By Don Chapman
News and Analysis | October 18, 2026
Andy Stanley announced October 18 that he plans to step down from his leadership roles at North Point in 2027, with Joel Thomas nominated to succeed him.
The proposed transition has two parts. Thomas would become senior pastor of North Point Ministries, the wider church network, on January 1. He would then become lead pastor of North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, Georgia, on June 1. Stanley will continue preaching and serving on the board of elders.
“I’m retiring from my job, but I’m not retiring from ministry,” Stanley said in North Point’s official leadership announcement. Thomas’s appointment as senior pastor of North Point Ministries requires congregational approval, with voting closing October 30 at 5 p.m. and results scheduled for November 1.
Stanley, the son of the late pastor Charles Stanley, founded North Point in 1995. The handoff will follow more than three decades of his leadership.
Why Andy Stanley Says He Is Stepping Down
Stanley, 68 (I had no idea he was that old!) described the decision as voluntary. He pointed to spending more time with his grandchildren, the long-term health of the ministry, and the advantages of a younger leader who can plan further into the future.
Stanley said he and his wife, Sandra, began discussing the transition about four and a half years ago.
Who Is Joel Thomas?
Joel Thomas began at North Point as its first intern in 1998 and became lead pastor of North Point Community Church in 2011. He moved to Arizona to lead Mission Community Church in 2015, then returned to Atlanta to lead Buckhead Church in 2021. He has served as North Point Ministries’ executive director since 2023.
Thomas brings experience overseeing the network as well as leading individual churches. His appointment would keep the senior role within North Point’s existing leadership team. His own sermons and decisions will show how he intends to lead it.
Earlier Concerns About Andy Stanley’s Preaching
Regular Worshipideas readers know I’ve had concerns about Stanley’s approach to preaching and worship for years. Much of that concern comes down to what people are learning when they attend church and what they take home with them.
In 2015, Worshipideas highlighted criticism of Stanley’s comments about verse-by-verse preaching in an excerpt titled Andy Stanley Trashes Expository Preaching. In the interview quoted there, Stanley described that approach as “cheating” and questioned whether it helped people grow.
I’ve always seen this odd either/or tendancy in Christianity. I’m more of a both/and type of guy. I like expository preaching and I like topical preaching when it’s warranted. Can’t we have both?
Andy Stanley and the Old Testament Controversy
The debate over Stanley’s handling of Scripture became more prominent in 2018, when he urged Christians to “unhitch” their faith from the Old Testament. He said it should not be the “go-to source regarding any behavior in the church,” and emphasized the resurrection of Jesus as the foundation of faith. His stated aim was to reach people who had rejected Christianity because of difficulties with the Bible.
In a subsequent interview with RELEVANT, Stanley explained that he was addressing Acts 15 and the decision that Gentile believers did not have to take on the requirements of the Mosaic law. He also explicitly affirmed that the Old Testament is as inspired as the New Testament.
That still leaves a substantial question about the Old Testament’s continuing place and authority in Christian teaching. Christians can recognize that they are not under the Mosaic covenant while continuing to receive the Old Testament as God’s Word. Jesus himself explained how those Scriptures pointed to Him (Luke 24:27). I’ll take Jesus’ stance over Stanley’s.
A phrase as memorable as “unhitch” is a bit much. Church members should come away understanding how the whole Bible helps them know Christ. My concern is that Stanley’s wording could leave listeners with the impression that a large portion of Scripture can be set aside, even after he explained that this wasn’t what he intended.
The Unconditional Conference Controversy
Another significant controversy followed the Unconditional Conference, hosted at North Point Community Church on September 28–29, 2023. The event was presented as support for parents of LGBTQ+ children and ministry leaders seeking to care for those families.
Responding to criticism on October 1, Stanley affirmed that Biblical marriage is between a man and a woman. He defended the conference as an effort to restore family relationships rather than condone sin. But his explanation of the speakers raised a more fundamental concern.
Among those speakers were Justin Lee and Brian Nietzel, whom Stanley described as “two married gay men” who were also “Christ-followers today.” He said their stories of growing up in church while experiencing same-sex attraction would be “instructive and inspiring.”
Writing in Christianity Today, pastor and author Sam Allberry challenged that characterization. His argument was direct: a same-sex union contradicts Jesus’ teaching on marriage, and continuing in such a relationship without repentance is disobedience to Christ, not an example of following Him. Allberry described the men’s relationships as “ongoing, unrepentant disobedience to Christ.”
Allberry was not objecting simply because the speakers experienced same-sex attraction. He asked why North Point had not invited people with similar experiences who had pursued obedience to Christ through faithful singleness or Biblical marriage. Their stories could have offered insight and encouragement without implicitly validating same-sex relationships.
Parents and their children need patience, kindness, and genuine support. But Christian care also includes helping people understand what following Jesus requires.
What Worship Leaders Should Consider
For those of us who plan Sunday services, the questions about North Point (and similar seeker-sensitive mega churches) also reach into the music.
In my article Why You Shouldn’t Use Secular Songs in Worship, I described visiting Elevation Church and leaving with a pop song running through my head for the rest of the day. Later, a friend and his wife who attended North Point described a similar experience with secular songs performed before the service. His wife remembered the church’s rendition of Styx’s “Come Sail Away” all afternoon.
She asked quite the question: “Shouldn’t songs about Jesus be running through my head after church?”
Worship leaders, let’s send people home with their attention on Christ and Biblical truths that will encourage them through the week.
What Comes Next at North Point?
North Point says its mission and vision will remain unchanged. The announced plan points toward continuity, with Thomas taking greater responsibility and Stanley remaining involved.
Several questions will become clearer as the transition unfolds. How often will Stanley preach? What responsibilities will he carry as an elder? Will Thomas make changes to teaching or ministry practices? Those answers will help show what the handoff means beyond the change in job titles.
