Dr. Charles Stanley's Life, Legacy Includes Transformational Impact on Christian Media
By Billy Hallowell
As tributes continue to pour in for Dr. Charles Stanley, a revered pastor, author, and communicator, some are remembering the faithful broadcaster for his transformational impact on Christian media.
Troy Miller, president and CEO of National Religious Broadcasters (NRB), the premier association of evangelical and Christian communicators, praised Stanley during a Tuesday interview with CBN’s Faithwire, noting the late preacher “really embodied the word ‘pastor.'”
“When I think of Dr. Stanley, the first thing that comes to mind is ‘pastor,'” Miller said. “He really loved people, he cared for people, he cared for their lives, and he cared where they spent eternity.”
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Stanley’s involvement with NRB ran deep and spanned decades through In Touch Ministries, a teaching and media ministry he founded in 1977.
Miller said the preacher’s massive organization — including media, TV, and worldwide distribution — was uncommonly impactful and sweeping, especially in a “fragmented culture” of media distribution.
“Dr. Stanley was one of those pioneers,” Miller said. “Early on in his ministry, he looked at media and said, ‘This was a way to reach people. This was a way to reach a lot of people for the Gospel,’ and that was his heart.”
But despite global influence as a Bible teacher and Christian broadcaster — including more than 70 books, presence on 4,000 TV, radio, and satellite stations worldwide, and other efforts — Miller said Stanley didn’t get into any of his work to be a TV or radio personality.
“He really looked at it as an extension of his ministry there at the church,” he said, referencing Stanley’s 50-year pastoral tenure at First Baptist Church Atlanta, which the preacher stepped back from in 2020. “And I think that’s what made him such a pioneer.”
Miller continued, “He expanded his ministry constantly over television, radio, and … later, he was one of the first pioneers into the whole digital space, all about reaching people for the Gospel.”
Stanley’s obituary builds upon his legacy, noting he modeled his massive ministry off of the Apostle Paul’s message in Acts 20:24.
That verse reads, “Life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus— the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.”
Stanley’s efforts were repeatedly honored by NRB over the years, with the pastor and broadcaster winning the organization’s prestigious Chairman’s Award, among many other honors.
“His ministry was constantly [changing with the times],” Miller said. “I think they had a real sense of how media was changing, and media landscapes were changing.”
The NRB head said Stanley’s legacy is, without a doubt, profound.
“He is one of the clearest communicators,” Miller said. “He’s really shepherded so many thousands — if not hundreds of thousands — of people through each day.”
He said Stanley’s legacy is one of teaching perseverance and pressing on, even amid difficulty.
“It’s not about us; it’s about God,” Miller said. “I can just imagine, last evening in heaven when those words were just uttered to him: ‘Welcome, good and faithful servant,’ and I think that’s what we all want to hear, and he was such an inspiration for that.”
Continue to pray for Stanley’s family during this difficult time and for those mourning his life well-lived.
The above content was originally published at CBN and shared at Think Eternity with permission.
Billy Hallowell is a journalist, commentator and digital TV and podcast host who has covered thousands of the biggest faith and culture stories. He has worked in the media for more than two decades and is the author of four books, including “Left Standing: The Miraculous Story of How Mason Wells' Faith Survived the Boston, Paris, and Brussels Terror Attacks.”
Hallowell is one of more than 70 Christian leaders whose faith content is available through syndication at Think Eternity.
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