Southwestern Seminary alumnus Charles F. Stanley dies at 90

Charles F. Stanley, a 1957 Bachelor of Divinity graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary with lifelong ties to his alma mater, died today at his home in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 90 years old.

“Charles Stanley was an exemplary preacher and teacher of God’s Word,” said Interim President David S. Dockery. “We are indeed grateful for the influence of his faithful ministry, which extended around the globe. While we mourn his loss, we celebrate the significant life and legacy of this Southwesterner, even as we give thanks for the hope of the resurrection.”

Originally from Dry Fork, Virginia, the pastor emeritus of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, Georgia, was raised by his mother after his father died when Stanley was nine months old. Stanley, who was born at the onset of the Great Depression, came to faith in Christ as a 12-year-old, he explained in a September 2022 interview for Southwestern News.

When asked what he hoped his legacy would be following decades of ministry, Stanley said, “That all of my effort had one ultimate goal: to reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, as clearly as possibly, as irresistibly as possible, in the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God.”

Stanley’s ties with the Fort Worth institution remained strong throughout his ministry. In 2010, he was named a Southwestern Seminary Distinguished Alumnus, and in 2012 he was the recipient of the B.H. Carroll Award. Named after the seminary’s founder and first president, the B.H. Carroll Award is the institution’s highest honor that is given annually to long-time ministry partners for their generosity and support.

In 2021, In Touch Ministries, a global broadcast ministry Stanley founded in 1977, honored Stanley by endowing the Charles F. Stanley Chair for the Advancement of Global Christianity at Southwestern Seminary. Stanley, who received a four-year scholarship to attend Southwestern Seminary, explained while the chair left him “surprised,” he was “grateful” to be able to help seminary students “be able to do what God has called them to do.”

John Massey, dean of the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, was named to the Stanley Chair last year.

“We grieve the passing of the loss of one of the great lights in Southern Baptist life,” said Massey, who came to faith in Christ after college due, in part, to reading the book Forgiveness authored by Stanley. “His legacy for the Gospel and the church around the world is unmatched and his impact undeniable for the advancement of the kingdom. As a SWBTS alum, he was faithful to his alma mater. It’s my honor to occupy the Stanley Chair due to his generosity. We grieve his loss and pray for his family.”

Additionally, Mathena Hall, which houses the Fish School on the campus of Southwestern Seminary, is home to the Dr. Charles Stanley Prayer Room. The room was dedicated in the Southwestern Seminary alumnus’ honor when the building was opened in 2017

The Lord called Stanley, who would serve as president of the Southern Baptist Convention from 1984-1986, to preach when he was 14 years old, and his obedience would ultimately result in a ministry that included advancing the Gospel of Jesus Christ around the globe through multimedia outlets. Stanley, who earned an undergraduate degree from the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, in 1954, the same year he began studies at Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, would serve as the founder of InTouch Ministries, a worldwide broadcast ministry that began in 1977. Originally launched as “The Chapel Hour” in 1972, the program was a half-hour telecast broadcast in Atlanta. The ministry would eventually expand to include the InTouch Magazine, founded in 1980, and global communications through radio and website broadcasts. InTouch Ministries reports that Stanley’s broadcasts are accessible worldwide in 50 different languages.

Before founding InTouch Ministries, Stanley served as the pastor of Fruitland Baptist Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina, from 1957 to 1959. Calling it one of the most significant moments in his ministry, Stanley said pastoring the western North Carolina church, and teaching aspiring pastors at Fruitland Baptist Bible College, located across the street from the church, taught him to be “completely reliant upon the Holy Spirit.” A time of prayer spent on a blanket his mother knitted for him would prove to be foundational to his ministry.

Stanley joined the staff of First Baptist Church of Atlanta in 1969 and was called as the senior pastor of the historic Georgia church in 1971. He would serve in the senior leadership role until his retirement in 2020 when he was named pastor emeritus.

A prolific author, Stanley penned more than 40 books during his lifetime, including Finding Peace, Prayer: The Ultimate Conversation, and How to Listen to God, among others.

Stanley is survived by his son, Andy Stanley, daughter, Becky Stanley Brodersen, six grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.