10 notable Christian ministry leaders, influencers who died in 2023

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Saturday, December 30, 2023

Top L to R: Bishop Carlton Pearson preaches a sermon in a photo published in 2006. | Creative Commons/Scott Griessel; Pastor Tim Keller, founder and former pastor of Redeemer Church in New York City. | Courtesy of A. Larry Ross Communications; Evangelical Christian leader Pat Robertson in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on September 8, 2012. | Reuters/Brian Snyder; Bottom L to R: Pastor Charles Stanley preaches at First Baptist Church Atlanta, 2017. | Facebook/First Baptist Church Atlanta; Sarah Young | Screengrab: Jesus Calling

News that dominated the headlines this year included the horrifying Oct. 7 massacre carried out by the terrorist group Hamas in Israel and the mass shooting at a Christian school in Tennessee, as well as the splintering of a denomination and the debate over women pastors, which you can read more about in CP’s top 10 news stories of 2023 here, here and here.

2023 also saw the deaths of prominent Christian clergy and influential laity.

The people who died this year sometimes made history, sometimes made headlines, sometimes garnered controversy, and sometimes influenced many within the Church and society at large.

This list does not include every important figure within Christendom who passed away over the last 12 months.

Here are 10 notable Christian deaths that occurred in 2023. They include a bestselling devotional writer, an influential New York City pastor, the author of the hit Christian song “Majesty,” and a polarizing televangelist.