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16 Years of Growth: Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church Of Christ Worship Buildings
Nan Zapanta: This is the Central Temple, the largest house of worship of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ). While its silhouette leaves an indelible mark on the Quezon City skyline, Iglesia Ni Cristo houses of worship are found spanning the Philippines, all built to glorify God. Under the leadership of Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, thousands of Iglesia Ni Cristo houses of worship have been built, including some of the largest in the local congregations of Capitol, Luzon Avenue, Binondo, Bagong Silang Cinco, and Paranaque.
Nan Zapanta: The work of building houses of worship also continues abroad, where grand worship buildings have also risen. Among them are the local congregations of Washington DC, Chicago, and Henderson. Inside the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) worship buildings stand as places of peace, community, and Christian values.
Nan Zapanta: Despite the closure of many worship buildings and the decline of religious organizations, the Church Of Christ continues to purchase, build, and renovate houses of worship all over the world, standing and shining in the community, a testament of God’s power and his guidance through the leadership of Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo.
Nan Zapanta: In the 16 years of leadership of Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, the Church Of Christ has experienced extraordinary growth and success. One of them now plays a vital role in the faith of members in the house of worship. It’s where members render their services to God. And during the dynamic leadership of Brother Eduardo V. Manalo as Executive Minister, more have been dedicated in answering this ongoing need.
Nan Zapanta: Since 2009, part of the success can be seen through thousands of houses of worship across the world: Over 4155 houses of worship built, renovated, and dedicated.
Nan Zapanta: Amongst the thousands of dedicated houses of worship, many can be found across the globe, from the Philippine archipelago to continents worldwide. Each house of worship represents a significant milestone. Whether built from the ground up, renovated or purchased from other religions. With each house of worship standing as a shining light in its community. The presence of an Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) House of worship brings hope and love into the community through various outreach efforts and activities held on the chapel grounds.
Nan Zapanta: In the United States alone, from 2011 to 2025, many houses of worship were dedicated, an achievement made possible through God’s guidance and blessings upon the dynamic leadership of Brother Eduardo V Manalo, Executive Minister of the Church Of Christ. And out of all the congregations around the country, one house of worship in a major Southern California city holds a special place in the history of the Church Of Christ.
Nan Zapanta: This is the iconic skyline of Los Angeles, California. But if you take a closer look beyond the skyscrapers, another sign of progress not only for the city, but more significantly for the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) , is the presence of the iconic house of worship that you see behind me.
Nan Zapanta: In 2011, this beautiful house of worship was built from the ground up and was the first house of worship dedicated outside of the Philippines by Brother Eduardo V. Manalo as the Executive Minister of the Church Of Christ. And in July 2018, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo dedicated this house of worship, commemorating 50 years of the Church Of Christ in the West.
Nan Zapanta: A milestone tracing back to a historic moment in this part of the world. The very first worship service and gathering place in the West.
Nan Zapanta: Set on a three-acre site and seating 810, the local congregation of Ewa Beach is the largest chapel built from the ground up outside of the Philippines. The growth and progress of the church wasn’t isolated to the United States. It continued on into Canada.
Nan Zapanta: And across the Pacific Ocean to Australia.
Nan Zapanta: From Australia to Asia. The progress marched forward, as witnessed by those who were involved in these projects.
Kazutoshi Utsu: You can see the difference in the renovation. It looks so bright and welcoming.
Nan Zapanta: Europe was another area of significant growth for the church, under the leadership of the Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo.
Nan Zapanta: In Africa, the growth has been tremendous. Despite the economic challenges many face in the region. Many recent construction projects have been in Africa, signaling the continuous growth of the Church Of Christ.
Alex Majamanda: Whenever we have a problem, whenever I have something to tell God, I’ll be coming to the chapel to pray.
Goodson Fran Poya: Never in my life did they expect that I would reach this far, or to experience this wonderful blessing that God has given for us, the people of Zambia, to have the chapel built for us. I thank the Church Administration for this wonderful building that they’ve given for us.
Raymond Frank: And there’s still always a very high level of care and high level of consideration for every project, every house of worship that we have in the church. And so we want to make the house of worship as beautiful as we can, and we want to provide for all the needs of the brethren there in that area, so that every local, every, every worshiper has a proper and suitable place of worship where they can go to render their service to God wherever it may be, whatever size of the house of worship, we want it to be the very best that we can make it. Because this is done for the glory of God.
Nan Zapanta: Having recently been baptized into the Church Of Christ, Chrisia finds, in this place, what many young members here also seek.
Chrisia Roxas: The Church, the chapel is the one I always run to when I’m feeling worried, anxious, when I’m sojourning in the world, it’s really what I run back to. And I always can’t wait until the worship service comes, because I know that I’ll feel edified afterwards. I’ll feel renewed in my faith afterwards. It’s a place where you can find that connection with God. And, know, in these hard times that we have.
Jonathan Benzon:Looking at the chapel really gives me the inspiration to continue on in my duties. It is a very important place for me to go wherein I can perform my duties in Church and also be able to go there whenever I have troubles. It gives me that strength to continue on.
Merlita Marquez: It’s a refuge. There have been countless times where I’m there by myself. Whether it’s practicing the organ for worship service or just having my devotional prayers. And actually, once a week, my mom and I will water the plants there. So it’s very, very special to me because that’s where I find my peace.
Nan Zapanta: As we reflect and celebrate the last 16 years of administration of Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, we can clearly see that the growing number of houses of worship, of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Church of Christ, is a testament to the growth of the Church itself. This work was guided by God through the leadership of Brother Eduardo V. Manalo.
Tony Darling: Brother Nan!
Nan Zapanta: Brother Tony, good to see you again!
Tony Darling: Likewise, brother.
Nan Zapanta: Thank you for joining.
Tony Darling: Well, when you think about the responsibility that is given to [the] Executive Minister of the Church, it’s a vast responsibility. And you know, and just to know that he personally kept it in his heart to come and dedicate the house of worship. His love is shown in just what he does in general, for the Church as a total.
Nan Zapanta: With each pastoral visit, he isn’t just dedicating houses of worship; he is fortifying the faith of the brethren around the world.
Thomas Likeness: Brother Eduardo, I just want to thank you and the administration for allowing us to undergo the renovation in the Wellington local. It’s been a great blessing to us. We commit to helping this local grow again. We will continue to grow, and we will continue to lead more people into God’s nation.
Eva-Marie Krause: He makes the effort despite of all the circumstances that are going through this world. He makes the effort because he loves the Church. He loves the brethren. And I realized that while I was growing older, that it is the way how he shows his care towards us.
Nan Zapanta: Thanks for joining me on this episode of Blueprint, where in the end, everything is part of God’s plan.
