RANCHO PALOS VERDES, Calif. — Pastor Jack Hibbs, a prominent minister in California, urged fellow pastors in his state not to shirk from civic engagement as they face what he implied is a demonic assault from their own state government.
“I come before you guys today as a native Californian,” Hibbs, who serves as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills, told those gathered at Turning Point USA’s recent Faith Forward Pastors Summit last week.
“I have been fighting for this state for 35 years, but I want to speak directly to the California pastor that’s in the room today,” he said.
“This state is the greatest state in this nation, and that’s why I think it is the absolute target of the enemy. The greatest innovations, the greatest achievements, some of the greatest movements in the Church have happened in California.”
“Satan knows this, and when I look across the landscape of the American pulpit, the California pulpit, if we don’t get this next argument right in showing up during the battle, then I don’t know how it’s going to go for California,” he added.
Reiterating one of his sermons that made headlines earlier this month, warning Christians in California they might need to flee the state, Hibbs urged fellow California pastors to join him at the state Capitol in Sacramento on Aug. 19 in his planned appeal to Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom against Assembly Bill 495.
The proposed state legislation purports to address “unique challenges faced by immigrant families” under the Trump administration’s mass deportation efforts. But Hibbs has argued it poses a threat to child welfare by potentially empowering a “caregiver” who might not be a family member to make critical medical decisions for a child and effectively kidnap them.
During his speech at the summit, Hibbs warned the bill could set a precedent that “will invade 49 other states.”
Hibbs went on to reference fellow event speaker Eric Metaxas, who immediately preceded him and spoke about the importance of Christians living out their faith boldly by not shying away from speaking out regarding the Gospel’s implications on critical political and cultural issues.
“If I hear one more word, ‘I just preach the Gospel, brother,’ you need to repent of that!” Hibbs said. “Because you’re supposed to preach the Gospel, that’s a given. We are called to make disciples of those who we preach the Gospel to. We are pastors.”
“On August 19, I’m asking you to join me. I’m going to go to the Capitol and I’m going to appeal to Newsom to reject this bill,” he said.
Hibbs noted the example of the apostle Paul, who exercised his rights and political power as a Roman citizen to appeal to Caesar regarding his unjust treatment, as recounted in Acts 25:11.
“He appeals to Caesar because he’s a Roman citizen,” Hibbs told his listeners. “He uses that political power, pastor, that was given to him by God. He’s a Roman citizen. Are you in California? You are a California pastor, over the largest state in the nation; 40-some-odd million people live here, and you’re a pastor here. We’ve been called to stand and present and to speak the truth without apology.”
Hibbs further exhorted pastors listening to him that, like Paul, they ought not to fear negative consequences of standing up for righteousness amid the rising tide of cultural antipathy toward Christianity.
“It’s going to be uncomfortable,” he said. “You’ve got to do it — I’m speaking to the pastors right now — your flock needs you to stand up and point the way. Your flock needs you to stand up. And you need to say, ‘This is what we’re going to do.'”
“We are called to make disciples of those who we preach the gospel to. We are pastors!”@realjackhibbs live at FFPS 2025 pic.twitter.com/LBudwILbSg
— TPUSA Faith (@tpusafaith) August 8, 2025
Hibbs closed by leading the entire room in a group prayer to invoke the Holy Spirit as they seek to do their duty in their spheres of influence. His message echoed that of other speakers at the event, who emphasized the necessity of Christians standing up in the public square.
Hibbs has been critical of California’s government in the past, earlier this year describing it during a sermon as a “third-world state” that is being led by “horrific politicians.”
Jon Brown is a reporter for The Christian Post. Send news tips to jon.brown@christianpost.com
