During the past three years, local authorities in China have banned the heretical Korean “Berea Church”. The “Berea Church”, originally from the Berea Movement launched by South Korea’s Sungark Church, was listed as a heresy by the Christian Council of Korea (CCK) around 2014. In October 2022, its chapels were demolished in different parts of China.
Since 2019, local governments have reported that organizations using the name “Berea Church” were shut down, adding that they were branches of Sungark Church in South Korea.
China Christian Council & the National Committee of Three-Self Patriotic Movement (CCC&TSPM) mentioned the sect in an article entitled: “Defending the Truth to Resist Heresies and Cults”. It wrote that overseas heresies and cults, particularly those “infiltrated” from South Korea into China, were very active and rampant. The list included the Shincheonji Church of Jesus, the Unification Church, the Church of God Jesus Witnesses, Sungark Church, Manmin Central Church, the Christian Gospel Mission (Providence), Mark's Upper Room Church (Drakbang) and Good News Mission.
“Those heresies and cults trample on family relations and ruin families; they kill lives in violation of human rights; they gain property by cheating or capturing by force.” The article continued that those sects endangered society, state power, social security and undermined the reputation of Christianity.
The “Berea Church” grew rapidly throughout China until 2019.
On October 12, the Bureau of Civil Affairs of Fuxin Mongol Autonomous County, Liaoning released a notice that Fuxin Rock Berea Church had been shut down on Oct. 2 on the basis of relevant regulations. Harbin Bureau of Civil Affairs, Heilongjiang, issued a similar announcement on October 11. The local governments in Fujian, Shandong, and Zhejiang have banned the “Berea Church” as well.
