Kong Hee
Knowing Kong Hee
Rev Dr Kong Hee is the senior pastor of City Harvest Church (CHC), which he co-founded with his wife Sun in 1989. CHC has an average weekly attendance of 23,868, with a collective membership of approximately 45,000 when including all branch and affiliate churches. In 2012, CHC was one of the 10 global churches larger than America’s largest.1
In 1994, Pastor Kong founded the School of Theology, which has since trained 8,284 individuals, empowering them and releasing them in the power of the Spirit, into the mission fields of their schools, workplaces, and nations of the world. Together with his wife, they started the “Church Without Walls” (CWW) initiatives in 1996 and co-founded City Harvest Community Services Association (CHCSA) in 1997, with the shared mission of aiding underprivileged children, youth-at-risk, single parents, unwed mothers, the elderly, the intellectually disabled, the terminally ill, and migrant workers. Annually, CWW assists 9,632 individuals in need, while CHCSA supports 1,962 members of the community.
As a second-generation Singaporean, Kong received Jesus as his Saviour when he was 11 years old. A month later, he was filled with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Acts 2:4). He spent his growing-up years in a neighbourhood Anglican church and was actively involved in its Sunday school and youth ministry.
During his freshman year at the National University of Singapore, one day, he heard the still small voice of God, “Kong, do you love Me more than all that the world could offer? Would you live fully for Me and serve Me for the rest of your life?” That afternoon, his “yes” to the Lord launched him into an incredible spiritual adventure, one that he has been on ever since. For the next few years, working alongside his Anglican vicar, Kong was involved in local church-planting work. At the same time, he was serving actively with a missions agency, making frequent trips to the Philippines. In 1989, with just 20 youths, the City Harvest Church story began.
Over the years, Kong has sought to stay focused and faithful to the strengths, distinctives, and revelations given by the Holy Spirit for his life and ministry. CHC has been a centre for revival and church growth, and its entire ethos can be described in one sentence: loving God wholeheartedly and loving people fervently (Matt 22:37-40). With Jesus Christ as the foundation of the church (1 Cor 3:10-11), Kong has carefully built CHC upon the spiritual disciplines of Scripture, prayer, fasting, relationship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism, and missions (2 Chr 7:14; Matt 28:19-20; 24:14; Luke 9:23; 1 Cor 13:4-7; Eph 3:16; 2 Tim 3:16; 1 Pet 4:10).
In a postmodern world where truth has become relative, Kong teaches and champions Protestant, Evangelical, and Pentecostal beliefs, and practices. While CHC continues to be creative and relevant to contemporary culture by constant progress in areas of worship and evangelism, at the same time, it is deeply rooted in the Scripture and in the historical doctrines of the faith. Inasmuch as Kong highlights the importance of the gifts of the Spirit, he also constantly teaches on the greater importance of cultivating the fruit of the Spirit, which he emphasises is the character profile of Jesus (1 Cor 12:7-11; Gal 5:22-23). While he encourages believers to boldly believe God for healing, blessing, and protection, he also teaches that trials, hardships, and sufferings are inevitable for everyone who lives for Christ (Mark 16:17-18; John 16:33; 2 Tim 3:12). Because of these biblical truths, CHC has continued to grow as a congregation in spite of its many challenges and trying seasons.
An insight into Kong’s spiritual convictions:
- As a Protestant, he preaches a salvation that is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Eph 2:8; 1 Pet 2:24).
- As an Evangelical, he believes in the inspiration, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture, and the penal substitution of Jesus on the cross (1 Cor 2:2; 2 Pet 1:20-21).
- As a Pentecostal, he believes in the second blessing of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, with the initial, outward evidence of speaking in tongues (Acts 1:4-5, 8; 2:1-4).
- As a posttribulation premillennialist, he urges all to be fortified in their faith – to guard the gospel faithfully, preach it actively, and suffer for it bravely (Matt 24:9-31; 2 Tim 1).
- As an Arminian, he believes that God, in His love and goodness, limits His sovereignty to allow all to exercise genuine free will in responding to Him (John 3:16; 2 Cor 5:15).
- As a proponent of the cultural mandate, he encourages all to be creative and relevant in serving society, as authentic, Christlike citizens, for the glory of God.
- As a church builder, he believes in the power of the local church, and persuades his members to be united in a common doctrine, vision and mission (Acts 4:32; 1 Cor 3:9-11; Phil 2:2).
Kong believes that every Christian should be a soul-winner. He constantly encourages all to “find a need and meet it, find a hurt and heal it” (Prov 11:30; Matt 25:34-40). However, more than all we can ever do for God, our ultimate focus should be our spirituality and spiritual formation. God loves us and wants a relationship with us. As such, Christlikeness and intimacy with God must be our highest passion and goal in life (Matt 6:33; Rom 8:28-29; 1 Cor 13:12; 2 Cor 3:18; 2 Pet 3:18).