Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley has announced that he will step down from the helm of one of America's largest church networks next year. In a message to his congregation, the 68-year-old founder said he will leave his role as senior pastor of North Point Ministries in January 2027, followed by his role as lead pastor of North Point Community Church in June, around his 69th birthday.

North Point Ministries is the multisite church network headquartered in the Atlanta area, while North Point Community Church is its flagship campus in Alpharetta, Georgia. Stanley said the decision was his own — both personal and organizational.

A major reason, he said, was family. "I want to be able to say 'yes' to my grandchildren without having to check my schedule," Stanley told his church. He added that he was also thinking about the long-term health of the church network he has led for more than three decades.

Stepping down does not mean stepping away entirely. Stanley said he will remain a church elder and will continue to preach from time to time, reminding the congregation, "this is my 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 has nominated Pastor Joel Thomas, the executive director of North Point Ministries, to succeed him. The nomination is pending a congregational vote open through Friday, Oct. 30, with results expected Nov. 1. "Joel is absolutely the right person," Stanley said.

Thomas's roots in the ministry run deep: he began as North Point's first intern in 1998, later served as lead pastor of North Point Community Church from 2011 to 2015, then led Mission Community Church in Arizona before returning to Atlanta in 2021, where he has led Buckhead Church and served as executive director.

To vote, members must be at least 18 years old and, over the past 18 months, have taken part in a small group, volunteered on a church team, given financially at least four times, or consistently checked in a child. Stanley said about 50,000 people would receive the online ballot.

The son of the late Southern Baptist pastor and author Charles Stanley, Andy Stanley founded North Point Community Church in 1995. It has grown to eight local campuses and hundreds of global partner churches. His ministry has at times drawn controversy — including backlash over the 2023 Unconditional Conference for Christian parents of LGBT-identified children and his 2018 sermon urging Christians to "unhitch" their faith from the Old Testament, which critics likened to the ancient heresy of Marcionism. Stanley has maintained that his church affirms the biblical definition of marriage and that the Old Testament is divinely inspired, saying those remarks were aimed at audiences turned off by biblical arguments.

According to The Christian Post, which first reported the announcement, the transition marks the beginning of a new era for a ministry that has shaped evangelical church life for three decades.