Francis Chan on Leaving Church
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An article just came out in Relevant’s Neue Magazine interviewing former megachurch pastor and best-selling author of the book Crazy Love, Francis Chan – someone whom I’ve written about and praised before. After reading the article, I’ve decided to brag on him again – not because of his theology so much as his ecclesiology, the latter of which I find to be totally inspiring. You can also listen to a podcast of him discussing this on the magazine’s website here.
Here’s my brief synopsis of the piece and some quotes that make the major points:
Chan felt like he was being led to embark on a new ministry catered to serving the poor. He says the size of his church was more of a curse than a blessing, “And in my heart I know it’s not right; the church has got to change,” he said. He asks, “where did we get this idea that the goal of the church was to fill a room just to hear the word of God and sing worship songs to Him?”
“All the proceeds from his book sales are given to charity. A few years ago, his family downsized to a smaller home so they could give more money away. Then last October, before Chan and his family wen to Asia to minister to impoverished people there, the family sold their home so they could be completely free to go where God leads them – without a home to return to. But Chan doesn’t share these details with a “Hey, look at me!” attitude. For the last couple of years, Chan says he has become increasingly interested in diverting attention away from himself.”
He made the following comments as well: “I struggle with this – this magazine article, with traveling and speaking, with being so widely accepted – because Jesus says in Luke 6:26, ‘Woe to you, when all people speak well of you . . .’ There’s got to be a way where we don’t make celebrities out of people who are wanting to have an impact.”
“Chan is longing for more than just a departure from the celebrity-pastor model. He also feels like God is calling him to create a new type of church community. As for what that will look like, Chan admits he’s still trying to figure that out.”
At Cornerstone, Chan had a vision for a way to change the dynamics of how the church operates. Instead of building a new facility, he wanted to start meeting outside in an amphitheater year-round. The money that would have been designated for a new building would have been used to erect a center for Children’s Hunger Fund.
“According to Chan, the alternative is discipleship. [We have to teach] other people to lead gatherings, whether it’s in their home, the school, the park or wherever,” he says. “We just need to multiply disciples and equip more and more people who are able to lead others, no matter where it is, [to the point] where they don’t need a building to go to.”
He says he’s ready for “new gatherings” that are “build around smaller communities of believers rather than a megachurch that is most identifiable by its celebrity pastor.” He complained about the time he spent “preparing this awesome message, service, and everything else that runs the machine!”
Afterward the author of the article added that Chan seemed both excited and tired – “excited to take this step of faith and see where God leads him and his family,” but “tired of answering questions about why he left.”
This isn’t something completely new of course, and Chan is not alone. I feel the same way he does about church, and I know many other people do too. The interviewer asked Chan about whether he thinks other pastors are called to do the same. Chan answered with ambivalence, but he was certainly sure of his own responsibility to make a change. My question is, are any of us not called to do this? By this, I mean, ministering to the poor, turning away from selfish ambition, careerism, and the system that takes life more than it gives by diverting our attention from what’s most important and necessary.
I wonder if Jesus is saying to other megachurch pastors “go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Would they obey? Walk away in sadness? Or can they not hear Jesus in the first place, because they’re distracted by the busyness of the spotlight? Or can I not hear him, because I’m too worried about the speck in my neighbor’s eye? Probably the answer to both questions is in the affirmative.
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Bill! i just found your blog via facebook. great post. in response to the post itself, i admire francis chan and the direct call he feels to teach. it is so neat to read about pastors like him, Tim Keller, David Platt and how passionate they are about community and spreading the gospel, but how the context for them is so different, at this point in time. hope you are well!
Sarah Smith
February 17, 2011 at 8:13 am
Thanks, Sarah. Good to hear from you. Speaking of Tim Keller, he’s doing a webcast interview today with Gabe Lyons about his new book at 2pm ET here:
http://www.qideas.org/webcast/
Bill
February 17, 2011 at 9:24 am
I think Francis Chan is a very smart man, and I agree with his feelings about huge, wealthy churches. I believe its the people from tiny, less financially blessed churches that get to be truly close to God. Although, I think the real message here is that its not about the church at all, but our personal relationship with God. We can praise Him anywhere.
Ellie
February 18, 2011 at 8:00 am
Ellie,
You are so right. Our relationship with God is what matters most and if we study his Word and follow His teachings it will cause us to get the most out of where we are. A big church may seem harder to “get connected” but it depends on what we want to get out of it. It is up to us.
ken libby
March 9, 2011 at 7:04 pm
Both of you make an important point, but church cannot be left out of it – otherwise, Chan would have never left! The point isn’t that big churches are inherently bad. Rather, it’s just that the bigger churches are, the more institutional they usually become – the more powerful, political, and market/business-oriented, etc. This doesn’t have to be the case, but it usually is. Of course smaller churches are by no means exempt from these problems. They’re just lest harmful when they fall prey to this stuff because they’re not as influential, quantitatively speaking. We cannot let ourselves become indifferent to structures, models, and methodology by abstracting our relationship with God away from the concrete and particular Church itself, or away from what Church is actually like, and whether it adequately represents the kingdom of God. That is, I think, a big part of what Chan is saying – don’t miss it!
Bill
March 10, 2011 at 2:27 am
Great post, Bill. Keep it up.
Chan’s decision is truly remarkable.
Blake
February 18, 2011 at 8:24 am
[...] more often? For anyone interested, I’ve also written some about this lately on a blog post here and on the Relevant Magazine Church Blog. [i] Joanne Marie Terrell, Power in the Blood? The Cross [...]
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February 21, 2011 at 11:11 pm
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July 6, 2011 at 10:06 am
I started and pastored churches for over 30 years. Some of them got kinda big and others stayed small. I can attest to the lure of the “successful church” model. It’s insidious how we Americans are drawn to what seems like the popular thing to do and the trendy place to worship. In my neighborhood in SF are two very trendy businesses at which hundreds of hipsters line up along the sidewalk in droves. Their ice cream and pastries are tasty but not amazing enough for me to stand in the cold and wait for them. I’ve wondered about the attraction, and have decided that people like to go where other people like them are, and are attracted to what gives them the feeling they’re part of the current “in the thing”. I don’t know that church was ever meant to be the “in thing.” We’re a counter-culture, not a sub-culture. The kind of disciples we make when our focus is buildings, budgets, and beauracracies are often weak and comfort-seeking. I agree with you, Bill, that this isn’t always the case with big churches, but frankly it’s a lot harder to maintain a disciple-making and missional lifestyle in them. There’s so much business and organization to do. Some can pull it off, and God bless them for it. And God bless you and Chan and everyone else trying to live and serve more simply for Jesus.
barney wiget
August 15, 2011 at 8:53 am