ATLANTA, Ga. — Charles Stanley, the beloved Atlanta preacher whose In Touch Ministries reaches millions of people each day via television and radio, is being remembered as a man of prayer, a faithful minister, and an unyielding follower of Christ.
Stanley died on Tuesday at his home. He was 90.
“His legacy is going to continue to touch lives for generations,” said Georgia Baptist Convention President Josh Saefkow, pastor of Flat Creek Baptist Church in Fayetteville. “He was a wonderfully gifted communicator of God’s Word. I have benefitted greatly from his ministry, his leadership and his proclamation and the gospel.”
Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director W. Thomas Hammond Jr. said Stanley’s unwavering devotion to preaching God’s Word without compromise had a tremendous impact on his life during his most formative years.
"His commitment to the inerrancy of Scripture fortified the resolve of many during one of the most pivotal seasons of the Southern Baptist Convention," he said. "Charles Stanley was truly America’s pastor for nearly five decades."
Atlanta pastor and Christian broadcaster Michael A. Youssef praised Stanley for his life's work.
"He stayed true to the Word of God when so many others have watered it down," Youssef said.
John Courtney, administration pastor at Hebron Church in Dacula and former staff member at In Touch, recounted Stanley’s spiritual guidance.
“During my time serving at In Touch Ministries, I appreciated how Dr. Stanley helped instill valuable practices in his staff’s personal prayer lives,” Courtney said. “For example, he encouraged us to physically get on our knees to pray each morning during our time with the Lord. He placed a great emphasis on obeying God and leaving the consequences to Him, and his ministry is an indication of his own faithfulness and obedience.”
Stanley, who served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1984 to 1986, was named pastor emeritus at First Baptist Atlanta after his retirement there after 50 years.
“We are forever grateful for his enduring legacy of faithful leadership and spiritual guidance,” the church said in a statement Tuesday.
In Touch announced Stanley’s death, saying he had been called home to heaven.
“Dr. Stanley lived a faithful life of obedience, dedicated to teaching others how to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ,” the announcement said. “Now he is receiving the joy of his soul — seeing his Savior face to face.”
Tributes poured onto social media as word spread about Stanley’s death.
Georgia preacher Jared Sawyer Jr. talked about Stanley’s contributions to the church.
“Millions of people, including myself, have been immensely blessed by his ministry,” Sawyer said.
“I loved how he would make the Word of God and his message so plain and simple that anyone could understand it,” said Lib Caroline, a Tennessee woman who was a regular listener.
The southern gospel group Greater Vision said Stanley is now with the one he spent most of his life teaching about.
“We will always be grateful for his friendship and encouragement and for the ministry God has used to touch countless lives around the world,” Greater Vision said.
Along with his preaching ministry, Stanley was a prolific writer and a New York Times best-selling author.
Born September 25, 1932, in Dry Fork, Virginia, Stanley had said his life was molded by the counsel and example of a godly mother, Rebecca, who taught him to wholeheartedly trust and obey God’s Word.
Stanley felt called to ministry at 14 and was ordained in 1956 at Moffett Memorial Baptist Church in Danville, Va. He received a bachelor of divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and master’s and doctoral degrees from Luther Rice Seminary.
A biography on the In Touch website shows that Stanley’s first pastorate was in 1957 at Fruitland Baptist Church in North Carolina. He went on to serve as pastor of First Baptist Church of Fairborn, Ohio, in 1959; First Baptist Church of Miami, Fla., in 1962; and First Baptist Church of Bartow, Fla. in 1968.
Stanley became senior pastor at First Baptist Atlanta in 1971 and launched a half-hour program called The Chapel Hour on two Atlanta television stations. That expanded in 1978 when the Christian Broadcasting Network invited him to run his program on their new cable television venture.
The In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley program now reaches almost every major market in the United States, broadcasting to more than 115 million households across the country. However, the program’s reach is now worldwide, being broadcast on more than 4,000 television, radio and satellite networks around the world.
His sermons have been translated into 127 languages.
Stanley has written more than 70 books.
“His readers always appreciate how he breaks down complex theological ideas into practical principles for everyday living,” In Touch wrote in the biography.
Author, pastor and evangelist Greg Laurie, founder of Harvest Crusades, said Stanley has made his mark on the world for the gospel.
“No doubt, he has already heard Jesus say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord,’” Laurie said.
