ATLANTA (AP) -- Charles Stanley, a prominent televangelist who once led the Southern Baptist Convention, died Tuesday at his home in Atlanta at age 90, In Touch Ministries announced.
No cause of death was announced.
Born in rural Dry Fork, Virginia, Stanley was senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Atlanta for 50 years. The church grew rapidly after he became its leader in 1971, moving from central Atlanta to a suburban campus in 1997 to accommodate a growing flock in the sprawling urban area.
But his greatest fame came from his role in hosting "In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley," a Christian teaching program that began airing on the newborn Christian Broadcasting Network in 1978. That led to the creation of a separate nonprofit, In Touch Ministries, that sent Stanley's broadcasts across the nation and world through radio and television. It even created solar-powered audio players containing the Bible, some of Stanley's sermons and other materials that are available in more than 100 languages. Stanley also wrote more than 40 books.
When Stanley stepped down from First Baptist as senior pastor in 2020, he said he wasn't planning to stop preaching, instead focusing his energies on In Touch Ministries.
"I'll continue to preach the gospel as long as God allows, and my goal remains the same: to get the truth of the gospel to as many people as possible as quickly as possible in the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God," Stanley said in a video message to the church when he took on the title of pastor emeritus.