Dr. Charles Frazier Stanley, who founded In Touch Ministries and was the senior pastor at Atlanta’s First Baptist Church died Tuesday morning at the age of 90.
In Touch Ministries tweeted Tuesday morning of Stanley's founding.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta,First Baptist Atlanta Senior Pastor Anthony Georgia said the former leader of the church died "peacefully" in his home.
Dr. Charles Stanley of In Touch Ministries died on Tuesday in his home. (FOX 5 WAGA)
Stanley was not just a pastor, but he was also a broadcaster and author who was part of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta for more than 50 years.
In 1971, the church named him the senior pastor, making him the 16th person to serve in the position since the church’s inception in 1848, FOX 5 reported.
Over the course of his time serving the church in a leadership role, the congregation grew more diverse and to over 15,000 members.
Ultimately, the growth forced First Baptist Atlanta to move from its Midtown Atlanta home in 1997 to Dunwoody.
Dr. Charles Stanley, founder of In Touch Ministries, died on Tuesday. (FOX 5 WAGA)
Stanley was born in Dry Fork, Virginia in 1932, and was Charley and Rebecca Stanley’s only child, according to the In Touch Ministries website.
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The site says when Stanley was 14, he received a call to ministry and began preaching to whomever would listen.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Richmond in 1956, and that same year was ordained to the ministry at Moffett Memorial Baptist Church in Danville, Virginia.
He later went to Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and earned Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Theology from Luther Rice Seminary.
Founder of In Touch Ministries, Dr. Charles Stanley, died on Tuesday in his home. (FOX 5 WAGA)
In 1955, Stanley married Anna Margaret Johnson, and the two of them had two children, Andy and Becky.
Stanley launched "The Chapel Hour," a 30-minute program on Atlanta stations WXIA-TV 11 and WANX 46 in 1972, which was later added to the Christian Broadcasting Network programming in 1978.
He started In Touch Ministries in 1977 to, "Get the truth of the Gospel to as many people as possible," as he said.
In 1983, In Touch Ministries became incorporated, and the show began radio syndication. The organization’s website says "In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley" was broadcast to over 115 million households worldwide – that includes sermons, podcasts and devotionals.
FOX 5 said the In Touch television show could be watched on 204 stations and seven satellite networks, and the radio show could be listened to on 458 stations.
Stanley was inducted into the National Religious Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1988.
He also had multiple New York Times bestsellers out of the 60 books he wrote and served as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention for two terms during the 1980s.
Stanley is survived by his children, the latter of whom started Northpoint Ministries.
Several religious leaders posted their sentiments on social media.
Rev. Johnnie Moore, a commissioner on the U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom and president of The Congress of Christian Leaders called Stanley a Christian icon and true media pioneer.
"Dr. Stanley believed the Bible, and he taught its precepts faithfully – and without fanfare – for his entire life," Moore tweeted. "He taught that Christians should just ‘obey God’s word and leave all the consequences to him.’"
Another religious leader, Pastor Greg Laurie, the founder of Harvest churches in California and Hawaii, said he was blessed by hearing Stanley’s messages on the radio and TV.
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"It was my privilege to meet Dr. Stanley in person in Charlotte, North Carolina at the funeral for Billy Graham. He was warm and gracious," Laurie said. "No doubt, he has already heard Jesus say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your lord.’ Charles Stanley will be greatly missed."
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