{"id":5741,"date":"2025-12-12T14:57:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-12T14:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=5741"},"modified":"2025-12-12T14:57:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-12T14:57:44","slug":"farewell-to-faithful-servants-remembering-the-pastors-teachers-and-preachers-of-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2025\/12\/farewell-to-faithful-servants-remembering-the-pastors-teachers-and-preachers-of-2025.html","title":{"rendered":"Farewell to Faithful Servants: Remembering the Pastors, Teachers, and Preachers of 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
From Left: Koreanet \/ Flickr | Focus on the Family | Jntracy75 \/ wikimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The past year 2025 marked the passing of leaders whose voices shaped worship, theology, family life, and public witness across the Christian world\u2014among them Pope Francis, Voddie Baucham, James Dobson, John MacArthur, Jimmy Swaggart, Russell M. Nelson, and Morris Chapman. Their ministries stirred both devotion and debate, spanning parish sanctuaries, university halls, airwaves, and global pilgrimages. Remembering their complex legacies offers gratitude for what they gave and sober insight into the challenges they left behind.<\/p>\n

Pope Francis (December 17, 1936 \u2013 April 21, 2025).<\/strong> Pope Francis was born Jorge Mario Bergoglio in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He sensed his calling to the priesthood at the age of 17 and entered the seminary at 21. He was ordained at the age of 33 in December 1969. In 1973, the future pope was elected as the youngest-ever leader of the Jesuits in Argentina. Despite some questions regarding his actions during the military junta that led Argentina during that time, he was later named a cardinal in 1997. Although some in church leadership questioned him for his commitment to the poor, he had significant support in the papal election to succeed John Paul II. Later, when John Paul II’s successor, Benedict XVI, resigned the papacy in 2013, Cardinal Bergoglio was elected and chose the name Francis, in honor of Saint Francis of Assisi. He modeled the role of a servant-leader during his papacy, although many would argue he did not go far enough in the reforms he sought to bring.<\/p>\n

Voddie Baucham (March 11, 1969 \u2013 September 25, 2025)<\/strong>. Voddie Baucham was an American pastor, author, and educator who also established Founders Seminary in Cape Coral, Florida. Although he did not grow up in a Christian home, he converted to Christianity during his college years. He soon began preaching and was ordained as a Baptist minister. He established Voddie Baucham Ministries in 1993 and later served as pastor of Grace Family Baptist Church. In 2015, he moved to Zambia to serve as Dean of Christian Theology at Africa Christian University. He returned to the United States in late 2024 to help establish Founders Seminary. Baucham was recognized as a proponent and defender of traditional Christian views. He passed away on September 25, 2025, as a result of a medical emergency.<\/p>\n

James Dobson (April 21, 1936 \u2013 August 21, 2025). <\/strong>Dr. James Dobson was a psychologist, author, and founder of Focus on the Family ministries. He served as an Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatric Medicine at the University of Southern California for 14 years, beginning in 1967. During this time, he witnessed the upheaval of American culture and morality prominent in that era; he attributed this to a breakdown in family structure and discipline. As a result, he published the book Dare to Discipline<\/em>, and later established Focus on the Family to promote biblical models for marriage and parenting. His focus on these issues led him to also focus on political advocacy, opposing the legalization of same-sex marriage and other priorities of the LGBTQ movement. He was one of the founders of the Family Research Council, which lobbied the federal government in support of conservative family values. He passed away on August 21, 2025, at the age of 89.<\/p>\n

John MacArthur (June 19, 1939 \u2013 July 14, 2025)<\/strong>. John MacArthur was a well-known pastor and theologian. He founded the nationally syndicated radio and television ministry, Grace to You.<\/em> He served as pastor of Grace Community Church in California from 1969 until his death earlier this year. MacArthur also served as president of Los Angeles Baptist College (now known as The Master’s University) and of The Master’s Seminary. In 2011, he completed a sermon series on the entire New Testament, which spanned 42 years of his pulpit ministry at Grace Community Church. He was a proponent of conservative Christian views on sexuality and marriage. He famously opposed the ordination of women for ministry roles. He also challenged other segments of the broader Church, such as the charismatic and Pentecostal movements, claiming that the so-called “sign gifts” ceased at the end of the Apostolic Age. Although he also believed at one point that Christ “became” the Son of God at the time of His incarnation, he later recanted this belief and acknowledged the traditional orthodox view of Christ’s eternal Sonship. He suffered from a number of heart and lung issues over the last several years of his life, and his public ministry effectively ended at the beginning of 2025. He passed away on July 14, 2025.<\/p>\n

Jimmy Swaggart (March 15, 1935 \u2013 July 1, 2025)<\/strong>. Jimmy Swaggart was a Pentecostal preacher, televangelist, and gospel music artist. He began his ministry as an itinerant evangelist in 1955, and later recorded gospel music records and broadcast messages on Christian radio stations. He was ordained in 1961 by the Assemblies of God (although he was later defrocked due to his involvement with prostitutes on at least 2 occasions). He founded the Family Worship Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1969. He was actively involved in both radio and television ministry beginning in the 1970s. However, his first “prostitution scandal” led to his being defrocked by the Assemblies of God and to a significant decline in his television ministry. After his dissociation from the Assemblies of God, he became an independent, non-denominational Pentecostal minister. His SonLife Radio and SonLife Broadcasting (TV) ministries continue to operate. He passed away on July 1, 2025, following a hospitalization after going into cardiac arrest in mid-June.<\/p>\n

Russell M. Nelson (September 9, 1924 \u2013 September 24, 2025)<\/strong>. Russell M. Nelson was a noted heart surgeon who was later appointed to a leadership position in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). He was appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the leadership body of the LDS Church, in 1984. He became President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 2015 and was named President of the Church in 2018, following the death of his predecessor, Thomas Monson. During his presidency, he became the oldest person to serve in that role and continued to serve until his death at the age of 101. During his leadership in the LDS Church, he traveled extensively to oversee and lead church ministries, including a meeting with Pope Francis in Rome in 2019. He emphasized the international nature of the church, appointing an apostle from Brazil and another of Asian-American descent to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.<\/p>\n

Morris Chapman (November 21, 1940 \u2013 October 20, 2025)<\/strong>. Morris Chapman was an American Baptist pastor and author. He began his pastoral ministry in Texas in 1967 and was elected President of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in 1990. In 1992, he was elected President and Chief Executive Officer of the executive committee of the SBC, a position he held until his retirement in 2010. His leadership primarily reinforced conservative positions within the SBC, notably challenging a call from former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton in 2007 to address an alleged “negative image” of Southern Baptists. Chapman specifically challenged Carter’s views on abortion and homosexuality. His leadership was probably best summed up in his call to Baptists to return to “the deep, pure well named ‘sound theology.'” Chapman passed away at the age of 84 on October 20, 2025, following a brief illness.<\/p>\n

As we reflect on these remarkable lives, we are reminded that leadership in the Christian faith is not merely about influence\u2014it is about service, conviction, and perseverance. Each of these individuals shaped the spiritual landscape in unique ways, leaving legacies that will continue to inspire generations. Though their voices have fallen silent, their impact endures in the churches they led, the teachings they shared, and the countless lives they touched. May their contributions call us to live with the same faithfulness and courage in the years ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The past year 2025 marked the passing of leaders whose voices shaped worship, theology, family life, and public witness across the Christian world\u2014among them Pope Francis, Voddie Baucham, James Dobson, John MacArthur, Jimmy Swaggart, Russell M. Nelson, and Morris Chapman. Their ministries stirred both devotion and debate, spanning parish sanctuaries, university halls, airwaves, and global…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":5744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5741","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nFarewell to Faithful Servants: Remembering the Pastors, Teachers, and Preachers of 2025<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From Pope Francis to James Dobson, we remember the Christian leaders who shaped faith and ministry before their passing in 2025.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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