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" He explained further that they had started out with five pillars to the house church movement. He began naming the pillars, and at first I was tracking with him. The first one is based on a deep, deep commitment to prayer. The second is commitment to the Word of God. It wasn’t about the speaker but about everyone learning the Word of God, reading the Word of God. The third was being committed to the sharing of the gospel, so every member was sharing the gospel. These first three I felt lined up pretty well with what we were trying to do in San Francisco. The fourth was a regular expectation of miracles. Because of their prayer life, because of what they believed of the Holy Spirit, they expected the supernatural. That’s something we were growing in desiring and understanding. But then, with the fifth pillar, he completely blindsided me. He said, “The fifth pillar was we embraced suffering for the glory of Christ.” Whoa! He told me this is what they built their church on: embracing suffering. "
― Francis Chan , We Are Church
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" began taking their churches above ground. They rented buildings and started running services the way we do in America. It was great for a while, but these pastors became so discouraged. I wish I could convey the frustration and desperation in their voices. They talked about the good old days, when their people were risking their lives and radically sharing the gospel, making disciples. But now these pastors were lamenting the way their people attend services and expect the leaders to feed them and cater to them. They had seen this same transition in Korea and were terrified it would happen in their context as well. All anyone wanted was a Jesus and a church that served their needs and kept them comfortable. What started as a movement became a bunch of people sitting safely in services. My mind flashed back to five years prior when my daughter and I went to an underground gathering in China. Young people were praying so passionately, begging God to send them to the most dangerous places. They were actually hoping to die as martyrs! I had never seen anything like it. I still can’t get over the fearless passion for Jesus this church embodied. As they shared stories of persecution, I sat in amazement and asked for more stories. After a while, they asked why I was so intrigued. I told them the church in America was nothing like this. I can’t tell you how embarrassing it was to try to explain to them that people attend ninety-minute services once a week in buildings and that’s what we call “church.” I told them about how people switch churches if they find better teaching, more exciting music, or more robust programs for their kids. As I described church life in America, they began to laugh. Not just small chuckles; they were laughing hysterically. I felt like a stand-up comedian, but I was simply describing the American church as I’ve experienced it. They found it laughable that we could read the same Scriptures they were reading and then create something so incongruent. "
― Francis Chan , We Are Church
