Hillsong San Francisco Breaks Away from Megachurch to Form Independent Church
Hillsong San Francisco, one of the U.S. campuses of Hillsong Church, is departing the global megachurch and establishing its own church. The announcement of the departure of Hillsong San Francisco, led by campus pastors Brenden and Jacqui Brown, was made by Hillsong Global Senior Leader Phil Dooley on Sunday during service.
"We're thankful that our San Francisco campus is a healthy church with so many wonderful, wonderful people. Well…after much prayer and thoughtful consideration, we're announcing that Brenden and Jacqui Brown will be taking on the leadership of our church community in San Francisco as a separate church, so separating from what has been part of Hillsong California," stated Dooley, Protestia reported.
"Now, we believe the time is right for this. This is an exciting season for the Browns and for our church in San Francisco, and we want to say how much we love Brenden and Jacqui, and we value their dedication, their sacrifice, and their commitment to pastoring and leading the Hillsong San Francisco community."
Meanwhile, California Lead Pastor Sam Lopez explained that departure was amicable and that God gave the Browns a "fresh vision" for the church, according to The Roys Report.
"God has asked them to take a step of faith—we're backing it 100%," Lopez said.
On social media, the Browns followed up on the announcement with one of their own.
"We're stepping into a new season as a new church!" the couple said in a video posted to Instagram.
"God has been faithful in every step of our journey, and we believe He's leading us into something fresh and full of purpose. While our name is changing, our heart remains the same—to love people and connect them to Jesus."
Hillsong San Francisco's departure leaves with just five U.S. locations: Los Angeles and Orange County in California, along with New York City, New Jersey, and Boston. In the past five years, 11 of the 16 U.S. campuses have left the global megachurch, which had faced scandals with some of its leaders, including former Hillsong NYC Pastor Carl Lentz and Hillsong founder Brian Houston.
Photo Credit: ©Instagram/Hillsong_sf
Originally published February 21, 2025.
