ATLANTA — Reaction over the death of the Rev. Charles Stanley has been pouring in since the announcement of his passing Tuesday morning.
Stanley launched an evangelical global broadcasting empire known around the world for his 50 years at the pulpit of First Baptist Church of Atlanta, one of the first mega-churches in Atlanta.
News of his death has left fellow clergies like former U.N. Ambassador and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young reflecting on his impact on the world.
“We have been blessed by those who preach to us and pray for us. And nobody has done that longer and better than Rev. Charles Stanley,” Young said.
The senior pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, the Rev. Jamal Bryant, said Stanley was a broadcasting legend.
In 1988, Stanley was inducted into the National Religious Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame.
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“He modeled what it meant to be a servant leader. He had a heart of compassion and the touch of a shepherd. He really embodied everything that represented forcible humility, that he was a neighbor that anybody would want to listen to or live next to. So, he was a role model,” Bryant said.
When it comes to his followers, Lisa Ryan told Channel 2′s Sophia Choi that she will miss “his smile and his big embrace.”
“When you saw him in the hallway, he knew you by name and he was always there to greet you and love on you like a true pastor. So not only a teacher, but a true pastor’s heart,” Ryan said.
Ernest Carter said he understood why so many people across 113 countries would watch and listen to Stanley on his “In Touch Ministries” broadcasts.
“He’s sometimes called ‘America’s Pastor.’ And I understand that completely. When he was talking to you, it was like he was talking directly at you, to you,” Carter said.
“It almost felt as if he was a family member. Almost like a grandfather, that even though he was this magnanimous preacher that was seen around the world, I’d also imagine that I could just sit with him at a café,” follower Steven Rice said.
“He’ll be missed. But what a wonderful way for him to go. He died peacefully I understand. So now he’s in heaven, just rejoicing. But we will certainly miss him,” longtime follower Judy Heaton said.
Channel 2 Action News reached out to Stanley’s family, including his son, Andy Stanley, the founder of Northpoint Ministries, for a comment about his passing.
A representative said the family has been very busy setting up funeral arrangements, but they did put a statement out on social media, saying, in part:
“This morning at the age of 90, God called our beloved pastor, Dr. Charles Frazier Stanley, home to heaven. Dr. Stanley lived a faithful life of obedience, dedicated to teaching others how to have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.”
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