Pastor Envisions Christianity Leaving False Piety Behind

The lights go off, and a projection screen rolls down over the unadorned wooden cross hanging at the front of Cornerstone Community Church.

Congregants “ooh” and “ahh” as they watch home video snippets of a baby girl, who eventually matures into a talking 2-year-old.

The lights come back on. Before the packed church stands Pastor Francis Chan, wearing not a suit and tie or holy robes but khakis and a long-sleeved shirt. He tells the audience that just as the girl grows, so must Christians mature in their faith.

Chan, a 31-year-old who calls himself a Generation X’er with a short attention span, is accustomed to using props, videos and personal stories--anything to get his Christian messages across at the nondenominational Cornerstone Community Church.

He is one of a growing number of pastors nationwide trying to attract generations of worshipers who have grown to equate organized religion with hypocrisy, especially after a spate of sex and financial scandals in the late 1980s that ended in the downfall of a number of prominent television ministers.

“I think the average person sees church as a place filled with hypocrites,” Chan said. “There’s a lot of people who say they believe in God but they just don’t believe in the church.

“I have a real strong passion to make the church what Christ wants it to be: pure and blameless and free of hypocrisy.”

Nondenominational Christian churches such as Chan’s are growing exponentially across the nation and worldwide, said Donald E. Miller, a religion professor at the University of Southern California.

Miller is the author of “Reinventing American Protestantism; Christianity in the New Millennium,” a 1997 book that deals with a number of Christian movements in the ‘90s.

Many of the newer nondenominational Christian churches, he said, are theologically conservative, trying hard to distance themselves from corruption and traditional religious connotations. At the same time, he said, they are avant-garde in dress, music and worship style. The movement stemmed from the ‘60s and ‘70s counterculture movement, but is also a reaction to the scandals of the late 1980s, he said.

Evangelists in Trouble

In 1988, evangelist Jimmy Swaggart was discovered patronizing prostitutes. That same year, Pat Robertson, creator of the Christian Broadcasting Network, ran for the Republican presidential nomination, but his campaign was later found to have financial irregularities. It also came to light that Robertson had lied about his wedding date to hide the fact that his bride was pregnant.

In 1989, a jury convicted evangelist Jim Bakker of cheating his followers of $3.7 million to support his extravagant lifestyle.

“I think a lot of people looked at televangelists and the scandals associated with it and it gave Christianity a bad name,” Miller said. “So that’s why I think they’re putting such an emphasis on integrity and transparency: That ‘we have nothing to hide. Come look at our books. I’ll tell you what my salary is.’

“It’s because they clearly want to disassociate themselves from any corruption that may be in the minds of the very people they would like to attract,” Miller said.

At Cornerstone Community, no one has to ask for permission to take a peek at the church’s budget. In the lobby of the church office, next to the seats, double-sided photocopies of the church’s finance report are available for the taking.

The salaries of all the pastors and teachers are available for review, along with the cost of the building lease and even office supplies, printing and postage.

“I want them to know exactly how much money I’m making, and if I’m ashamed to post my salary, then I’m probably making too much,” Chan said.

During the late 1980s, pastors were often taught in Bible school that they should be somehow different or set apart from the congregation, said Pastor Dave Wilkinson of Sonrise Christian Fellowship in Simi Valley.

“So they end up being put up on a pedestal and when they fall--because they’re human or lack accountability--[congregants] are very disillusioned and hurt,” Wilkinson said.

Closing the Distance

Now, Miller said, pastors are doing something that seems to come straight out of the Protestant Reformation period, when priests were encouraged not to distance themselves by their acts or the wearing of special robes.

Chan follows that pattern. He chews gum, talks about Bart Simpson, plays golf and uses the word “awesome” frequently. He also shares his personal problems with his audience, when it’s appropriate.

“I think the main thing I do is I expose who I am,” he said. “I tell my people my faults and shortcomings whether in private or even on the pulpit.”

For example, he speaks during services about how he lost his temper on the phone. Or was too aggressive, “getting in someone’s face” during a sports game. Or fought with his wife.

“We struggle just like everyone else,” he said. “I think people think, ‘I can’t show my faults to the pastor because he’s perfect.’ No. I’m not.

“I keep emphasizing that Jesus always embraced those who exposed their sins but confronted those who hid their sins. It’s OK to make mistakes. We become hypocrites when we pretend we don’t.”

Chan was born in San Francisco, and his mother died while giving birth. His father then moved the family to Hong Kong, where Chan spent his early years. When he was 5, Chan’s family moved back to the United States. He grew up in Stockton and decided during high school, while questioning whether Jesus existed or not, to become a minister.

He received his master’s of divinity at the Master’s Seminary in the San Fernando Valley.

Chan’s methods and his personality have gained him a fast-growing audience at the church, especially among those who are in their 30s.

Planning to Grow

Since the Cornerstone congregation’s modest start out of scattered Simi Valley homes, membership has ballooned from 30 to more than 1,000 in four years. It’s growing even as it shares the city with Sonrise Christian Fellowship, a nondenominational Christian group that began about eight years ago and has more than 4,000 members.

The group plans to grow. Ministers are examining whether they can purchase the current building or other buildings adjacent to the property. They would like to more than triple the seating capacity to 1,000.

“Pastor Francis is just awesome,” said Jennifer Campbell, a 30-year-old worshiper dressed in denim overalls who gave Chan a hug after a recent service. “His teaching is just right on.”

During one of three services that Sunday, every seat is taken and some people stand in the back. The building is modern, but without the usual adornments of most churches. There are no lectern, paintings or stained glass windows, but there are plenty of speakers to project the music.

The audience claps while singing “I believe in Jesus. I believe he is the son of God.” Some tap their feet lightly to the beat of the drums and nod their heads to the tune strummed on three guitars, two of which are electric.

Sixteen-year-old Mary Albanese said she loves the music, but what really attracts her to the church is Chan and his honesty.

“We all love Francis,” said Mary, who baby-sits for the Chans occasionally. “He’s the same guy all the time. He doesn’t lead a double life.”

FYI

Cornerstone Community Church, at 2080 Winifred Drive in Simi Valley, holds services at 6:30 p.m. Saturdays and at 8:30, 9:45 and 11 a.m. Sundays. The church also has about a dozen Bible study sessions for couples, men, women and youths. Call 581-9532 for more information.