HA YONG-JO

Introduction

Someone got sick pulmonary tuberculosis at the age of 21, he recurred pulmonary

tuberculosis during his military service period. He suffered from diabetes and hepatitis, as a

side effect of medicines he took for treatment for Tuberculosis. Diabetes caused high blood

pressure and led to kidney failure and required dialysis three times a week during his

lifetime. Hepatitis caused cirrhosis and finally liver cancer. He also underwent seven cancer

surgeries. And he died of cerebral hemorrhage at the age of 64 finally. What can you expect

from this kind of sick person? This is the story of the pastor Ha Yong-jo, the founder of

Onnuri Church.

From his age 20, 1966 when he was born again in Jesus Christ,1 he lived like a flame.

He stayed in the grace of the Word, read the Bible overnight, fasted and prayed to God, and

proclaimed the testimony of the Lord he met. At the last Sunday worship service on the earth,

he urged the congregation to believe in Jesus as their Lord and savior.

His heritage for Korean churches

He was a preacher who changed the lives of the believers. He said in an interview of

how he loved to preach; He would die if he could not preach. As soon as he was in the pulpit,

he raised his voice as if he was not sick, proclaiming the Word of God. He was a mighty

preacher who meditated on God's Word before he preaches and preached the words of grace.

He influenced the changing World through an unchanging Word of God. When he

1
“Memorial Feature Interview Documentary, Ha Yong- Jo-Part 3. Taking life in mission,”
(video), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-1QpcEOtHU (accessed January 31, 2018).

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proclaimed, the believers responded with repentance and bore the fruit of the changed life.

The number of church members reached about 72,500. 2

He was a church reformer who rooted Christian culture in the church. He insisted that

if not at the core of the gospel, everything would change so that the church could

communicate with people and preach the gospel to the world. He introduced praise and

worship culture in Korea and conveyed the gospel to entertainers who were a blind spot of

the gospel and created new gospel culture through them. The publishing culture was renewed

through the Christian publishing company, the Hall of tyrannous and CGNTV started the

ministry through the mass media.

He was a mission mobilizer and a missionary. Although he could not become a

missionary because of his poor health, he visited missionaries if he can, and opened a mission

path like 'Love Sonata.' He challenged, trained and sent missionaries, and served them

wholeheartedly for a fruitful ministry. CGNTV is also a spiritual window that supplies the

spiritual needs of missionaries and has become the window of the gospel, that preaches the

gospel in the language of each country. In 1994, he proclaimed the vision which is “sending

2,000 missionaries and 10,000 laymen ministers by 2010.” In 2003, he proclaimed the vision

“Acts29” which In 1994, he proclaimed the vision which is "sending 2,000 missionaries and

10,000 laymen ministers by 2010. " In 2003, he proclaimed the vision “Acts 29” which is

‘reproducing the church of the Acts and sharing the Gospel to the world.’ By 2015, around

1750 missionaries were sent to the world, the Onnuri church had nine branch churches, four

prayer points in Korea, and 25 overseas branch churches around the world.

2
“Onnuri community church,”, http://www.onnuri.org/missions/2000-mission-ministry/missionaries-
in-the-field/ (accessed January 31, 2018).

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 In 2006, he went to Japan for medical care, he came up with a new cultural mission

assembly called the ‘Love Sonata’ and led a 40-days dawn prayer meeting as preparation,

under the slogan “From Okinawa to Sapporo,” he led a mission to Japan. The love sonata led

the model of cultural missionary work in Japan and other countries along with Korean

celebrities. It suggested the possibility of a new media missionary movement with the 24-

hour Educational Mission Satellite Broadcasting System, CGNTV.

Above all, he was a disciple who made disciples. The most important word that

characterizes his ministry was "Either teaching or learning." He was a true disciple who

continually learned and grew in the Word and was a spiritual leader who cared and built up

disciples' soul with love. At his leaving, there were young leaders ready to complete his

vision of the gospel on his behalf.

Conclusion

In evaluating a leader, there is no better way than to see what fruit is formed after he

left. In 2011, after he died, the church established a new leader. Many large churches are in

conflict in the process of establishing a new leader. The Onnuri Church has chosen Pastor

Lee Jae-hoon, who is one of his disciples, to succeed him. Many people had thought that the

new leader would have difficulty as the ministry of Ha Yong-jo was vast. However, because

they believed that, the church is not of a pastor, but of God, and founded on every layman's

leadership, so it has grown steadily over the past six years. His model for the faith and the

willingness to sacrifice himself for the glory of God is still imprinted in the minds of the

believers of Onnuri Church. Through the believers’ ministry in their workplaces, and the

missionaries’ ministering to the end of the world, his dream will be realized continually.

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 Bibliography

“Memorial Feature Interview Documentary Ha Yong- Jo-Part 3. Taking life in mission”

(video). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-1QpcEOtHU (accessed January 31, 2018).

“Onnuri community church.” http://www.onnuri.org/missions/2000-mission-

ministry/missionaries-in-the-field/ (accessed January 31, 2018).