El Rey Jesús

Ministerio Internacional El Rey Jesús, anglicized as King Jesus International Ministry, is a non-denominational Christian church located in Miami, Florida. While the church is best known as El Rey Jesús, the anglicized name of ''King Jesus Ministry'' has recently seen more usage alongside attempts to reach out to non-Hispanics in the Miami area. Its senior pastor is currently Apostle Guillermo Maldonado.

Structure

Church Founders

The founders of the church are Guillermo Maldonado and his ex- wife, Ana Maldonado. Maldonado came to Miami from Honduras, while his wife came from Colombia.

In June 1996, Maldonado's family started the church in the living room of their home with 12 members.

Church Growth

By 2010, King Jesus Ministry could sustain 7,000 individuals during each service, with a general attendance exceeding 3,000 - 4,000 per week. Although the majority of the congregants are Hispanic, the church is in the process of transitioning into a multicultural, bilingual congregation that offers services in both English and Spanish.

Ministries

Orphanage

On August 19, 2010, the church founded an orphanage in Honduras in the municipality of Langue, in the department of Valle. The town is located near the border of El Salvador.

The orphanage, known as Home House (translated from ''Casa Hogar'') has room for about 60 children. Home House provides food, clothing, and shelter as well as spiritual and intellectual education. Together with Apostle Guillermo Maldonado, the home was inaugurated by the at-the-time Honduran President Porfirio Lobo Sosa.

Media ministry

King Jesus Ministry has a growing media ministry that includes stations on radio and television, as well as a website and pages on various social media platforms. Television programs are broadcast on Enlace, Daystar, Telemundo Miami, Church Channel, Word Network, Trinity Broadcasting Network, and Mega TV Miami. The radio station is broadcast 24 hours a day in Spanish on Radio Zoe 1430 AM ( WOIR).

Conference of the Apostolic and Prophetic (CAP)

The King Jesus Ministry has an annual conference, known as the ''Conferencia Apostólica y Profética,'' (in English, the ''Conference of the Apostolic and Prophetic''), or CAP. This conference consists of sessions for several days, where speakers are guest preachers in the Pentecostal Christian world. Prominent speakers in recent years have been Benny Hinn, Paula White, and Bill Johnson. In recent years, this event has taken place in the Kaseya Center located in Downtown Miami. As of 2025, the most recent event was held in the Watsco Center after temporarily holding the event in their temple due to Covid-19 Restrictions.

Community involvement

During the 2010 Florida Republican Party Gubernatorial primary elections, King Jesus Ministry was visited by the two most prominent candidates, Bill McCollum and Rick Scott, who spoke to the congregation and presented their stands on certain issues. Associate Pastor John Laffite served as a translator to the mostly Hispanic congregation, encouraging church members to pray for their leaders and exercise their right to vote. Rick Scott won the primary and attended the church two Sundays before Election Day.

In 2019, the church held a campaigning event for President Donald Trump, resulting in critics stating that the church had violated tax rules barring religious groups from participating in political campaigns. For example, the Freedom From Religion Foundation stated that, "In urging congregants to come to a political rally, and in hosting the political rally, King Jesus Ministry appears to have inappropriately used its religious organization." Founder Guillermo Maldonado, responding to the controversy, declared, "If you want to come, do it for your pastor. That's a way of supporting me."

Building development

Starting from June 1, 2004, the church actively began to develop a vision for the expansion of the church property and buildings to effectively meet the needs of the church and community.

By early October 2006, the newly built temple was inaugurated, with the entire building packed to capacity during the celebration. The development of the building was a significant milestone, representing the dedication and contributions of the church community as they worked together to bring the vision to life.

2025 Update:
Although it is now 2025, attendance at El Rey Jesús has not returned to the levels seen in previous years. Many congregants stopped attending in-person services, likely due to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and shifting worship habits. As a result, the building no longer fills up as it once did, and services are now focused on filling the front areas of the sanctuary.

Affiliated Churches

The church has many affiliated churches (primarily in Florida) as well as a handful outside the state.Geoff Surratt, Greg Ligon, Warren Bird, ''A Multi-Site Church Roadtrip: Exploring the New Normal'', Zondervan, USA, 2009, p. 141

References

External links

El Rey Jesus

King Jesus Ministry

Official Facebook page

Radio Zoe 1430 AM
Google translate from Spanish to English

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rey Jesus, El
Evangelical megachurches in the United States
Megachurches in California
Churches in Miami
Pentecostal churches in Florida
Christian organizations established in 1996
1996 establishments in Florida