Glorious Gospel Christian Church

The Glorious Gospel Christian Church (Japanese: 栄光の福音キリスト教会, Eikō no Fukuin Kirisuto Kyōkai) is an independent Japanese church founded by Sugita Kōtarō (杉田好太郎) in 1936. Sugita converted to Christianity as a result of reading the Bible during a long illness following a period of military service. In preparation for the Christian ministry, he enrolled in the theological seminary of the Holiness Church in Tokyo. Following graduation and ordination, he was sent by Bishop Nakada Juji to serve as the pastor of the Holiness congregation in Aso, Kyushu. Sugita could not accept the hierarchical structure of the Holiness Church and established the Glorious Gospel Christian Church as an independent movement in 1936. The name of the church was taken from 1 Timothy 1:11, which makes a specific reference to the "glorious gospel of God." Although he rejected the religious authority of the Holiness tradition, he continued to observe the sacraments of baptism and the Lord's Supper and maintained the Holiness Church emphasis on divine healing.

Sugita rejected the clergy-laity distinction and believed that all Christians are expected to be witnesses of the gospel and those who are called to be evangelists must be self-supporting like the Apostle Paul (who was a tentmaker). Sugita supported himself as a math and English teacher and received no regular salary from the church. The church does not require a membership fee or tithe, but simply encourages members to support the church as God leads them. Over the years, a number of members donated their land or homes to establish ten churches around the country. The membership peaked at approximately three thousand in the late 1970s, but has declined rapidly over the past decade and is down to one thousand.^[1] The founder's wife succeeded him in 1972, but no clear program for training leaders was ever established. Worship services today follow the typical Protestant pattern of hymns, Bible reading, and prayers, but members listened to a taped sermon by the founder since no one has been properly trained to continue this role. The annual convention held in August is still attended by 200 to 300 members, but observance of the Lord's Supper has been abandoned since it is too much trouble to distribute bread and wine to that many people.

The church has an extended or modified cannon. Sugita also took a 'hopeful approach' to the fate of the ancestors who died without hearing and responding to the gospel of Christ in this life. They allow the extension of salvation to the spirit world of the deceased ancestors who did not have the opportunity to hear the gospel. He was also tolerant of his followers participating in Buddhist memorial rites and provided alternative memorial services to meet the needs of Japanese to indicate that Christians also showed care and respect for the dead.

References

1. 杉田好太郎. 栄光の福音大衆版 (A popular introduction to the glorious gospel)

External links

• Glorious Gospel Christian Church directory (Japanese)