Dr. Charles Stanley Passes Away

April 19, 2023

One of the most prominent Christian leaders in America has died.

The longtime pastor of the First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Dr. Charles Stanley, has passed away.

"Dr. Charles F. Stanley, beloved Pastor Emeritus of First Baptist Atlanta, passed away peacefully this morning at home," his church said in a statement. "We are forever grateful for his enduring legacy of faithful leadership and spiritual guidance as Senior Pastor of First Baptist of Atlanta for over 50 years."

Stanley was known to worldwide audiences because of his wide-reaching television and radio broadcasts.

He modeled all 65 of his years of ministry after the apostle Paul's message in Acts 20:24:

Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.

Stanley was born in 1932 and raised by a single mother after his father passed away when Stanley was only nine months old.