation to Yotsuya, Shinjuku-ku (Established as Tokyo Church of Full Gospel Yoido Church) |
1978, 04 | Appointment of Senior Pastor Ester Choi |
1977, 04 | Start of home worship meeting in Minato-ku Tokyo |
1974 | Start of Japan ministry led by pastor Choi Jashil |