City Harvest Church is a Pentecostal megachurch based in Singapore that was founded in 1989 by Kong Hee and his wife Sun Ho, beginning with a group of 20 youths meeting at the Peace Centre. Initially known as “Ekklesia Ministry,” the group operated under the legal oversight of Bethany Christian Centre. It became an independent society in 1992 and was registered as a charity in 1993.
Kong Hee was born in 1964, the fifth child of an engineer and a diamond trader. He studied computer science and information systems at the National University of Singapore, graduating in 1988. During his university years, Kong worked with the Chapel of the Resurrection and later served as a staff evangelist for Christ For Asia in the Philippines. In 1989, he returned to Singapore to establish a new congregation, which became City Harvest Church.
By the late 1990s, the church had experienced rapid growth and developed a relatively young membership base. A large proportion of congregants were under the age of 45. During its first decade, the church placed significant emphasis on community outreach and missions. In 1997, it established the City Harvest Community Services Association (CHCSA), which provided assistance to the elderly, at-risk youth, and low-income families.
In 2002, the church launched the “Crossover Project,” an evangelistic initiative that sought to reach non-Christians through secular pop music. As part of this effort, Sun Ho stepped down from her church roles to pursue a music career connected to the project.
Church leaders maintained that the initiative served a spiritual purpose. However, in 2003, businessman Roland Poon alleged that church funds were being used to finance Ho’s music activities. Poon later retracted his claims and issued an apology. Despite this, the controversy prompted the church to restructure its financial oversight, including the creation of a private fund to support the project.
During the same period, the church invested heavily in physical infrastructure. In 2002, it completed a purpose-built facility in Jurong West with a main hall seating 2,300 people. The building was noted for its modern design and deep basement, which was later recognized by Singapore Records as the “world’s deepest church.”
As attendance continued to grow, City Harvest Church began holding its larger worship services at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre in 2010. This move involved a S$310 million investment to acquire a significant ownership stake in the venue. Church leaders described the investment as part of a long-term sustainability strategy.
On May 31, 2010, Singapore’s Commercial Affairs Department initiated an investigation into alleged financial irregularities involving senior church leaders. In 2012, Kong Hee and five other executives were arrested and charged with criminal breach of trust and falsification of accounts. Prosecutors alleged that approximately S$24 million from the church’s Building Fund had been channeled into sham bond investments tied to music production and glassware companies to support the Crossover Project. An additional S$26 million was alleged to have been used to conceal the initial movement of funds through complex financial arrangements.
The trial lasted 142 days, making it one of the longest criminal proceedings in Singapore’s history. In 2015, all six defendants were convicted. The court found that although the leaders believed they were acting in service of the church’s evangelistic mission, they had misused restricted funds. Kong Hee was initially sentenced to eight years in prison.
In 2017, following an appeal, the sentences were reduced after the court determined the offenses constituted a less severe form of criminal breach of trust. The judges noted that the accused were not motivated by personal financial gain. The court also stated that the church did not suffer permanent financial loss, as the funds were ultimately returned with interest.
Kong Hee began serving his sentence on April 21, 2017. He was released on August 22, 2019, after serving two years and four months. After his release, Kong returned to City Harvest Church and issued a public apology for the “pain and trauma” experienced by the congregation. During his incarceration, Sun Ho had been ordained and assumed greater leadership responsibilities. Despite the legal proceedings, the church reported that it retained more than 15,000 members as of 2019.
In the years following the case, City Harvest Church has continued its religious and social programs. These include the Emerge youth movement and its “Church Without Walls” initiatives. The church remains affiliated with the National Council of Churches of Singapore and continues to conduct services at Suntec Singapore.
Key Sources:
BBC News. (2015, October 21). Singapore City Harvest megachurch leaders guilty of fraud.
Channel News Asia. (2017, May 24). Kong Hee, City Harvest leaders permanently barred from managing charities: MCCY.
Chong, T. (2018). Pentecostal megachurches in Southeast Asia: Negotiating Class, Consumption and the Nation.
Koay, A. (2019, August 25). I left City Harvest Church 7 years ago. I returned yesterday (Kong Hee too). Nothing has changed. Mothership.
Quek, C. (2010, June 2). Followers rally around City Harvest leaders. The Straits Times.
The Straits Times. (2015, October 24). City Harvest trial: Kong Hee apologises to church members for “pain and turmoil” they have endured.
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