Megachurch Pastor Andy Stanley has announced that he will step down as lead pastor of Georgia-based North Point Community Church next year. In a message to his church on Sunday, Stanley, 68, said he plans to step down as senior pastor of North Point Ministries in January and as lead pastor of North Point Community Church in June, around his 69th birthday.
North Point Ministries is the multisite church network based in the Atlanta area, while North Point Community Church is its campus in Alpharetta, Georgia.
Stanley said he chose to transition out of his roles, and that a major reason was “to be able to say ‘yes’ to my grandchildren without having to check my schedule.” “So, it’s both a professional thing, an organizational thing, and, obviously, these decisions are personal,” Stanley said, noting that he was also thinking of the “health” of his church network.
Although he is stepping down from both roles, he will remain a church elder and will still preach periodically, saying this is his family's church. "The best thing for this next iteration of what we are going to do together requires a younger leader who can project a vision further out than I could because of my age and season of life," Stanley said. "I am not trying to be the hero.
I am not trying to be a martyr. I just believe in what we do, and this is one of the reasons I am confident this is the right time." The board of elders nominated Pastor Joel Thomas, executive director of North Point Ministries, to succeed Stanley, pending a congregational vote that is open from Sunday through Friday, Oct. 30.
Thomas previously served as lead pastor of North Point Community Church from 2011 to 2015, when he moved to Arizona to