Over the weekend, I had the privilege to listen to one of the greatest leaders alive today.

Dr David Yonggi Cho is the founder of the largest church in human history. Yes that’s right, in the WHOLE history of the human race. His church, Yoido Full Gospel Church based in Seoul, has a membership of 1,000,000: a church larger than any other founded since the death and resurrection of Christ.

After the Korean War in 1953, South Korea was one the poorest countries in the world, with millions of refugees and people living in poverty. Times were hard and most people did not have hope in the future.

His church was founded with 5 members just after the Korean War, and it was his vision and great leadership that brought about not just the growth of his church, but the growth of South Korea to the economic powerhouse it is today.

He said that the then President consulted with him, and asked him how his country can become prosperous again, because the government was so poor that they had no money to build infrastructure for clean water and industry.

Dr Cho replied, “You have a gold mine in the hearts of your people. If they have hope, they will step up and change the future for themselves and the country.”

With that the President allowed Dr Cho to send his leaders throughout the country to raise leaders and give hope to the people of Korea. He understood that when the hearts of the people changed, the country’s destiny will be changed.

And with the vision of growing the church and turning the country’s economic destiny around, today, we see the economic powerhouse that produces cars, laptops, phones that we use today.

All these in 50 years!

This is a lesson in vision. Although he started with only 5 people in his church, it was his Giant Vision of changing Korea that played an essential part in it. Today’s 6 of the 10’s world’s largest churches find themselves in one city, the city of Seoul, Korea!

Whether you are of the Christian faith or not, it is undeniable that Dr Cho’s great vision for Korea and world made him one of the greatest church leaders in the history of the world.

How about you? What vision do you have?

It is the size of your vision that will determine the man you will become, and the people who will follow you. Man don’t follow leaders with small dreams, they follow those with great dreams!

To your leadership success,
Yihan