Ex-Shincheonji member says he was part of special team focused on recruiting pastors

A cult-survivor support network is calling for stricter criteria for what "religious" organisations can claim tax breaks and protections.

A South Korean fringe religious organisation, accused of brainwashing members, is targeting pastors in order to recruit entire Australian congregations, a former member says.

Shincheonji, which has been described as an "apocalyptic Christian cult" whose members will be saved from an imminent apocalypse, featured prominently in the Victorian parliamentary inquiry into cults and fringe groups.

The ABC has previously reported that the church is using "special force teams" and aggressive tactics to expand its recruitment outside of Melbourne in an effort to grow its flock.

Matthew, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, spent nearly five years inside Shincheonji, and said the organisation was also targeting the pastors of other churches in an effort to recruit entire existing congregations through a "Pastor Evangelism Team".

Matthew was a member of that team until he left the church last year.

Matthew said at the time he left, there were 10 to 15 pastors who were in ongoing conversations with Shincheonji and about five who were "eager to join".

He said at least three Australian pastors were flown to South Korea for Shincheonji's graduation ceremony.

"It's a very, very slow process, and we have been in contact with them for years," Matthew said.

"We started off by emailing them or the church … we would cold call them and try to set up meetings.

"Slowly, we change their minds on certain topics, and that just builds up into accepting the Shincheonji doctrine."

Matthew said the Pastor Evangelism Team was operating under the name Zion Christian Mission Centre, so pastors did not immediately recognise it as Shincheonji.

Shincheonji's Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission page confirms it is affiliated with the Zion Christian Mission Centre.

He said the team explained Shincheonji in a positive way if pastors identified them and raised concerns about widely reported allegations of psychological abuse against the church.

"We sort of twist a lot of words … it wasn't really great what I did,"  Matthew said.

The ABC has made numerous attempts to contact Shincheonji, but has not received a response.

Recruitment records show outreach

The group's leader and founder is 94-year-old Lee Man-hee, a self-proclaimed Messiah, who claims to work together with the spirit of Jesus.

He has previously been found guilty of embezzling 5.6 billion won ($5.5 million), which was partly used to build a luxury "palace of peace" in Seoul.

Shincheonji has been accused of brainwashing its recruits, turning them against their families and friends, and manipulating them to devote their entire lives to the church and recruit new members, even to the point of sleep deprivation.

Shincheonji's South Korean website states that as of June 5th, 2024, the organisation had signed memorandums of understanding "with 12,538 churches in 83 countries".

"Additionally, 1,341 churches in 41 countries have joined Shincheonji Church of Jesus and replaced their signage," the statement said.

A spreadsheet dated from early 2025 and leaked to the ABC shows Shincheonji tracking its attempts to convert 1,157 churches around the country.

In the spreadsheet, the targeted church, its denomination, pastor, contact details, and opening times are all listed.

The stage of communication with each church is also described, along with information obtained on pastors, including whether they are "poisoned" against the group.

The Church of Scientology of Melbourne, among a handful of others, is marked in the document as "unproceedable (cult)".

Another is marked "unproceedable due to belief in reincarnation", while many are marked "poisoned" or "poisoned hard", indicating that they believed Shincheonji was a cult or that they were opposed to Shincheonji.

However, the spreadsheet indicates a large number of pastors agreed to meet for coffee or invited them to their church.

Members of Shincheonji pay a tithe of 10 per cent of their earnings to the church, and are also pressured to make further donations regularly.

Recruiting large pre-existing congregations would dramatically boost the organisation's earnings, some of which go back to its headquarters in South Korea.

Matthew said the Pastor Evangelism Team attempted to discuss the bible and teach Shincheonji's interpretation during meetings to slowly indoctrinate pastors.

The ABC has also seen a chat group where members of the Pastor Evangelism Team post their progress with pastors in these lessons, including details gathered about the pastor's personal life and screenshots from Zoom meetings.

Reverend rejects recruitment

The spreadsheet includes details from a phone call with a pastor at a north-west Melbourne church, who told the recruiter "you are in a cult and to get out".

Reverend Frank Rasenberger was the pastor of that church at that time.

"I was contacted several times … at least three times, I'd say, in various ways," Reverend Rasenberger said.

"One was an invitation to a big ecumenical event … under the guise of, 'this is going to be a great way for churches to come together'.

He said the recruiters were relentless.

"I turned that down … it didn't seem to stop them from contacting me," he said.

Reverend Rasenberger said he also had young people, inside and outside his church, confide to him that Shincheonji was pursuing them.

'Letter of oath'

The ABC has obtained a "letter of oath" signed by a pastor at a church in Western Australia.

The document includes a "pledge to God and Zion Christian Mission Centre".

"I will obey and adhere to the order and instruction given by Zion Christian Mission Centre," it reads.

"If the terms and conditions are not followed, I will accept any consequential actions taken by the Zion Christian Mission Centre."
In the "terms and conditions" section, members are sworn to secrecy.

"I will never leak the contents obtained by attending Zion Christian Mission Centre," it reads.

"I will never use the materials and lectures of Zion Christian Mission Centre for any other purpose than for studying at the Zion Christian Mission Centre."

'Abusive faith'

Tore Klevjir spent 11 years in Children of God, a Christian cult founded in the United States.

Now, he is part of Cult Information and Family Support (CIFS), which offers help to cult survivors and their loved ones.

He said Shincheonji was the most prolific group CIFS dealt with.

"A rough estimate would be 50 to 60 inquiries over the last year from different families, ex-members and a couple from current members," Mr Klevjir said.

"It's by far the most influential group … they are very focused on recruiting, which is why they are really on our radar".

Shincheonji claims to have churches in more than 100 countries and a congregation of more than 300,000 members, however some ex-members have told the ABC those numbers are inflated.

Shincheonji's Melbourne chapter is a registered charity on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profit Commission and is a recognised religious group, allowing it special legal protections and tax advantages.

Mr Klevjir said there needed to be stricter criteria for what can be considered a religion.

"There are quite distinct differences between a healthy church and a healthy faith, and the practices of an abusive faith,"  he said.