page_title: Iglesia ni Cristo
section_title: Administration and organization
hierarchical_section_title: Iglesia ni Cristo / Administration and organization
caption_attribution_description: English: President Benigno S. Aquino III receives the first copy of the Philippine Arena Coffee Table Book presented by Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) Executive Minister Brother Eduardo Manalo during the Inauguration of Ciudad de Victoria (City of Victory) in Bocaue, Bulacan on Monday (July 21). Ciudad de Victoria is a 50-hectare tourism enterprise zone established by the INC in time for its centennial celebration on Sunday (July 27). (Photo by Ryan Lim / Malacañang Photo Bureau)
context_page_description: Iglesia ni Cristo is an independent nontrinitarian Christian church, founded and registered by Felix Y. Manalo in 1914 as a unipersonal religious corporation to the United States administration of the Philippines.
  INC describes itself to be the one true church and the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus, whereby all other Christian churches are apostate. According to INC doctrine, the official registration of the church with the Philippine government on July 27, 1914, by Felix Y. Manalo—who is upheld by members to be the last messenger of God—was an act of divine providence and the fulfillment of biblical prophecy concerning the re-establishment of the original church of Christ in the Far East concurrent with the coming of the seventh seal marking the end of days.
  By the time of Manalo's death in 1963, INC had become a nationwide church with 1,250 local chapels and 35 large concrete cathedrals. As his successor, Manalo's son, Eraño G. Manalo, led a campaign to grow and internationalize the church until his death on August 31, 2009, whereupon his son, Eduardo V. Manalo, likewise succeeded him as Executive Minister.
context_section_description: Iglesia Ni Cristo has had three Executive Ministers (Tagalog: Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan) who lead the Church Administration in overseeing the faith of the members. Eduardo V. Manalo, as the current Executive Minister, serves as the church's leader, and, in this capacity, manages the administration of the church. Along with other senior ministers which comprises the Church Economic Council (Tagalog: Lupon ng Sanggunian), the Executive Minister forms the Central Administration of Iglesia Ni Cristo. All church ministers and ministerial workers are male, however, there are numerous female church officers. Ministers are encouraged to marry for the purpose of obeying the command to marry and multiply, and to become effective counselors to church members with family-related problems.
  The Central Office in Quezon City, built in 1971, is Iglesia Ni Cristo's headquarters. The Central Office is one of several structures inside the INC Central Office Complex. It houses the permanent offices of the central administration and some of the church's departments. It is here where about a thousand INC professionals and volunteers hold office. It was located in Manila during its early years, then in San Juan, and later in Makati, before moving to its present site. INC also has three main offices outside the Philippines; in Burlingame, California; Washington D.C.; and in Heathrow, London.
  Administration and ministerial work are delegated into ecclesiastical districts (termed divisions until 1990) which are led by District Ministers (formerly, division ministers). Ecclesiastical districts comprise 40 congregations (referred to as locales) on average. All locales were directly managed by Felix Y. Manalo until 1924 when the first ecclesiastical district was organized in Pampanga.
caption: Eduardo V. Manalo, Iglesia Ni Cristo's current Executive Minister.
exif: {"Image Software": "Google", "Image ExifOffset": "46", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220"}