The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG; ; , IURD) is an international Evangelical Church with its headquarters at the Temple of Solomon in São Paulo, Brazil. The church was founded in 1977 in Rio de Janeiro by Bishop Edir Macedo, who is the owner of the multi-billion reais television company RecordTV. "in 1992 Edir Macedo was imprisoned accused of charlatanism, quackery, and larceny by fraud" since 1989.
In 1999, the church claimed to have 8 million members in Brazil and was already considered a "commercial church". The church supported Jair Bolsonaro for president in the 2018 Brazilian general election, which he won.
The denomination had established temples in the United Kingdom, Caribbean, Africa and India, claiming a total of more than 12 million members worldwide that year."JACOB, C.R.; HEES, D.R.; WANIEZ, P.; BRUSTLEIN, V. Atlas da Filiação Religiosa e Indicadores Sociais no Brasil, São Paulo: PUC-Rio - Edições Loyola, 2003. " By 2013, the UCKG had congregations in New York City, and, according to the UCKG's website in the United States, had congregations in over 35 US states.
The UCKG has been accused of cult-like illegal activities and corruption, including money laundering, charlatanism, and witchcraft, as well as intolerance towards other religions. There have also been accusations that the church extracts money from poor members for the benefit of its leaders. In 2000, a London-based UCKG pastor arranged an exorcism which resulted in the death of a child and the conviction of her guardians for murder.House of Commons Health Committee, The Victoria Climbié Inquiry Report, Sixth Report of Session 2002–03 The UCKG has been subject to bans in several African countries. In 2017 it was alleged to have been adopting children in Portugal and taking them abroad illegally.
In 2022, complaints by ex-UCKG members in the UK led to criticism, an investigation interviewing more than 30 former members published in The Guardian, and the opening of an investigation by the Charity Commission into the UCKG's registration as a charity. The BBC reported in 2023 that it recorded London-based UCKG Bishop James Marques claiming mental health conditions could be helped by casting out demons and that epilepsy is a "spiritual problem". They also reported that a member underwent "strong prayers" at age 13 to make him heterosexual. The BBC broadcast a 30-minute documentary titled "The Billionaire Bishop and the Global Megachurch" as part of the BBC's Panorama series. Available on YouTube
History
Beginning and split with R. R. Soares
In the late 1960s, Edir Macedo converted to evangelical Christianity at the Igreja Cristã de Nova Vida ("Christian Church of New Life"), a Pentecostal church founded by the Canadian bishop Walter Robert McAlister. Macedo wanted to become a minister for McAlister's church, but since he was not accepted by its leaders, he and his brother-in-law, R. R. Soares, decided to change to another denomination. Macedo and Soares joined another church called Casa da Bênção ("House of Blessing"), where they claim to have seen possession by and deliverance from demons for the first time, but only Soares was consecrated as a pastor.
In 1975, Soares and another pastor invited Macedo, who still wanted to start his ministry, to inaugurate the Cruzada do Caminho Eterno ("Crusade of the Eternal Way"), a precursor of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. The services were held in some cinemas they rented for a few hours. In order to increase the number of members, Macedo began to preach in a gazebo at the main square of the Méier neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro. In 1977, the UCKG was officially founded when Macedo and Soares rented a former funeral home, which became their church's first temple.Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South, Volume 2, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2018, p. 495Patrice de Plunkett, Les évangéliques à la conquête du monde, Éditions Perrin, France, 2009, p. 110
By the time that the UCKG was founded tensions had begun to build between Macedo and Soares, with Soares thinking the rent to their temple building was too high. In 1980, Macedo went to New York State to start a ministry in the U.S., but soon returned to Brazil to solve administrative problems with Soares. Some of Macedo's principles clashed with those of Soares such as, according to Macedo, financial management, the hiring of pastors from other denominations while Macedo was planning a completely fresh denomination, and the centralization of the image of the "Missionary R. R. Soares". Macedo and Soares decided to call a vote for the leadership among the fifteen pastors the UCKG had at the time; Macedo won by twelve votes to three. Soares resigned from the UCKG and founded the International Grace of God Church, using the copyright of the books of T. L. Osborn.
From 1989
In 1989, the UCKG expanded to Portugal. The church's style of proselytism was aggressive, and they were accused of charlatanism and commercial interests that put into question their claims to be a religious organisation. During the 1990s, the UCKG were very visible and energetic, attacked the Catholic Church, and amassed contributions sufficient to build a "gigantic" temple in Porto. In 1995, a scandal ensued after the attempted purchase of the well-known theatre Coliseu do Porto to transform it into a UCKG temple. The church then began expanding into eastern Europe.
In 1989, the UCKG purchased TV Record, which by 2013 was Brazil's second-largest television network."Igreja também procurou Dilma para manter pacto inalterado", Estado de São Paulo, 25 February 2013 In 2009, the Workers' Party (PT) government in Brazil bought advertising from RecordTV, which it had formerly limited to Catholic publications, in new venues, and paid for public service messages in UCKG media outlets.
The UCKG preached prosperity theology, which asserts that faith and commitment to God are rewarded with salvation first, but also monetary wealth. In the late 1990s, the church started trying to change its image of being associated with only the poorest people. In 1998, Macedo appointed his nephew, Marcelo Crivella, as a bishop. Crivella said, "We want to win the middle class." In 1992, Crivella began a mission in Africa, resulting in the creation of multiple UCKG temples. He returned to Brazil in 1998, where he lived in a four-bedroom condominium in an exclusive development. Crivella is married to Sylvia Jane, with three children who attend a Methodist school in Río de Janeiro.
Some observers at the time thought that Crivella was being promoted as a competitor to the popular Catholic priest-singer, Marcelo Rossi, who had sold over 4 million albums. In 1999, Crivella was reported to have signed a contract with Sony Music to make three albums, one in Spanish. The first CD, The Messenger of Solidarity, reportedly sold 1.3 million copies that year.
Crivella was the only pastor whom Macedo authorized to hold large events in stadiums. He has been effective at attracting crowds: the first time appearing at the Nilson Nelson gymnasium in Brasília, with a capacity for 25,000 people, and also in the Estádio Fonte Nova in Salvador and the Mineiro in Belo Horizonte. In October 1999, Crivella packed the Maracanã football stadium in Río de Janeiro. By the end of that year, he planned to have sung "in the largest football stadiums in the country" according to weekly news magazine Veja.
In July 2014, the Temple of Solomon, with 10,000 seats, was inaugurated in the Brás district in São Paulo.Simon Romero, Temple in Brazil Appeals to a Surge in Evangelicals, nytimes.com, USA, July 24, 2014
Activities Youth empowerment and community support A primary focus of the UCKG's community work involves projects aimed at supporting young people and addressing knife and gang-related violence.
In April 2017, the UCKG's Victory Youth Group in Kilburn organised a major awareness event on the dangers of gun and knife crime. The event, attended by approximately 130 young people, featured presentations from officers of the Metropolitan Police Trident command, which tackles gang and violent crime. Similar simultaneous events were held at UCKG HelpCentres in Finsbury Park, Brixton, Catford, and Plaistow, supported by police and local councillors.
Beyond direct crime-prevention initiatives, youth engagement programmes linked to the UCKG have included educational and civic activities. Local media have reported on structured debates hosted at HelpCentres, where young people were encouraged to discuss social issues, personal development, and future opportunities, presenting these initiatives as forums for constructive dialogue and community participation.
Humanitarian and charitable By the 2010s, the UCKG was reportedly encouraging blood donation by its members; in various regions, hundreds of donations were made. A blood drive in Soweto in 2011, encouraging UCKG members to donate blood
The church operates regular food support services, the earliest record of such work was in 2017 which saw a significant increase in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Finsbury Park HelpCentre runs a weekly soup kitchen. In June 2020, a 200 kg food donation from the national food redistribution charity FareShare enabled volunteers to triple their usual output, distributing 169 food packages with double helpings to individuals and families in need. Similarly, a soup kitchen at the Kilburn HelpCentre reported a substantial rise in demand during the national lockdowns reflecting wider economic pressures on local communities.
Public records show that the charity's branches in Woolwich, Stamford Hill, Finsbury Park, Tooting, Newcastle, and Hackney have received these official ratings.
Seasoned campaigns like "Tackling Hunger" and "Cook out to reach out" are made in partnership with local restaurants in the UK, where meals are donated by the restaurants to their food bank and served to the beneficiaries. These events have been reported in Peterborough, Liverpool, Leeds, London and Manchester
Humanitarian aid to Ukraine Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) launched a multi-national humanitarian campaign across Europe to deliver food and essential supplies to Ukrainian refugees and internally displaced persons. The effort is coordinated under the church's social outreach initiatives. The campaign involves UCKG branches collecting and shipping aid from these European countries:
Portugal France United Kingdom Spain
Support for the elderly UCKG volunteers undertake projects to support elderly residents. In July 2016, members of the Southall branch of the Victory Youth Group visited Lynne House Care Home in Twickenham as part of their annual 'We Care!' outreach program. Volunteers socialised with residents, played games, and performed songs, with staff inviting the group to return. Charitable fundraising The UCKG collaborates with major UK charities to support national health causes. In February 2014, at least 26 UCKG HelpCentres across England and Wales, including locations in Hackney and Edmonton, launched community appeals for unwanted household items ("bric-a-brac"). The collected goods were donated to the British Heart Foundation (BHF) for resale in their charity shops, with proceeds funding heart disease research.
The church organises events to foster community spirit. In December 2019, a UCKG choir performed Christmas carols at Templars Square shopping centre in Cowley, Oxford, raising funds for the church's free support services. The UCKG also hosts open house events at its HelpCentres to introduce local communities to its services.
Political views and activity