We Are Church - Francis Chan Network

We Are Church - Francis Chan Network

https://www.wearechurch.com

A worldwide family of simple churches. We’re following Jesus together, multiplying disciples, and living as the church in homes across the globe.

“Change the way the American church thinks about family”
“Change the way the American church thinks about Church”

In 1994, Francis Chan founded Cornerstone Church with a small group of believers. Grounded in Scripture and focused on authentic community, this humble beginning laid the groundwork for the church’s future growth and Francis Chan’s evolving ministry.

In April of 2010, Francis and his family found themselves at a significant crossroads. After planting Cornerstone Church in 1994, a church they had faithfully nurtured for 16 years, they felt a divine calling to step away and seek God’s direction for their next chapter.

In May 2010, their journey began with a bold step of faith—they sold their home and set off to explore what God might have in store for them. Their travels took them across the globe, from India and Thailand to China and Hong Kong.

On January 20, 2013, Francis officially launched We Are Church in his living room in Daly City. The community was small—just around 20 members—but the heart behind the church was clear. We Are Church was not about tradition or a certain model, but about following the model laid out in Scripture, where the practices and values of the church were shaped by God’s Word. The church would be a place where people could come together authentically, pursue discipleship, and be sent out into the world.

Over the years, the vision of We Are Church expanded globally. What began as a small community in San Francisco soon began to take root in other cities across the U.S. and beyond. We Are Churches were planted in East Palo Alto, Fremont, and other parts of the Bay Area. Internationally, the church reached Hong Kong and Mexico, with additional plants in Nashville, Memphis, Detroit, and Phoenix. Each new location represented a unique expression of God’s Kingdom but with the same core mission: to create simple, Gospel-centered communities that love and serve the people around them.

"We are Church" operates House Churches in:


San Francisco, California - The original We Are Church location was launched January 2013 by Francis Chan in his living room. This came as fruit of outreach and evangelism work that had begun in the tenderloin district of San Francisco.


East Palo Alto, California - We Are Church EPA was launched in 2019 by a group of elders from San Francisco We Are Church.


Fremont, California
We Are Church Fremont was launched in 2021 by Francis Chan after deportation from Hong Kong.


Hong Kong - These churches were planted by Francis Chan during his time in Hong Kong in early 2020. Currently there are 5 churches with 2 elders.


Cleveland, Ohio - We Are Church Cleveland launched in early 2025 from leaders who moved to Cleveland from We Are Church San Francisco.


Phoenix, Arizona - We started gathering in February of 2019 and became We Are Church in December of 2024


Detroit, Michigan - Transitioned from a multi-site traditional church into a network of house churches in 2020 in order to more fully pursue the Great Commission.


Davie, Florida - We are followers of Jesus Christ, meeting in homes since 2018 to live as God's family and to practice the simple, biblical vision of the church as we read it in Scripture. We joined the We Are Church family in 2025.


Gallatin, Tennessee - Moved from a traditional church model to a home church model in 2019 to meet a growing demand for discipleship within our church body.


Memphis, Tennessee - Started as a traditional church plant but never launched. During the start up season we transitioned into house churches in 2018. We have a relational network of three house churches locally.


Saltillo, Mexico - We launched We Are Church in April 2023.