Evangelical Baptist Church of Korea
The Evangelical Baptist Church (EBC) of Korea (Korean: 기독교복음침례회; officially Korean Evangelical Baptist Church – formerly known as Korean Laymen's Evangelical Fellowship), was established in 1962 by Yoo Byung-eun and Pastor Kwon Shin-chan (권신찬; 1923–96). The name of the church was changed to EBC in 1981. It is not connected to the Korea Baptist Convention. In South Korea, EBC is commonly known as Guwonpa, meaning Salvation Sect, from the Korean term guwon (구원), "salvation".
| Evangelical Baptist Church | |
| Hangul | 기독교복음침례회 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 基督教福音浸禮會 |
| Revised Romanization | Gidokgyo Bokeum Chimnyehoe |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kidokgyo Pokŭm Ch'imnyehoe |
| Former name: Korean Evangelical Layman's Church | |
| Hangul | 한국평신도복음선교회 |
| Hanja | 韓國平信徒福音宣敎會 |
| Revised Romanization | Hanguk Pyeongsindo Bokeum Son-gyohoe |
| McCune–Reischauer | Hanguk P'yŏngsindo Pokŭm Son'gyohoe |
| Colloquial name: "Salvation Sect" | |
| Hangul | 구원파 |
| Hanja | 救援派 |
| Revised Romanization | Guwonpa |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kuwŏnp'a |
Many sources estimate that the movement has 20,000 members, but media reports on numbers of followers vary from 10,000 to as many as 200,000 members worldwide. In 2014, the organization claimed to have 100,000 followers.
Media outlets claimed that the EBC doctrines teach that those who were once saved by God are completely detached from the sins they will ever commit in the future and guaranteed a path to heaven. The EBC denied having any such doctrine. Although the conservative General Assembly of Presbyterian Churches called the movement a cult, in 1992, there was later a correction statement saying that the EBC preaches doctrines that are consistent with Christianity and does not contradict the Bible. Nor do they worship a particular individual as a religious sect leader.