Charles Stanley was an influential American pastor, preacher, author, and founder of In Touch Ministries. He served as senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia for over 40 years, leading the church to significant growth under his leadership. Stanley was widely known for his biblical teaching through books, radio, and TV broadcasts.
Charles Frazier Stanley was born on September 25, 1932 in Dry Fork, Virginia. He grew up in rural Virginia during the Great Depression. Stanley’s father died when he was just 9 months old, and he was raised by his mother. She worked hard to provide for Stanley and taught him biblical principles. He gave his life to Christ at age 12 and felt called to the ministry at age 14.
Stanley attended the University of Richmond where he studied history. He then attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, receiving his Master of Theology degree. In 1958 at age 25, he became pastor of First Baptist Church in Atlanta. The church had about 1,600 members at that time. Stanley preached verse-by-verse through books of the Bible, bringing practical life applications to his sermons. Under his leadership for over 40 years, the church grew to over 15,000 members.
In 1982, Stanley founded In Touch Ministries to spread his teaching beyond the walls of the church through radio and literature. It began with a 15-minute radio broadcast called “In Touch,” which expanded to 400 stations by 1989. Today the broadcast airs on over 500 stations in the U.S. and internationally. Stanley also began publishing books through the new ministry.
“The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible” was released in 2005. With over 1 million copies in print, it contains Stanley’s 30 core biblical principles for Christian living. Some of his most popular books include “How to Listen to God,” “How to Handle Adversity,” and the bestseller “The Wonderful Spirit-Filled Life.” Total sales of Stanley’s books exceed 4.5 million copies.
In Touch launched a television broadcast in 1978 which continues today. The 30-minute program features Stanley’s teaching and is available to millions of viewers around the world. Stanley aimed not only to convert people through his preaching, but to nurture them in Christian discipleship through his teaching ministry.
Stanley weathered controversy during his long tenure at First Baptist Church. In the late 1980s, conflict arose over Stanley’s divorce and remarriage. Deacons in the church called for his resignation, but Stanley refused to step down. In 1992 the majority of members voted to retain Stanley as pastor. He continued to lead the church until he retired in 2016 after serving for nearly 50 years.
Central to Stanley’s teaching ministry was a focus on the absolute authority and sufficiency of Scripture for faith and daily living. He taught principles for knowing and obeying God’s Word. Stanley emphasized making disciples through teaching biblical truth verse-by-verse. His teaching aimed to produce sincere faith, genuine repentance, and wholehearted obedience to Christ.
Stanley taught that God tests and prunes believers to strengthen their faith and bring spiritual growth (see Hebrews 12:7-11). He encouraged people not to run from adversity, but to trust in God’s sovereignty and turn to Scripture for wisdom, comfort, and hope during trials. According to Stanley, God uses difficulties under His control to transform believers into the image of Christ.
With a pastor’s heart, Stanley urged Christians to actively pursue holiness with the help of the Holy Spirit who empowers believers for godly living. He taught that believers can find freedom from sin’s grip by submitting to God’s Word and Spirit. Stanley emphasized depending on Christ rather than self-effort to live out biblical principles.
Stanley believed Jesus Christ embodied perfect obedience to God. He taught that Christ’s sinless life qualified Him alone to die for the sins of mankind. Through repentance and faith in Christ, sinners can receive forgiveness and the gift of eternal life. Stanley proclaimed salvation is found in Christ alone, not through human effort.
On core doctrines, Stanley held typical Southern Baptist beliefs including the inerrancy of Scripture, the Trinity, Christ’s virgin birth and bodily resurrection, a literal heaven and hell, and salvation by grace alone through faith in Jesus. He wrote commentaries and preached verse-by-verse through books of the Bible over his decades of ministry.
Critics accused Stanley of sometimes veering away from biblical orthodoxy. For example, in 2018 he stated that while belief in Christ is vital for salvation, not everything in the Old Testament is vital for Christians to believe today. This caused some accusations of Marcionism, the ancient heresy of rejecting the Old Testament.
While staunchly conservative on moral issues like abortion and homosexuality, Stanley was also criticized by some fellow Southern Baptists for allowing divorced people to serve in leadership roles. His own divorce and controversial views on legalism were points of debate. Nevertheless, Stanley maintained wide influence as a Bible teacher.
Charles Stanley died on September 16, 2021 at age 89 after complications following a stroke. He was one of the most influential American evangelical pastors of his time, leaving a lasting legacy through In Touch Ministries. His biblical teaching aims to continue nurturing believers worldwide through media broadcasts, books, and other resources.
Stanley emphasized that the Christian life is not about outward behavior modification. Rules and regulations cannot change the heart. He taught that believers must yield inwardly to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit who applies God’s Word to their hearts and minds. Stanley urged people to find their identity, security, and satisfaction in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.
According to Stanley, the Bible offers life’s greatest truths. All the principles believers need for living a joyful, virtuous life are found in Scripture. Stanley often reminded people that obedience brings blessings while disobedience brings consequences. He called Christians to wholeheartedly obey God’s Word and enjoy the abundant life Christ promised.
Stanley taught that believers can confidently face adversities through faith in God’s sovereignty, goodness, and wisdom. By depending on the Holy Spirit’s power, Christians can overcome temptation and endure trials. Stanley urged believers to patiently trust God, obey Scripture, pray persistently, and wait on God’s perfect timing.
With pastoral wisdom, Stanley warned believers to avoid emotional decisions during trials that contradict God’s Word. He emphasized filtering every decision through biblical truth and wisdom, not fluctuating feelings. According to Stanley, believers must anchor their lives to God’s unchanging character and promises in Scripture.
Stanley considered the Bible as divinely inspired and completely true. He taught that Scripture is the ultimate authority for what Christians should believe and how they should live. Stanley emphasized that obedience to God’s Word is the foundation for a joyful, purposeful, and peaceful life that glorifies God.
Stanley urged believers to make knowing Christ through His Word their highest priority in life. He taught that a dynamic relationship with God flows from time immersed in Scripture, listening to the Holy Spirit, talking to God in prayer, and obeying what is revealed. Stanley often said the quality of one’s life depends on the depth of his or her relationship with Christ.
According to Stanley, the Holy Spirit enlightens believers’ minds to understand and apply God’s Word. He taught the Spirit guides believers into truth, convicts of sin, produces spiritual fruit, and empowers for ministry. Believers can live victoriously by submitting to the Spirit’s leading through Scripture rather than fleshly impulses.
Stanley warned believers that Satan schemes to undermine their faith and render them ineffective. He identified pride and self-sufficiency as gateways for spiritual failure. Stanley urged depending on the Spirit’s power to resist temptation, guard thoughts, and take up the full armor of God daily through prayer and Scripture. According to Stanley, vigilance is essential since Satan seeks ways to deceive, divide, and destroy.
With pastoral discernment, Stanley cautioned believers not to pursue miraculous signs and wonders over saintly virtues. He taught that godly character, love, and spiritual fruit in keeping with Scripture are more important than supernatural gifts or experiences. Stanley emphasized pursuing holiness and relying on God’s Word over chasing subjective mystical experiences.
According to Stanley, prayer is vital for cultivating an intimate relationship with God. Believers should pray persistently about everything. Stanley said God calls believers to seek Him before pursuing what they desire in prayer. He taught that humble submission to God’s will is key in prayer, not using prayer to try to manipulate God.
Stanley urged believers to boldly pray God’s promises back to Him, fully expecting Him to keep His Word. He said unanswered prayer is often because we do not pray submissively or persistently enough. Stanley exhorted believers to patiently yet expectantly pray until receiving God’s clear direction or answer.
With pastoral care, Stanley cautioned believers not to obsess over past failures. He urged focusing on changed hearts and lives through God’s mercy and grace. According to Stanley, guilt over past sins shows lack of faith in God’s complete forgiveness through Christ. He exhorted finding freedom by trusting in Christ’s redemption.
Stanley warned believers about the dangers of sexual sin and pornography. He said lustful addictions ruin marriages, families, ministries and witness. Stanley urged radical measures like cutting off Internet access to avoid temptation. He taught that repenting and submitting to the Spirit’s control is the only path to freedom from sexual bondage.
As a pastor, Stanley exhorted husbands to love their wives sacrificially and lead their families by committed example. He urged wives to respect their husbands and nurture humility and grace. According to Stanley, godly homes start with surrendered hearts to Christ’s Lordship. He emphasized that fulfilled families flow from applying biblical principles.
Stanley considered influence and affluence tests of a believer’s spiritual maturity. He cautioned against loving worldly success more than God. According to Stanley, only living fully for an audience of One pleases God. He urged using resources and influence entirely for eternal impact, not selfish gain.
Charles Stanley preached uncompromising obedience to God’s Word regardless of shifting cultural trends. He warned believers not to follow the world’s pattern. Stanley emphasized separation from immoral practices and influences through renewing minds with Scripture. He called Christians to courageously uphold biblical morality and ethics.
According to Stanley, believers’ highest calling is bringing glory to God by bearing spiritual fruit. He taught that Christians must abide in Christ like branches in a vine to live fruitful lives (see John 15:1-11). Stanley urged unbelievers to repent of sin and receive God’s redemption purchased through Christ’s atoning death and victorious resurrection.
Stanley considered Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross the ultimate demonstration of God’s love. He taught that believers are justified and reconciled to God as an act of grace when they trust in Christ alone. Stanley emphasized that salvation cannot be earned through good works, but is God’s free gift received through faith in Christ.
With prophetic urgency, Stanley warned listeners worldwide to avoid spending eternity condemned to hell by rejecting Christ. He pleaded for unbelievers to surrender their lives fully to Jesus, who alone provides the only way to heaven. Stanley promised eternal life to all who repent and believe the gospel of Christ.
According to Stanley’s teaching, Jesus Christ could return at any moment to take believers to heaven. He exhorted Christians to keep heaven’s eternal joy in view as motivation for godly living and urgent evangelism. Stanley urged living with constant readiness for Christ’s return or one’s own death.
Charles Stanley aimed above all to exalt the lordship of Jesus Christ through his preaching and teaching. He called believers to sanctification through submission and obedience to God’s Word and Spirit. Stanley will be remembered as a passionate Bible teacher who prosperous churches and economies, but urge nations and leaders to return to biblical morality.