Pastor Andy Stanley announced his plans to retire from his lead pastor position at North Point Ministries and Northpoint Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. Northpoint is an expansive 8-campus church based in the Atlanta area that Stanley, 68, founded in 1995 after a split with his father, theologian Charles Stanley, over Charles’s divorce with his wife, Anna.  The two later reconciled before the elder Stanley passed away in 2023.

During the announcement to his congregation, Stanley noted personal and professional reasons for stepping down. “For somebody in my position, there are really only three exit options open to me. Here they are: death, being asked to leave, or choosing to leave. So, I feel like — though you may disagree — I feel like I’m choosing the best of the three options,” he said. The plan to retire had begun four and a half years ago, with Stanley saying he took the church’s own health in mind as well as a desire to be able to spend time with his grandchildren without having to check other responsibilities. “So, it’s both a professional thing and an organizational thing, and obviously these decisions are personal as well,” he said. “The idea was to plan to ensure that this very important, growing, and expanding network of churches, this organization, was positioned to thrive without my direct involvement, which meant, at some point, replacing myself.”

Stanley recommended longtime attendee and leader Joel Thomas to replace him. Thomas has served as North Point’s executive director for three years and has attended or served in some capacity since 1998. Stanley noted that Thomas has his and the church elders’ support behind him, but the congregation must vote to approve his appointment. North Point does not have a direct member list, but those who would be eligible to vote must be at least 18 years old, must have participated in a small group, volunteered, donated at least four times within a 1-year period or regularly checked in a child in a church program. This would make about 50,000 people eligible to vote, with ballots being sent by email or mail. Results will be counted on November 1^st. “Along with our elders who were unanimous in their support, I’m convinced Joel is the right choice to take my place as senior pastor and senior leader of this organization,” Stanley said.

Stanley’s tenure at North Point does have some black marks. In April 2018, he drew criticism when he told his congregation that Christians need to “unhitch” their faith from the Old Testament. In 2023, North Point was criticized for hosting the Unconditional Conference, a two-day gathering for Christian parents of LGBT-identified children. Critics argued that some of the conference’s viewpoints were unbiblical. Stanley defended the conference. More seriously, a woman has accused a former staff member of North Point, Reggie Joiner, of sexually grooming her as a teen. The woman claims Stanley knew about the behavior in 2006. While Stanley has said he believes the woman’s account, he has denied knowing anything about it or any church cover up. Joiner resigned from the church in 2024 after admitting an inappropriate relationship with former CEO Kristin Ivy.

While Stanley will be stepping down, he plans to remain an elder of the church and to still serve. “We love this church, but I am absolutely convinced that the best thing for this next iteration of what we’re going to do together is a younger leader who can project a vision further out than I can because of my age and season of life,” he said. “I’m not trying to be the hero. I’m not trying to be a martyr. I just believe in what we do.”