Radio personality, author, and well-known pastor Chuck Swindoll will be retiring from Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, this October, following his 90th birthday.
The nondenominational evangelical megachurch posted the announcement from Swindoll on Sunday.
“After 26 incredible years as your senior pastor at Stonebriar Community Church, the time has come for me to retire from Stonebriar—and embrace a new chapter in my life,” said Swindoll, who founded the church in 1998.
“This decision was not made lightly,” he said. “Each moment spent with you has shaped me, taught me, and filled my heart with joy. Together, we have built a vibrant community grounded in faith, hope, and love.”
Swindoll first transitioned from lead pastor to founding pastor this April, The Roys Report previously reported. Jonathan Murphy, a native of Northern Ireland and chair of pastoral ministries at Dallas Theological Seminary, took over as lead pastor in Swindoll’s place.
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Swindoll continued to preach at the church, not stepping fully away from the pulpit until now.
“Cynthia and I will continue to be with you at church. This is our church and always will be,” Swindoll said during service Sunday. “The difference is for the first time in over 60 years she and I will get to sit together in a worship service.”
Swindoll explained that glaucoma in his eyes and his age have made creating sermons a “tedious responsibility.” He noted, “That and other reasons have led me to realize that 26 years is enough of me.”
He added that he has not “shed one tear” over his decision as the church is ready for Murphy’s leadership.
“So okay, no tears, no pity. What’s to pity? God has begun a good work and he’s continuing it, and he will do so by his grace,” Swindoll said. “I’m so grateful to have a small part in this big work that God is doing.”
Swindoll will continue serving at his radio ministry
Though he is retiring from the role of pastor, Swindoll will continue to serve at his radio ministry, Insight for Living, he said in his announcement. His work there will be his “singular focus” as it has been a “vibrant part” of his life for more than 45 years.
“I will have the joy of remaining there for as long as God gives us the strength to do so,” Swindoll said during the service.
Founded in 1979 by Swindoll, Insight for Living currently airs in 2,100 outlets worldwide, according to the ministry’s website. Swindoll currently earns around $163,000 a year for his work at the organization, according to its 990 forms.
Swindoll said he plans to make podcasts, create video messages, mentor younger pastors, and write his memoir while working at his ministry.
“Just your average activities for a 90-year-old, right?” Swindoll wrote. “But I’ve always believed that age is merely a number; what truly matters is our commitment to fulfilling the divine purpose laid out before us.”
Insight for Living’s website stated that Swindoll is embracing a “new chapter of ministry.”
In a previous interview, Swindoll, then age 75, said, “One of my great goals in life is to live long enough to where I am in the pulpit, preaching my heart out, and I die on the spot, my chin hits the pulpit—boom!—and I’m down and out. What a way to die.”
Swindoll is currently one of the oldest megachurch pastors in the country, TRR reported.
Swindoll’s long history of ministry
Born in 1934 in El Campo, Texas, Swindoll graduated magna cum laude from Dallas Theological Seminary in 1963. He has served as the senior pastor to multiple churches in Texas, Massachusetts, and California, according to his ministry’s website.
A year after founding Stonebriar, Swindoll’s church was dubbed an “instant megachurch” by Christianity Today. It drew 1,500 weekly attendees within its first six months of opening.
By its 25th anniversary in 2023, the church had a total of 3,700 members, 300,000 square feet of building space, and an annual budget of $17 million, according to its annual report.
Swindoll was inducted into the National Religious Broadcasters’ Hall of Fame in 2000 and has twice appeared on Baylor University’s rankings of most effective preachers, according to his ministry’s website.
Additionally, a 2010 Lifeway Research survey of Protestant preachers listed him as the country’s most influential preacher other than Billy Graham.
The pastor has authored more than 70 books through his ministry. He and his wife, Cynthia, have four children, 10 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
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5 Responses
While reading to my wife the article about Valentina Hansen calling for accountability at Gateway, I asked her “Who is the one pastor who repeatedly referred to the value of his accountability partners? Chuck Swindoll”. He is a man whose life needed no accountability, but who knew himself he needed it, because he understood that we all have a sinful nature, and he is no different from the rest of fallen mankind. If all pastors and elders had the same humility and true understanding of our depravity and the need to be wholly dependent on Christ, His Word, and the Holy Spirit, the Body of Christ would be much healthier, and Julie Roys would have much less to report.
Beautifully stated, Dan. Accountability and humility are essential ministry requisites.
Agreed. Chuck Swindoll’s ministry and message speak for themselves. A blessing.
I grew up listening to his sermons on the radio. Chuck was my pastor for 3 years (2000-2003). I’ll never forget my first Sunday; meeting in a community college, with zero fanfare, Chuck took the pulpit and started announcements. That’s Chuck: down to earth and humble to the core. I’ve shaken his hand and he is one of the most humble, godly men I know. He puts the cookies on the bottom shelf without wavering from truth. We’ll done!!!
FINALLY! Some news about a pastor that does not include some kind of “fooling around”.
Chuck Swindoll has always been the genuine article.