Pastor Ché Ahn Pledges to Launch a Grassroots Movement Grounded in Faith, Family, and Freedom
Pastor Ché Ahn, founder of Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena and leader of the global apostolic network Harvest International Ministry (HIM), publicly announced his intention to run for governor of California this past week.
“By the grace of God and through the leading of the Holy Spirit, I believe [He] has called me to run for governor of California,” Ahn declared Sunday morning from the pulpit. The announcement was met with cheers and a standing ovation from his congregation.
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This decision, he explained, came after decades of ministry, prayer, and a divine prompting in the early hours of April 28 just two months ago. “The Lord wakes me up at 2:30 in the morning… I shouldn’t be [awake]—I should be absolutely exhausted—but I’m wide awake… I knew what He was saying: ‘I want you to run,’” Ahn said.
Initially resistant, Ahn asked the Lord for a sign. “Just let me throw a fleece out… let me get an invitation to the White House and meet President Trump if this is of you.” An hour later, he received a text from the White House, inviting him to the National Day of Prayer. “You can’t make this up. I said, ‘This is crazy.’”
Pastor Ahn also cited 1 Samuel 17 as a foundational Scripture for his calling. “David was a nobody. I’m a nobody. I don’t have a gazillion followers on Facebook. I’ve never been involved in politics… I’m just willing to obey.”
In addition to Sunday’s announcement, Ahn privately shared the news with HIM leaders on a network call on Thursday.
“We’re going to start a grassroots movement, going from church to church, neighborhood by neighborhood, every city that will have me come,” he said. “If the church doesn’t want me to come and give my campaign speech, then I’ll move on to the next one. But there is a remnant that is desperate to see God move in this state.”
Ahn plans to unveil his campaign platform in two weeks, centered on the three F’s: Faith, Family, and Freedom. “It’s very, very simple.”
Though he has no political background, Ahn pointed to his past legal and spiritual battles as preparation. “We sued Governor Newsom and the state of California in 2020. It went all the way to the Supreme Court. By God’s grace, we won. That’s my bear.”
He also referenced God’s provision in major ministry undertakings: “It took $10 million to do The Call, $13 million to buy this building. It’s going to take a lot of money to run, but God’s given me the grace to raise money.”
Ahn introduced his two paid staff members and appealed to the congregation: “I’m recruiting all of you… Some of you I’m going to ask to volunteer and knock on doors with me… and of course, I’m going to ask all of you to pray and give.”
He closed with a charge to the church, “I think all the fires, all the chaos… It’s God. The whole nation, the world, is looking at California once again. And I believe, for such a time as this, that you can’t make this up… God set the stage.”
