October 2, 2026
John MacArthur, the popular and influential pastor of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif., died Monday at 86 following a battle with pneumonia.
The announcement of his passing was on the X account of “Grace to You,” which was MacArthur’s media ministry, on Monday night.
At Sunday’s service at Sun Valley, the congregation learned that their beloved pastor had been hospitalized.
"This week, Pastor John contracted pneumonia," associate pastor Tom Patton said during the service. "He was admitted into the hospital and may be in the presence of the Lord soon."
MacArthur became pastor at Grace Community Church – his only pastorate – after graduating from Talbot Theological Seminary in 1969. During his leadership, the church experienced amazing growth and filled the 3,500-seat auditorium to capacity in two morning worship services every week. He had thousands more who were part of his training programs and the church’s fellowship groups. He also had a broad international reach because of his "Grace to You" ministry.
In 1985, MacArthur became president of The Master’s University, a four-year accredited liberal arts Christian college in Santa Clarita. One year later, he founded The Master’s Seminary, a graduate school specializing in preparing men for full-time pastoral roles and missionary work, according to Grace Community Church.
MacArthur was also the president and main teacher with Grace to You, a nonprofit organization specializing in the development and distribution of his audio recordings, books, and the "Grace to You" television and radio programs. “Grace to You” radio airs more than 1,000 times daily throughout the English-speaking world, reaching major population centers on every continent of the world. It also airs nearly 1,000 times daily in Spanish, reaching 23 countries from Europe to Latin America.
He wrote nearly 400 books and study resources, including The Gospel According to Jesus and Our Sufficiency in Christ, with his titles being translated into more than two dozen languages, according to the church’s website.
MacArthur and his church garnered national attention in 2020 when a California judge ruled the church could keep holding in-person services despite Gov. Gavin Newsome’s statewide coronavirus restrictions.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Patricia; four children; 15 grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren.
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This story appeared in Kentucky Today.
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