Yoido Full Gospel Church will present certificates of appreciation and cash gifts to families with multiple children in observance of World Population Day.
The church announced Thursday that it will hold a ceremony during its Sunday service to recognize 42 large families — 29 with five or more children and 13 with six or more.
The event aims to support efforts to address the country's low birth rate, spread awareness of the value of life, and foster a culture that celebrates childbirth and child-rearing by encouraging large families at the community level.
Senior Pastor Lee Young-hoon has long emphasized within the congregation that "cherishing life and raising up the next generation is the most important mission for the kingdom of God," promoting the idea that three children should be the baseline and five the goal.
Lee has also championed what he calls "parenting awareness sensitivity" — the idea that the community should collectively recognize and support the real-world difficulties of raising children — and has worked to establish a church culture that treats childbirth and child-rearing as a blessing.
Last month, the church hosted a low birth rate policy seminar, inviting Lee Sran, first vice minister of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as a guest speaker.
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