How to Protect Your Church’s Ministries
Churches regularly interact with outside speakers, Bible study leaders, counselors, and ministry organizations. Deceptive groups may present themselves as ordinary Christian ministries. A former member told ABC News that Shincheonji’s pastor-outreach team operated under the name Zion Christian Mission Center, so pastors did not immediately recognize it as Shincheonji. ABC reports that Shincheonji’s Australian charity registration confirms the affiliation. That makes it important to check the people and organizations behind an invitation—not just the name on a flyer or website.
Source: ABC News (2 February 2026).
Next steps
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Search before you inviteVet the organization behind the invitationTake the risk seriously and stay humbleSet clear requirements before granting accessHave a plan for concernsMake due diligence part of normal ministry practiceSources and references1Search before you invite
Search the person, the ministry, its leaders and the program before you invite them, and verify what you find.
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Start with a basic online search. Look up the person’s name, the ministry’s name, its leaders, and the Bible study or program being offered. Try variations of the name and search for affiliations, past events, news coverage, and statements of faith.
AI tools can help identify leads and suggest questions to investigate. But verify what they tell you by checking original sources. AI can confuse people with similar names, miss relevant information, or repeat unsupported claims. Treat it as a research aid—not proof that someone is safe or dangerous.
If you can find little or nothing about a person or ministry, treat that as a reason to pause and ask more questions. It is not proof by itself that it is a deceptive group; a small or new ministry may have a limited online presence. Ask for leadership information, references, a statement of faith, and a clear explanation of the proposed activity. Verify those details independently before proceeding.
2Vet the organization behind the invitation
Check the organization behind the person: its names, leaders, funding, teaching and what it wants from your church.
Ask who they are, what they teach, and what organization they represent.
Do not check only the individual who contacted you. Find out:
- What organization they represent and whether it uses other names.
- Who leads and funds the organization.
- What it teaches and whether it has a written statement of faith.
- Which churches or ministries it claims to work with.
- What it wants from your church and its members.
- Whether the event or study will disclose its sponsoring organization to participants.
Does Shincheonji use other names?
Yes. Christianity Today and ABC News have reported Shincheonji recruiters in New Zealand and Australia using names such as Zion Christian Mission Center, Mount Zion, Cornerstone and Pathways Ministries; names vary by place and change over time.
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Christianity Today reported that Shincheonji recruiters in New Zealand visited congregations and campus groups. “When asked, they would say they were part of Zion Mission Center, New Heaven New Earth, or Mount Zion. (In recent years they have also used names like Cornerstone and Pathways Ministries.)”
Source: Christianity Today (13 December 2023).
A former member told ABC News that Shincheonji’s pastor-outreach team in Australia operated under the name Zion Christian Mission Center.
Source: ABC News (2 February 2026).
These names were reported in New Zealand and Australia, and the list is not complete. “New Heaven New Earth” is the English meaning of “Shincheonji,” according to Christianity Today, not a cover name. Christianity Today also reports that Zion Christian Mission Center began in Seoul in 1990 as the group’s own in-house seminary.
Source: Christianity Today (13 December 2023).
‘Ask directly about affiliations. A group’s public name may not reveal all of its connections. Christianity Today has reported that Shincheonji recruits through intensive Bible studies and may withhold its name or affiliation during outreach.
Source: Christianity Today (13 December 2023).
3Take the risk seriously and stay humble
Anyone can be deceived, so treat due diligence as normal, and keep suspicion separate from confirmed facts.
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Deception can happen to anyone. It is not limited to people who are uninformed, careless, or new to the faith. A group may build trust gradually, use familiar Christian language, and keep its identity or intentions unclear until someone is already invested.
An ABC News investigation described a former Shincheonji member’s account of years-long outreach to pastors. The former member, given the changed name “Matthew,” said of the pastors the team approached, “we have been in contact with them for years,” and described the gradual discussions about doctrine: “Slowly, we change their minds on certain topics.”
Source: ABC News (2 February 2026).
Pastors and mature believers should not assume they are immune. Due diligence is a normal part of protecting a church’s ministries.
At the same time, no single clue proves that a person or organization belongs to a deceptive group. Verify what you can, distinguish confirmed information from suspicion, and avoid repeating unsubstantiated claims.
4Set clear requirements before granting access
Require full disclosure, a written description, references and agreement to your policies before granting access.
Before an outside person or group teaches, hosts a Bible study, or recruits volunteers through your church, require:
- Full disclosure of organizational and denominational affiliations.
- A written description of the program and its teachings.
- References you can contact independently.
- Agreement to your church’s safeguarding and child-protection policies.
- Clear rules about recruiting, collecting member information, and contacting congregants outside the program.
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Do not provide access to church facilities, ministry events, or member contact lists until leadership has completed its review. Put expectations in writing and apply them consistently.
5Have a plan for concerns
Decide in advance who reviews partnerships and handles concerns, keep notes, and keep concerns confidential.
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Decide in advance who reviews outside partnerships, who contacts the organization when questions arise, and how concerns should be shared with church leadership. Keep notes of what was checked and what the organization said. If representatives avoid direct questions or will not disclose their affiliations, pause the event or partnership while you verify.
Keep concerns confidential and factual. Do not publicly label a person or group based on an incomplete search. If a concern is confirmed, explain the church’s decision clearly and protect congregants’ privacy.
6Make due diligence part of normal ministry practice
Make basic vetting a routine step for every outside speaker, study and partner.
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Do not wait until a problem appears. Make basic vetting a routine step for guest speakers, outside Bible studies, ministry partnerships, and any organization seeking access to congregants. A welcoming church can still ask careful questions before it endorses a ministry or gives it a platform.
Search. Ask. Verify. If the information is missing or unclear, pause until you have reliable answers.
7Sources and references
Every source used in this guide, with what each one supports.
Read more and sources
- 1. ABC News (2 February 2026): Ex-Shincheonji member says he was part of special team focused on recruiting pastors (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-02-02/ex-shincheonji-member-says-religion-cult-recruiting-pastors/106257352). A former member, “Matthew” (a changed name), on the pastor-outreach team operating as Zion Christian Mission Center, years of contact with pastors, and gradual doctrinal persuasion. ABC reports Shincheonji’s Australian charity registration confirms the affiliation.
- 2. Christianity Today (13 December 2023): A Korean Sect Targeted New Zealand Christians. Did Churches Respond Effectively? (https://www.christianitytoday.com/2023/12/shincheonji-new-zealand-korea-christian-church/). Shincheonji’s intensive Bible studies, withholding of its name and affiliation, names recruiters used in New Zealand, the meaning of “Shincheonji,” and the 1990 founding of Zion Christian Mission Center as an in-house seminary.