Francis Chan is finally getting honest about why he walked away from one of the most successful megachurches in the country.
In a new conversation with Lecrae on the Deep End podcast, the former pastor of Cornerstone Church said his decision to step down more than a decade ago wasn’t about burnout — it was about conviction.
“I remember telling my wife, ‘If Jesus or Paul had a church in Simi Valley, mine would be bigger — and that’s bothering me,’” he said.
Chan, who founded the house church network We Are Church in 2011, said he couldn’t shake the sense that something was off. Thousands of people were showing up every week, but he wasn’t convinced they were actually becoming more like Jesus — or loving one another the way Christ commanded.
“I got a bunch of people, thousands of people; we’re playing church,” he said.
He also pointed to the absence of spiritual gifts in his congregation, saying it didn’t line up with what he saw in Scripture. “There’s 5,000 people with some sort of gift, and I don’t know any of these gifts, and they’re not being used in the church.”
Chan said it wasn’t one thing that made him leave, but a “perfect storm” of realizations. “I can let go of the numbers, the fame, the money. I want to please you,” he said, referring to God.
He admits he was a little idealistic at first — imagining a thriving underground movement like China’s — but says he finally has peace.
“It may not look as successful,” he said, “but I really love these people, and they genuinely love me.”
Even now, he sometimes wonders if he’s better suited to be back onstage. But for now, he believes the house church model is the future. “A lot of my friends with big churches are miserable. It’s just a tough time to shepherd the big churches.”
You can watch their full conversation here:
