Last night at precisely 6:17 p.m., Grace Community Church (GCC) Pastor-Teacher John MacArthur died at the age of 86.
Following in the preaching footsteps of his father, MacArthur became the pastor of GCC in 1969 after receiving his Master of Divinity from Talbot Theological Seminary in 1963.
In 2011, MacArthur achieve his personal goal of preaching verse-by-verse through the entire New Testament—an accomplishment that took MacArthur 43 years to complete.
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MacArthur pastored GCC for 56 years, authored more than 150 books, served as the president of The Master’s Seminary and The Master’s University, and founded “Grace to You,” a nationally syndicated radio and television Bible teaching program.
The renowned expository preacher is survived by his wife of more than 60 years, Patricia, their four children, 15 grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
John Piper, Franklin Graham, Mark Dever, Albert Molher, Kevin DeYoung, Ken Ham, and Others Share Tributes to John MacArthur
In a penned tribute, theologian and “Don’t Waste Your Life” author John Piper said, “The longer I knew John MacArthur, the more I loved him. Admiration intensified into affection…I simply stood in awe of what he could do in the pulpit with a passage of Scripture.”
Conservative media personality and cofounder of Turning Point USA Charlie Kirk wrote, “Pastor John MacArthur faithfully testified to the Truth of the Gospel for decades all while the culture, the media, and our politicians peddled lie after lie. He was a legend and he will be deeply missed.”
Franklin Graham, president and CEO of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and of Samaritan’s Purse, posted, “One of America’s great Bible teachers, Pastor @JohnMacArthur, stepped into the presence of Almighty God Monday evening at the age of 86. He could get more out of a Bible verse than anyone I’ve ever known. His voice will be greatly missed.”
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Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) Ligon Duncan posted a video message sharing his condolences to MacArthur’s family:
Last night, word came to me of the passing of John MacArthur, a dear friend and a faithful minister of the Word. I wanted to take this opportunity on behalf of the whole RTS family to express our sincere condolences and our love to Patrica and the family, to the congregation of Grace Community Church, to all the folks at Grace to You and Master’s University and Master’s Seminary—we’re praying for you for the Lord’s comfort in this time. And we appreciate your husband, father, and faithful shepherd and friend, John MacArthur, he meant so much to all of us. May the Lord uphold you and keep you close to himself in these days ahead, and may he continue to raise up faithful ministers of the Word who preach the Scriptures and preach the glory of the gospel. We love you all. God bless you.
Mark Dever, senior pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., shared in his tribute to MacArthur, “We last FaceTimed a couple of weeks ago. His body was tired—his face drawn, his eyes bright. Smiling, he asked me about my wife, Connie. He knew of her recent health trials, and he wanted to see how she was doing.”
Dever continued, “There was John, on the verge of his own passing, asking sincerely about my wife by name. But that’s John. Honest about his own condition, concerned about others. So much more I could say.”
