Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo (Tagalog pronunciation: [ɪˈglɛ̝ʃɐ ni ˈkɾisto̞], abbreviated as INC; transl. Church of Christ; Spanish: Iglesia de Cristo) is an independent Nontrinitarian Christian church, founded in 1913 and registered by Felix Y. Manalo in 1914 as a unipersonal religious corporation to the Insular Government of the Philippines.
| Iglesia ni Cristo | |
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Official seal | |
| Abbreviation | INC |
| Classification | Restorationism |
| Theology | Nontrinitarianism, Unitarianism |
| Governance | Central administration |
| Executive Minister | Eduardo V. Manalo |
| Region | 156 countries and territories |
| Language | Filipino, English |
| Headquarters | Quezon City, Philippines |
| Founder | Felix Manalo |
| Origin | July 27, 1914 (date registered to the Philippine government) Punta, Santa Ana, Manila, Philippine Islands |
| Congregations | approximately 7,000 |
| Members | 3 million (estimated worldwide) |
| Ministers | 7,205 (2009) |
| Aid organization |
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| Hospitals | New Era General Hospital |
| Primary schools | Yakap Orphanage |
| Tertiary institutions |
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| Other name(s) | Church of Christ |
| Official website | iglesianicristo |
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| Christianity |
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INC describes itself to be the one true church and the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus, whereby all other Christian churches are apostate. According to INC doctrine, the official registration of the church with the Philippine government was on July 27, 1914, by Felix Y. Manalo—who is upheld by members to be the last messenger of God—was an act of divine providence and the fulfillment of biblical prophecy concerning the re-establishment of the original church of Christ in the Far East concurrent with the coming of the seventh seal marking the end of days.
By the time of Manalo's death in 1963, INC had become a nationwide church with 1,250 local chapels and 35 cathedrals. As his successor, Manalo's son, Eraño G. Manalo, led a campaign to grow and internationalize the church until his death on August 31, 2009. His son, Eduardo V. Manalo, succeeded him as Executive Minister. The 2020 Philippine census reported that 2.8 million were adherents of the INC, placing it third behind the Roman Catholic Church and Islam.