Cleveland, TN–The Church of God, headquartered in Cleveland, Tennessee, and Yonsei Central Church/ The Association of Christian Mission Churches (ACMC) in Korea, signed an agreement entering into a strategic and missional affiliation of ministries. The agreement, formally signed on May 14, 2026, at the Church of God International Offices, outlines strategies of global evangelization and “any and all relevant efforts pertaining to the process of equipping and training the workers for the harvest.”
The ceremony was held in the Global Prayer Center with distinguished guests from the Church of God including General Overseer Gary Lewis, assistant general overseers Tony Stewart, Wayne Dority, and Mark Williams, and Secretary General Tom Madden. General Director M. Thomas Propes and Assistant Director David Ramirez represented Church of God World Missions. Among Korean dignitaries in attendance was Dr. Yu Kunjae, president of Juan International University. Bishop Yoon Seok-Jeon is the Founding and Senior Pastor of the Yonsei Central Church and Board Chair of the ACMC, which represents over 1,800 churches in Korea. Due to health concerns, Pastor Yoon was represented by his Chief Secretary Soon-Won Seo who joined General Overseer Lewis at the formal signing.
The scope and the terms of the affiliation include, but are not limited to:
• The Church of God (COG) and Yonsei Central Church-The Association of Christian Mission Churches (YCC-ACMC) enter into the relationship to pursue, promote, and partner together in the work of global evangelization;
• COG and YCC-ACMC explore creative and ongoing opportunities in educational collaboration that help train and equip the present and future workers for the harvest, nurturing the shared vision of saving souls everywhere;
• Through the administrative leadership of Church of God Division of Education, COG provides an ecclesial support as YCC-ACMC pursues and implements educational collaboration with the Church of God accredited institutions (e.g., Lee University);
• Following the ecclesial bylaws, policies, and procedures in both organizations, COG and YCC-ACMC explore possibilities of credentialing the members of YCC-ACMC who successfully complete the designated educational program (i.e., Master of Divinity program) of the Church of God accredited institution. To qualify for the COG ministerial credentialing, the candidates under this provision must also successfully complete the ordination exams conducted by the Church of God;
• To cultivate and deepen the relationship of affiliation, COG and YCC-ACMC commit to providing opportunities for leadership, visits to each other’s significant official gatherings (e.g., The ACMC’s Annual Assembly, COG Executive Council Meeting, COG biennial General Assembly, etc.).
[1]L-R: David Han, Wayne Dority, Tony Stewart, Gary Lewis,Soon-Won Seo, Yu Kunjae, Tom Madden, Mark Williams (click photo to enlarge)
“The signing of this affiliation agreement presents enormous possibilities that would help expand the global missional vision of the Church of God,” stated Dr. David Han, national overseer for the Church of God in Korea who participated in the ceremony and helped facilitate the partnership. “It strengthens our unwavering commitment to saving souls around the world.” Han went on to say that the memorandum, “strategically prioritizes a mutual support and collaboration in accredited theological education and certified ministerial training.”
“This signing is a momentous occasion and demonstrates the ongoing global reach of the Church of God,” Lewis said. “I am grateful for the leaders of the Association of Christian Mission Churches in Korea and what this partnership means as the Church of God celebrates 140 years as a movement.”