Thank you, Charles Stanley

On Tuesday, April 18, we learned that Dr. Charles Frazier Stanley passed away at the age of 90. You have probably seen him on television or heard him on the radio through In Touch Ministries. Stanley was the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta, for more than 50 years, and he authored more than 40 books. He founded In Touch Ministries in 1977 and has been seen or heard in more than 115 million homes per week and in more than 126 countries worldwide.

Stanley was a member of the Southern Baptist Convention and served two terms as SBC president in the 1980s. He was a graduate of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Luther Rice Seminary. When I was a student at Southwestern, I learned that Stanley had been known as a studious person who kept to himself. He completed his Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1957.

This past Sunday night, I remarked to my congregation that my theology of the Holy Spirit was strengthened by a sermon series I heard from Stanley. He was emphatic that when we refer to the Holy Spirit, we are to use personal pronouns. The Holy Spirit is not an "it," but the third person of the Trinity. Jesus said, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

After I accepted the call to the ministry, I started studying pastors such as Charles Stanley. I wanted to learn how to communicate as a preacher, so I would record Sunday sermons on VHS tapes and watch them throughout the week. I learned that each pastor has his own unique style. I soon realized that some local pastors were imitating the television pastors, even to the point of using their sermons. I believe a pastor who cannot write his own sermons should choose a different vocation.

Stanley grew up without his father -- reared by a single mother, and he came to faith at age 12. We had both of those things in common in addition to our alma mater.

Once at a Southern Baptist Convention, I got to meet him. My mentor, Cliff Jenkins was escorting Stanley that day. Cliff said, "Shawn, go up to Dr. Stanley and tell him you know me." I did and Stanley laughed. I was then able to tell him how much I appreciated his ministry.

I later became friends with Gearl Spicer. He was the pastor who connected my mentor to Stanley. Spicer had been on staff at First Baptist Church of Atlanta for several years. One sad and amusing story Spicer told was about the times he filled the pulpit for Stanley. Hundreds of people would get up and walk out of the building as soon as he announced that Stanley was not preaching that Sunday.

What makes a pastor great is the ability to point people to Jesus. Sure, it would be disappointing to travel to a church to hear a celebrity preacher only to learn that he was not there. The polite thing would be to call ahead before you plan the trip. Walking out on a substitute preacher is disrespectful to not only the speaker, but also to the church and the Lord himself. We do not worship talented speakers; we worship Jesus when we go to church.

Stanley would give credit to the ministry team who has surrounded him through the years. While he was a uniquely gifted individual, there were hundreds of people who worked behind the scenes to keep the church and the media ministries running. The good news for us is that In Touch will continue to broadcast the preaching and teaching ministry of Charles Stanley for generations to come.

I am thankful I had an opportunity to thank Stanley for his ministry many years ago. I believe in Heaven, he has heard Jesus say, "Well done my good and faithful servant." I also believe that there are people from all over the world who are in Heaven as a result of hearing the gospel through In Touch ministries.