Glow Church founder Joel Cave reveals he suffered mental breakdown

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, March 02, 2026

Some four months after leaders at the popular Glow Church in Robina, Australia, announced that their husband and wife co-founders, Joel and Ellen Cave, had separated and stepped back from ministry, Joel Cave has revealed he was hospitalized with a mental breakdown and is still in recovery.

“While people were reading articles about me and speculating about my character, behavioral possibilities, etc., I was fast asleep being pumped full of vital hormones, nutrients, and medication to get my body and mind back in order, and was told it was my body's way of stopping me [from] having a heart attack that would have come soon after,” Joel Cave wrote in a statement on Instagram on Sunday.

Last October, Glow Church Chairman Dave Weatherall said in a statement sent to church members and shared with The Christian Post that Ellen Cave initiated the separation between the couple, and noted that "Joel is currently in a period of medical and pastoral recovery." Weatherall did not say what the medical ailment was.

Joel Cave said in his statement that he placed his ministry ahead of his family, and it broke him.

“After a number of years of extreme pressure as a leader, husband, father, church planter & rapid growth dynamics, l learnt the hard way that every Man has a breaking point. At the very root of pushing through and thinking I can shoulder every area of life’s pressure is the reality of Pride,” he explained.

“I can try and justify all the hard work for the lord, the fruit of years of rapid growth, and try and be a rescuer of people and challenge, but ultimately God loves and cares for me more than maybe I have cared for myself,” he added before stating how he got “things around the wrong way.”

“I got things around the wrong way, by loving Jesus' bride and prioritizing the church over my own bride and family. I can tell you there is nothing more painful than experiencing getting that wrong, and I’m repentant for not putting my wife and kids first instead of my ministry.”

Joel and Ellen Cave founded Glow Church in 2013, according to the church's website. The congregation grew into a multi-site megachurch known for its large young-adult membership and contemporary, tech-focused worship services.

"It is the style of music we have, the use of technology, we have a lot of cutting-edge screens, lighting and sound," Joel Cave told the Gold Coast Bulletin in 2018 about his approach to ministry. "Most people spend all day looking at screens and we use them because it helps people connect with our messages."

Joel Cave was a former Kings Christian College teacher before he started the church with his wife, some friends, and family on a Gold Coast balcony on Jan. 13, 2013. The church, which is part of the Australian Christian Churches movement, previously had multiple locations across Australia, but locations outside of the Gold Coast were released in 2024 to become autonomous churches.

In his update on Sunday, the leader of one of Australia’s fastest-growing churches said he thought that prayer and faith were enough to sustain him as he focused on building the church, but they were not.

“I didn’t know when to stop, as I’ve always been wired with a faith gift to keep believing for more. As I stop and take stock, I’ve been processing so much with the Lord and professionals around me to have a more balanced future,” he said before warning other pastors not to fall into the same trap.

“This is also a great reminder to maybe those who are in ministry/ we all have a breaking point. I just had a massive capacity that masked how long I could go … and wasn’t being honest enough with myself or our church, as I didn’t want to let anyone down.”

The megachurch pastor further stated that he will be out of formal ministry for a full year on the advice of his doctors and close advisors.

“Upon medical advice and those closest to me, I’m taking a full year off ministry to rest, recover and heal, and after that will make wise choices [about] what my future will look like,” he said.

“I’m thankful I’ve done nothing to disqualify myself from future ministry, but I have learnt the hard way and, choosing to be honest, real, and vulnerable for any other pastor or leader, young or old, that my last season could be a lesson for you. My simple advice — if you know you’re at breaking point, pull your car over, find a few people who really love you and get honest,” he continued.

“Speak to your board, get a counsellor for wise next steps. It’s not enough to just keep praying — it’s only part of the process. The word of God is clear that we go to God for forgiveness and people for healing. Please don’t push yourself that you end up in hospital like me.”