Dr. David Yonggi Cho’s journey of faith is one that hardly seems believable unless you’ve seen the fruit of it. His story began in South Korea, when as a young man, he encountered Christ and felt called to plant a church. He didn’t start with a building, or even a congregation—just a tent pitched on the side of the street with a wooden cross standing inside. There, he prayed and sought after God day after day.
At first, hardly anyone came. Cho realized that if people weren’t coming to him, he would have to go to them. So he began walking through his community, knocking on doors, and sharing the message of Christ face to face.
One particular visit changed the course of his ministry. He met a struggling mother raising nine children in heartbreaking poverty. They were hungry, often sick, and some of the children had turned to stealing just to get by. When he spoke to her about heaven and hell, she laughed bitterly and said, “Look around—this is already hell. Don’t tell me lies.”
Cho left that home crushed and discouraged. Back at his tent, he poured his heart out to God in prayer. In that moment, he felt a clear reminder: Jesus never just preached—He also met people’s needs.
The next day, Cho returned to the woman and told her there was someone who could change her life. Suspicious, she asked, “Is he alive?” He said yes, and invited her to come and see. She followed him to the tent church, though when she arrived, she scoffed and said, “You’re no better than me.” Still, she agreed to pray. Together, they asked God to free her husband from his alcoholism for three months.
What happened next stunned them both—her husband was delivered. He stayed sober, found steady work, and was able to care for his family in ways he hadn’t before. That breakthrough was just the beginning.
As Cho’s faith deepened, so did his ministry. What started with one family grew to thousands, and eventually to hundreds of thousands. Today, his church numbers over 800,000 members worldwide, and he also runs a Christian newspaper that reaches more than half a million readers each day.
From a single tent and a few mustard seeds of faith, God built a ministry that touched the nations. Dr. Cho’s life is a reminder that when you put your trust in God and obey, even the smallest acts of faith can grow into something unimaginable.