CathNews New Zealand

Even though the Destiny Church has reduced finances and a declining membership, its leader, Brian Tamaki, has announced plans for its new “City of God”. He has called on Church members to leave behind houses, jobs – even family members – to join him at a “City of God” he is building in South Auckland.

At the church’s annual conference in Rotorua on Friday night, Tamaki talked about how God had told him to build the city and why his followers had to lose their “parochialism” towards their home areas, even if it meant leaving behind loved ones.

In 2003 Destiny had 19 churches and attracted more than 10,000 church members and other supporters to a march on Parliament.

However a former senior church member claims that the Destiny Church has never had much more than 5000 members. Today the Destiny Church is estimated to have fewer than 3000 regulars in its 11 remaining congregations.

Source

• The Sunday Times
• The New Zealand Herald
• Image: TVNZ

Additional reading

• Destiny Church selling old HQ to build 'City of God'
• Destiny Church needs lots of pennies to expand

News category: New Zealand.