New Creation Church
New Creation Church is a megachurch based in Singapore. The church, founded on Charismatic principles, was founded in 1984, and is thought to be the largest church in Singapore at the moment, with an estimated 30,000 members worshipping at The Star in Buona Vista.
Description[edit]
History[edit]
The church was founded by a small group of young leaders including Joseph Prince, Henry Yeo, David Yeow and Jack Ho in 1983. It was later officially registered with the Registrar of Societies on October 1984. It began its Sunday service with an average attendance of 25 people. Gradually, it grew to about 150 members in 1990 when Pastor Prince was appointed as the senior pastor of the church.
During the period between 1984 and 1999, the church moved through different worshipping venues such as a hall in the Young Women's Christian Association and ballrooms in local hotels to accommodate its growing congregation.
In 1999, the church moved to the Rock Auditorium in the Suntec City Mall. On 23 December 2012, services were shifted to The Star - Performing Arts Center.
The church grew from 150 members in 1990 to more than 10,000 members in 2004, later tripling that number to 30,000 as of April 2013.
Since 2009, Prince has not been on the church payroll, and currently serves as a volunteer pastor at the church.
Controversy[edit]
In 2010, it was revealed that Mark Ng, the Hokkien pastor of the church, had, in a 2008 sermon, mocked the Taoist religion, in reference to their beliefs. A probe by the Internal Security Department was conducted and Ng was let off with a warning.
In 2013, a complaint was received by the National Council of Churches of Singapore, in protest of gay singer Adam Lambert's upcoming concert to be held at the church's premises. In response, the church pointed to a disclaimer that stated that subsidiary Rock Productions, legal leasee of the auditorium, operates its business independently from New Creation with a strict arms-length policy.