Successor to John MacArthur Named

A little more than a year after the death of John MacArthur, Grace Community Church in Southern California has named Nathan Busenitz as his successor.

Busenitz, who grew up in the church, has been serving as executive vice president of The Master’s Seminary and professor of church history. He also is the author of several books. He and his wife, Beth, have four children.

“This announcement comes on the one-year anniversary of the memorial service for John MacArthur, who served as the pastor of Grace Community Church for 56 years,” church elders said in announcing the transition  “Pastor John’s ministry was marked by an uncompromising commitment to the lordship of Christ and the authority of his word. Our elders remain steadfast in holding to those same priorities.”

Busenitz has faithfully served in a number of positions at Grace3 Community Church.

“Having grown up at Grace, Nathan is already known and beloved by our church family,” the elders said. “While studying at The Master’s University and Seminary, he served as a Bible study shepherd in Crossroads (college ministry) and later as a co-pastor in the Cornerstone Fellowship Group. Nathan’s giftedness for preaching and shepherding became evident in these ministries through his clear teaching and humble leadership.”

He also served as MacArthur’s personal assistant for several years and helped with numerous ministerial responsibilities. Busenitz recently addressed the congregation and expressing gratitude for their trust.

“I’m deeply humbled… and want to say thank you to our elders and thank you to all of you for your kindness to me and your affirmation,” he said. “First and foremost, I want to give thanks to the Lord. This is his church. Grace Community Church belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ, and everything that we do is for his glory and to make his name great.

Having grown up here at Grace, I am profoundly grateful for all of you. So many of you have invested in me personally and in my family. And so, I want to say thank you for that and what a joy it is for me to have the opportunity to serve alongside all of you,” he said. “I can’t imagine a sweeter group of saints.”

–Alan Goforth

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