Victory Christian Fellowship

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Victory
"Honor God, Make Disciples."[1]
"Honor God, Make Disciples."[1]
Location 32nd Street corner University Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City
Country Philippines
Denomination Evangelical Christian
Membership 110,000 (2015)
Website www.victory.org.ph
History
Founded 1984
Architecture
Status Megachurch
Functional status Active
Style Modern
Clergy
Senior pastor(s)
  • Steve Murrell
  • Manny Carlos
  • Joey Bonifacio
  • Ferdie Cabiling

Victory (formerly known as Victory Christian Fellowship or VCF) is a non-denominational Evangelical megachurch based in the Philippines and a founding member of the Every Nation Churches and Ministries, a worldwide movement of churches. 82,000 members meet weekly at its fifteen locations in Metro Manila alone. It is listed as the fifth largest church in Asia in terms of weekly attendance.[2] Victory is also one of the fastest growing churches in the Philippines, it has grown 25% each year for the last 12 years.[3][4] Its corporate offices are located at the Every Nation Building on the corner of 32nd Street and University Parkway in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City.

History

In 1984, under Maranatha Campus Ministries, Rice Broocks,[5] Al Manamtam, Steve Murrell,[6] his wife Deborah Murrell, and their team of sixty-five students went to Manila for one month of outreach and evangelism. This gave birth to Victory Metro Manila. The initial outreach led to a congregation of 150 primarily college students, with expansion to more sites in Manila and around the country. Filipino campus missionaries and church planters then served as cross-cultural missionaries to more than a dozen nations in Asia, Europe, and Africa.[7] It is a member of Every Nation Churches and Ministries.[8]

By 1986, the U-Belt congregation spread to Makati, then to Dagupan, Tuguegarao, Baguio, Los Baños, and other Philippine cities and abroad. Victory has sent Filipino campus ministers and church planters to serve as cross-cultural missionaries in Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Guam, India, Latvia, Malaysia, Russia, South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam. Besides these long-term missionaries, numerous short-term evangelism and medical teams have been sent to more than a dozen nations.[9]

Maranatha Campus Ministries was then dissolved in 1989 following controversy over the group's methods, including allegations of cult-like tactics.[10][11][12][13][14] This dissolution was supported by Rice Broocks, Steve Murrell, and Phil Bonasso,[15] who were former campus ministers of Maranatha.[16] After this, Victory became an independent ministry.

In 1994, Broocks, Murrell, and Bonasso formed Morning Star International as an umbrella organization for their ministries. At its July 2004 conference, Morning Star announced that it was changing its name to Every Nation. Today, Victory is a member of the Philippine Missions Association,[17] Philippine Missions Association Member Ministries,[18] and the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches.[19][20]

That original group of 150 students in Manila’s U-Belt has grown to 82,000 students, professionals, and families, who now worship in fifteen different venues around Metro Manila. Victory has also equipped and empowered over 7,500 small group discipleship leaders who meet weekly in coffee shops, homes, offices, and shopping malls all over the city for Bible study, prayer, and fellowship.[9]

Steve Murrell[6] is the founding pastor of Victory Metro Manila, and serves as the president of the Every Nation family of churches and ministries.[21]

On July 26, 2009, Victory celebrated its 25th founding anniversary at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In July 2014, Victory celebrated its 30th founding anniversary.

Doctrine

As part of Every Nation Churches and Ministries, Victory embraces the Statement of Faith agreed in the National Association of Evangelicals. The church also believes and accepts the Nicene Creed and Chalcedonian Creed (better known as Creed of Chalcedon).[22]

Locations

Victory is one church with fifteen locations in Metro Manila and has planted over sixty-five churches in various provinces in the Philippines.[23] Below is a list of Victory congregations nationwide and internationally:

Controversy

For its part, Every Nation has publicly renounced Maranatha's more controversial teachings and "unequivocally rejects" the "controlling discipleship, authoritarian leadership, and theological mysticism" prevalent in Maranatha.[16] In a 2006 "Leader Letter", Murrell stated that in accordance with its "Discipleship Policy", Every Nation does not allow any teachings or practices that are "controlling, coercive, or intrusive, or that violate biblical principles (or) the priesthood of the believer ..."[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ http://www.charismamag.com/spirit/church-ministry/15495-manila-s-mega-move
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ [1][dead link]
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Gadzik, Tanya. "Some Colleges warn Students that Cult-like Methods are Being Used by Christian Fundamentalist Groups." Chronicle of Higher Education. Nov. 15, 1989.
  11. ↑ Maranatha Christians, Backing Rightist Ideas, Draw Fire Over Tactics. Wall Street Journal, August 16, 1985
  12. ↑ Cult banned from K-State sues Minnesota. Kansas State Collegian, April 26, 2004
  13. ↑ [2][dead link]
  14. ↑ VCM: Storming the Campus for Jesus, Craccum magazine. 2005
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 [3][dead link]
  17. ↑ [4]
  18. ↑ [5]
  19. ↑ [6][dead link]
  20. ↑ [7][dead link]
  21. ↑ [8][dead link]
  22. ↑ [9][dead link]
  23. ↑ [10][dead link]

External links

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