The (stylized as Iglesia Ni Cristo; the 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 apostatic. According to INC doctrine, the official registration of the church with the Philippine government was on July 27, 1914, by Felix Y. Manalo—who is upheld by members to be the last messenger of God in the End Times—was an act of divine providence and the fulfillment of biblical prophecy concerning the re-establishment of the original church of Jesus 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, the INC had become a nationwide organization with 1,250 local chapels and 35 cathedrals. As his successor, Manalo's son, Eraño Manalo, led a campaign to grow and internationalize the church until his death on August 31, 2009. His son, Eduardo V. Manalo, succeeded him as Executive Minister. The 2020 Philippine census reported that 2.8 million were adherents of the INC, making it the fifth (5th) largest denomination in the Philippines behind the Roman Catholic Church, Islam, Evangelicalism, and Protestantism.
History
During the American colonial era of the Philippines, there were a variety of rural anti-colonial movements, often with religious undertones, and American Protestant missionaries introduced several alternatives to the Catholic Church, the predominant church during the Spanish colonial period.
Felix Manalo
220px|thumb|Built in 1937, the former chapel of the congregation of Punta in Santa Ana, Manila is now an [[Iglesia ni Cristo Museum (Santa Ana, Manila)|INC museum. Notable is the fence design featuring the letters "INK", the abbreviation of the church's original registered name Iglesia ni Kristo.]]
Felix Y. Manalo, born on May 10, 1886, as Felix Ysagun to Mariano Ysagun y Villanueva and Bonifacia Manalo y Cruz in Taguig, Philippines, was baptized into the Catholic Church. Manalo's baptismal record, however, cannot be found, as records of his parish date back only to June 1886. Manalo became dissatisfied with Catholic theology in his teenage years. At the age of seven, Manalo was said to have attended classes under a certain "Maestro Cario" in Manila. However, his studies were interrupted by the Philippine Revolution in 1896, prompting him not to pursue further formal education, and turn to farming and hatmaking instead. In 1904, he joined the Methodist Episcopal Church, He also explored various Christian denominations, including the Presbyterian Church (where he studied in the Ellinwood Bible School), Iglesia ni Cristo 1901 (Christian Mission), and finally the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1911, where he served as a lay preacher. After being antagonized by fellow Adventists for his colorum past, and being reprimanded for his elopement with his future wife (they were married in a different church), Manalo left Adventism in 1913, and associated himself with atheist and agnostic peers.
thumb|The INC Lokal ng Tondo, established on November 6, 1915, is one of the earliest congregations of the church. The [[Iglesia ni Cristo chapel, Tondo|current structure was completed in 1967.]]
In November 1913, Manalo secluded himself with religious literature and unused notebooks in a friend's house in Pasay, instructing everyone in the home not to disturb him. He emerged from seclusion three days later with his newfound doctrines. On December 25, 1918, coinciding with the fifth (5th) anniversary celebration of the church, Manalo was ordained as a minister by the following bishops and pastors: Alejandro Reyes (IEMELIF), Victoriano Mariano (IEMELIF), Gil Domingo (Iglesia de los Cristianos Filipinos), Guillermo Zarco (Presbyterian Church), Emiliano Quijano (Iglesia ni Cristo 1901), Nicolas Fajardo (Evangelical Church), Roque Bautista (Evangelical Church). The first three ministers of the INC were ordained thereafter, in May 1919, namely Justino Casanova (pangulo ng lupon), Federico Inocencio (kagawad ng lupon), and Teodoro Santiago (kalihim ng lupon). Early church members were said to be mostly uneducated, illiterate, and coming from the lower socioeconomic classes, the ministers included. According to Teodoro Santiago, the third INC Minister to be ordained in the church, Manalo began to openly reject the deity of Christ around the year 1932, but still maintained that Jesus is Lord (Panginoong Hesukristo). During World War II, Manalo was offered by the Japanese to lead the all-Filipino Evangelical Church of the Philippines (福音教会). His refusal led to Japanese suspicion and surveillance, to the point that Manalo acceded to the Japanese demand to have Prudencio Vasquez, division minister of Nueva Ecija and later of Bicol, as the Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo. This was formalized through a circular issued on June 29, 1942. Manalo resumed being the Executive Minister after the war. The first mission to Mindanao was commissioned in 1946. On March 15, 1948, the church was formally reconstituted through amendments to its Articles of Incorporation as the Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC), with a twofold name (Iglesia Ni Cristo and Church of Christ) used in English-speaking countries. Adherents fleeing for the provinces away from Manila, where the Japanese forces were concentrated during World War II, were used for evangelization. The 1960 Census in the Philippines, however, showed adherents totaling to 270,104. By 1955, the overall educational attainment of INC members had also improved, with an estimated 35 percent of its total membership being considered literate. This, however, is lower than the national literacy rate of 75 percent in the same year. Still, the global expansion pushed through. It would be on July 27, 1968, when Eraño Manalo officiated the inaugural worship service of the church in Ewa Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii—the first mission of the INC outside the Philippines. The following month, INC established the San Francisco congregation. INC reached Europe through the United Kingdom in 1971 and Canada in 1973. INC established its first congregation in South Africa in 1978. INC established congregations in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, in 1990; Rome, Italy, on July 27, 1994; Jerusalem, Israel, on March 31, 1996; and Athens, Greece, on May 10, 1997. In 1998, INC established 543 congregations and missions in 74 countries outside the Philippines.
thumb|The Philippine Arena
On July 21, 2014, former President Benigno Aquino III and INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo led the inauguration of Ciudad de Victoria, a 140-hectare tourism zone in Bocaue and Santa Maria, Bulacan, where the Philippine Arena is also located. The Philippine Arena, a 55,000-seat multi-purpose structure owned by the INC, currently holds the Guinness World Record for the largest mixed-used indoor theater.
The Philippine government declared 2014 the "Iglesia ni Cristo Centennial Year" through Proclamation 815. On July 27 of the same year, the government announced a special non-working holiday to commemorate the 100th founding anniversary of Iglesia ni Cristo.
thumb|upright|Historical marker unveiled by the [[National Historical Commission of the Philippines on July 24, 2014 at the main compound of INC to commemorate the centennial anniversary of the church]]
The INC celebrated its centennial anniversary at Ciudad de Victoria, with the Philippine Arena as the main venue, and in about 1,180 worship buildings worldwide through live video feed. The week-long celebration consisted of pyro-musical displays, a worship service led by Manalo, an oratorio, a musical presentation, a theatrical play, a quiz show, and an evangelical mission. The worship service for the INC centennial secured two Guinness World Records: the largest gospel choir with 4,745 members, and the largest mixed-use indoor theater for the Philippine Arena, which had 51,929 attendees. On July 26, 2015, INC capped its centennial year through activities such as International Unity Games, a worship service led by Manalo, and a Closing Centennial Celebration held in Washington D.C., United States, and the Philippine Arena.
On October 4, 2015, INC, through VIVA Films, conducted the world premiere of Felix Manalo, a film depicting the origin of the INC and the life of its first executive minister, which was held at the Philippine Arena.
According to the resolution passed by the Senate of the Philippines to commemorate INC's 104th anniversary in 2018, the INC had established more than 7,000 congregations in 151 countries and territories worldwide.
On 6 May 2018, INC organized a charity walk in Manila, Philippines, with a recorded participation of 283,171 people, setting a new world record for the largest charity walk/run event. This surpassed their previous record of 175,509 participants set in 2014.
On May 26, 2025, Angelo Eraño V. Manalo, son of Eduardo, was unanimously elected as the deputy executive minister of the INC, which was held at the EVM Convention Center. Manalo later took oath in his office as the deputy executive minister on May 31.
Beliefs and core values
thumb|The [[INC Central Temple|Central Temple in Quezon City was completed in 1984, and is the only INC building to date that is called a temple (that is, Templo Central). According to Architect Carlos A. Santos-Viola, in designing INC edifices, he had to create a style that "cannot be mistaken for any other sect except Iglesia." He also related how Manalo considered the Gothic architecture as the "most religious type of architecture" for its verticality, which was interpreted as "pointing towards heaven."
thumb|The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) Lokal ng Tayuman is the second oldest congregation of the church, established after the congregation at Punta in Santa Ana, Manila. The chapel is located along Apitong Street in Santa Cruz, Manila. [[Manila City Council|Manila City Resolution No. 431, series of 2015 urged the National Historical Commission of the Philippines to recognize the locale as a historic site.]]
Bible
The Iglesia ni Cristo believes that the Bible is the only sacred text inspired by God, and thus it is the sole basis of all their beliefs and practices, although notably the INC uses the Protestant Bible with 66 canonical books. As a point of comparison, the Catholic Bible has 73 books, while the Orthodox Tewahedo biblical canon has 81 books. There is no official church explanation why the INC is using a Bible which canon was developed and preserved during the time the church was apostasized, or the period between the Apostles and the reestablishment of the church by Felix Manalo. Only ministers have the authority (may karapatan) to interpret and teach Scripture.
God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit
The Iglesia ni Cristo believes that God the Father is the creator deity and the only true God. The INC regards the traditional and mainstream Christian belief in the Trinity as heresy,