John Quick: From mega-church pastor to cartel — the redemption of John Lee Bishop

Only in America could a man go from preaching to thousands inside a converted Kmart, to running marijuana across the Mexican border for a cartel, to sitting in federal prison, and then walking out of prison to find Christian Bale buying the rights to his life story.

That man is John Lee Bishop. And if his story feels too outrageous to believe, that’s because it reads like something out of Hollywood. Which is exactly where it’s headed.

Check out the podcast episode here: Link 

Bishop built one of the fastest-growing mega-churches in the Pacific Northwest, in one of the most unchurched regions of the country. He packed pews — or in this case — the aisles of a shuttered Kmart with people hungry for hope. He wasn’t afraid of spectacle. He brought wild animals on stage, staged a sermon series with a crashed airplane, and even wrapped the church in razor wire to drive home a point. It worked. Crowds came. Invitations poured in. At one point, he spoke at 20 conferences in 25 days across Australia. In Portland, a city allergic to church, Bishop cracked the code.

But fame has a funny way of flipping the script. The same spotlight that elevates can also expose. Bishop’s personal failings an affair, painkiller addiction after surgery, and a family crisis with his son’s spiral into heroin snowballed. Eventually, he was forced out of the very church he built.

Then came the darkest chapter: Hauling loads of marijuana for one of Mexico’s most notorious cartels. On his final run, he was stopped at the border with nearly 300 pounds of drugs hidden throughout his Volkswagen. The Kmart pastor became inmate number 21227-086, sentenced to five years in federal prison.

That could have been the end. It should have been the end. But it wasn’t.

Inside prison, Bishop didn’t abandon faith. He rediscovered it. He led Bible studies, mentored fellow inmates, and faced the consequences of his choices without excuse. When he walked out, he came out humbled, scarred, and ready to live quietly. But quiet wasn’t in the cards. HarperCollins published his memoir, The Church of Living Dangerously. And then Hollywood called. Christian Bale will now bring Bishop’s saga to the big screen, with Academy Award–winning screenwriter Charles Randolph shaping the script.

It is tempting to scoff, to dismiss this as just another fallen pastor cashing in on scandal. But that misses the larger truth. Bishop’s story is not just about failure. It is about resilience, about what it means to be deeply flawed and still find grace.

In the end, you don’t fall out of grace; you fall into it. I have had the privilege of sitting down with John and hearing his story firsthand. I can tell you that he is a kind, humble man who is still trying to make a positive difference in this world. He feeds the homeless every week in his spare time and lives a modest life. He understands the value of service and strives to inspire others to find their own paths to redemption.

That is why John Lee Bishop matters. Not because he built a megachurch in a city that didn’t want one. Not because he smuggled drugs for a cartel. Not even because Christian Bale will soon play him in a blockbuster film. He matters because his life is proof that no chapter is final. Redemption is messy, yes. But it is real.

And in an age when cynicism is cheap and outrage is easy, it’s worth remembering that some lives, some stories really can rise from the wreckage.

Check out his book here: Link 

Stories Worth Hearing,” hosted by John Quick of Alaska, is the next generation of the award-winning podcast “United States of Small Business,” started in 2023. In Season One, John spoke with (and listened to!) business owners from across the country, highlighting the grit, innovation, and determination that define American entrepreneurship. Listen to his podcast from anywhere you download podcasts.