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WHAT DOES "MARANATHA" MEAN?
"Maranatha" itself is an ancient Hebrew-Aramaic word that meant
alternatively, "the Lord is coming soon," or "Oh, Lord, Come
Soon." It was part of the Jewish congregational prayers in the first century.
It occurs in the New Testament in 1 Cor. 16:22 (the Aramaic word is
transliterated into Greek letters in the text). The word came into English
as a transliteration as well, along with a few other Hebrew words
("Hallelujah" and "Hosanna" are other common examples).
There are, of course, thousands of independent churches and ministries that
use the name (including a well-known music publisher), even though they are
unrelated to each other. Some of these churches or groups have very
different beliefs from one another. Our core beliefs and practices are
explained in more detail here.
We use the name "Maranatha" out of obedience to the Lord's
directive – that our mission is to preach the imminent return of the
Lord Jesus. Our body of churches began almost 40 years ago with a small
prayer group that had wonderful experiences with the outpouring of the Holy
Spirit. This type of revival or outpouring has continued without ceasing,
growing and flourishing within a healthy, structured Body. Today we have
over 3500 Maranatha congregations in South America, about 30 in North
America, and several dozen in Western Europe, India, and central Africa. There are also large networks of churches in the former Soviet republics with whom
we have a good working relationship.
If you would like more information about Maranatha, or information about
our churches in your area, please email us at askapastor@maranathacentral.org.
If you would like to read more about our beliefs and practices, you can
find a wealth of information at Our Message and More About Us.
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