The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) was formed in 1977, in Brazil. It owes its origins to a successful evangelistic programme conducted by Bishop Robert McAlister, a Canadian missionary in the Pentecostal tradition.
Edir Macedo - who went on to found UCKG - was one of the early converts. With the blessing of Bishop McAlister, he started to hold services under a small park shelter in Rio de Janeiro. His passion was to reach out to needy, less privileged people who were often excluded by established religions. As Pastor Macedo's services grew in popularity, he used cinemas and local halls to accommodate growing congregations, attracting people from the streets to the expanding movement. Shortly afterwards the UCKG officially opened its first church inside a funeral parlour.

Further church openings followed and the movement expanded nationally across Brazil. Today there are approximately 5,000 UCKG churches in Brazil, with the headquarters in Rio de Janeiro holding up to 12,000 people at a time.

In Europe, it is established in England, Portugal, Spain, France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland and Poland. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the UCKG opened its doors in Germany and the end of communism enabled the church to provide churches for Russian and Romanian people. The first UCKG church in Africa opened in Angola in 1992. It is now active in South Africa, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Kenya, Lesotho, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Uganda and many other countries on the continent. In Asia, the UCKG is established in India, the Philippines and Japan, where the first 24-hour church is based.

The UCKG is currently in 176 countries and is still expanding.

Tel Aviv, Jaffa: The beginning of a journey The Universal Church, and by the Holy Spirit's mission to evangelize the world, Israel could not be different in the beginning was difficult, there were difficulties in the country, but faith, and the direction of the Holy Spirit moved the church to strive to promote the Gospel of Christ to Israelences. Always having the heart to make sure that: "The fight is great, but the victory is certain. And it was precisely in April 2001 when he inaugurated the Universal Church in Israel in Tel Aviv, since the people had the sublime opportunity to experience a true encounter with God. Since then, many people tired of the problems incurred and overburdened in the Church have found a permanent availability. By the time they need help, there is always a helping hand as it extends. A friend ready to help without asking anything in return, to hear the distress of those who suffer, to pray and ask the help of the Holy Spirit. And this at any time of day or night, every day of the week, every month of the year.

Today we also have a Universal Church in Nazareth, the town where Jesus lived his childhood, and today we have taken the word of God to the Arab people, who live in this city. And we believe that this missionary work, will reach all the cities of Israel by the powerful and glorious action of the Holy Spirit.