North Point pastor Andy Stanley plans 2027 transition

Andy Stanley, 68, will step down as senior pastor of North Point Ministries on Jan. 1, 2027, and as lead pastor of North Point Community Church on June 1, 2027. Elders nominated executive director Joel Thomas; congregational voting runs through Oct. 30 with results Nov. 1 for about 50,000 recipients. Stanley said, "I'm retiring from my job, but I'm not retiring from ministry," wanting "to be able to say 'yes' to my grandchildren without having to check my schedule." He said the next iteration "requires a younger leader who can project a vision further out than I could because of my age and season of life" and "Joel is absolutely the right person." Christian Post dated the message Oct. 13, 2026; WSB-TV and Baptist News Global reported the announcement as Oct. 18. WSB-TV put the Community Church exit in May 2027. Baptist News Global contrasted the plan with Charles Stanley's service into his late 80s and sketched Thomas's career and Reformed Theological Seminary study. Christian Post revisited Stanley's 2018 "unhitch" sermon on the Old Testament and Wesley Hill's critique. Stanley said he plans to remain an elder and preach periodically.