{"id":3636,"date":"2024-01-03T19:13:14","date_gmt":"2024-01-03T19:13:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=3636"},"modified":"2024-01-03T19:13:14","modified_gmt":"2024-01-03T19:13:14","slug":"well-done-good-and-faithful-servant-christian-leaders-we-lost-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2024\/01\/well-done-good-and-faithful-servant-christian-leaders-we-lost-in-2023.html","title":{"rendered":"\u201cWell done, good and faithful servant.\u201d Christian Leaders We Lost in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
From Left: CBN.com | charlesstanley.com | Frank Licorice \/ Flickr.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A new year means reflection on the old. One way of doing so is by reflecting on those who passed in 2023. This list isn\u2019t meant to be all-inclusive and focuses on some of the most recognizable names.<\/p>\n

Jack Hayford- January 8, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pentecostal \u201cPastor Jack<\/a>,\u201d as he was known was the first well-known name to pass in 2023 at the age of 88. His experiences with God began early as a baby, when he was gripped by a terrible illness. Thanks to the prayers of many, Hayford was healed. Years later, he faced another battle with polio and was healed again, beginning his lifelong passion for the Word of God. Hayford went on to author more than 50 books and over 500 choruses and hymns, including the popular \u201cMajesty.\u201d\u00a0 He pastored The Church on the Way in Van Nuys, California for thirty years, retiring in 1999. In 2017, his wife of 60 years, Anna Hayford passed away at the age of 83. Hayford married Valarie Anne Lemire in 2018. He died peacefully in his sleep and is survived by Valerie and his four children.<\/p>\n

Cardinal George Pell- January 10, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cardinal Pell of Australia passed away at the age of 81 from a heart attack. He was a conservative Catholic who was known for reforms he made to the Vatican finances. His life was not without controversy, however. Some accused him of having knowledge of sexual abuse within the church and doing nothing to stop it. Pell denied any such knowledge, but in 2016 he acknowledged<\/a> the Catholic church\u2019s failings in addressing allegations of abuse. \u201cThe church in many places, certainly in Australia, has mucked things up, has made \u2014 let people down. I\u2019m not here to defend the indefensible.\u201d In 2017, he left his position with the Vatican to fight against allegations he had molested two thirteen-year-old boys in the 90s. Pell was initially convicted but later had his conviction overturned after he successfully proved that he had multiple witnesses to his whereabouts at the time of the alleged attack. It was later discovered that messages between investigators in 2014 hoped charges against the Cardinal would take focus off the police department, which was facing its own scandal at the time.<\/p>\n

Charles Stanley- April 18, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pastor Charles Stanley passed away in Atlanta at the age of 90. Stanley found success in his broadcast ministry and became a recognizable face on the Christian Broadcasting Network. He was the longest-serving pastor with a weekly broadcast. He also served as president of the Southern Baptist Convention and sparked a resurgence of conservative values in the group. After a long-troubled marriage, Stanley\u2019s wife, Anna Stanley, filed for divorce after 44 years of marriage. The details of that split have remained private, with Stanley acknowledging he had made some mistakes in not putting his family first. It caused some controversy over whether or not Stanley should continue to pastor, but his church stood by him and allowed Stanley to continue on. He is survived by his son, well-known and sometimes controversial pastor Andy Stanley, and his daughter, Becky Stanley.<\/p>\n

Tim Keller- May 19, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Perhaps the most sudden death on the list, the renowned pastor, author, and theologian passed away at the age of 72 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. His ministry began in New York, but his influence expanded well past that. His books, The Reason for God <\/em>and Prodigal God <\/em>were both best sellers. He often sought to defend the faith in an \u201cintellectually credible\u201d way and was often compared to CS Lewis. He was well-known for his \u201cthird way\u201d approach, which attempted to keep Christians from the fray of culture wars while maintaining their strong faith. His training programs have trained 112,988 Christian leaders trained through the program and planted around 1,633 churches worldwide. His last words were quoted<\/a> as \u201cThere is no downside for me leaving, not in the slightest.\u201d He is survived by his wife Kathy and three sons.<\/p>\n

Pat Robertson- June 8, 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

The well-known televangelist died at the age of 93. Robertson was the founder of the Christian Broadcasting Network in 1961. His \u201c700 Club\u201d became one of the most widely watched broadcasts. Having come from a political family (his father served for 34 years in the US House of Representatives and Senate), he melded Christianity and politics easily, voicing his support for conservative values throughout the years, even running for president in 1986. His fiery rhetoric, particularly against leftist ideologies, would sometimes lead him to be criticized, but he would often seem hardly fazed. His wife, Adelia, \u201cDede,\u201d preceded him in death in 2022 and he is survived by his four children.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new year means reflection on the old. One way of doing so is by reflecting on those who passed in 2023. This list isn\u2019t meant to be all-inclusive and focuses on some of the most recognizable names. Jack Hayford- January 8, 2023 Pentecostal \u201cPastor Jack,\u201d as he was known was the first well-known name…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":664,"featured_media":3642,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3636","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cWell done, good and faithful servant.\u201d Christian Leaders We Lost in 2023<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new year means reflection on the old.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2024\/01\/well-done-good-and-faithful-servant-christian-leaders-we-lost-in-2023.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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