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  (Photo: Acts 29 / File)

The lead pastor of a Texas multisite church will undergo surgery Friday to remove a tumor located in the frontal lobe of his brain.

Matt Chandler, 34, had collapsed at home on the morning of Thanksgiving and was later found to have the tumor – the malignancy of which his doctor, Dr. David Barnett, is uncertain of.

On Friday afternoon, Barnett is expected to perform on Chandler and conduct a biopsy.

Members of Chandler’s church, meanwhile, have been asked to pray and fast throughout the day for their pastor and to respect the family’s wishes by not visiting the hospital where he’s resting.

“We continue to rest in the knowledge that Matt is in the sovereign hand of our heavenly Father who loves him immensely more than we can comprehend, and He alone understands the reasons for this trial,” wrote the elders of The Village Church ahead of Friday’s surgery. “Along with your prayers, continue to give Matt and Lauren and their family time and space for their continued rest.”

Since Chandler took the pulpit of The Village Church seven years ago, the Flower Mound, Texas-based church has grown from 160 people to over 5,000 and expanded out to two satellite campuses – in Denton and Northway Dallas.

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Chandler is married and has three children.