The word “Maranatha” itself is an ancient Hebrew-Aramaic phrase 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. The New Testament includes it in 1 Corinthians 16:22 (the Aramaic phrase is transliterated into Greek letters in the text). The phrase eventually 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 Maranatha (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 throughout this website.

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 over 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 8000 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 or house groups in your area, please email us.