(CP) Grace Community Church Pastor John MacArthur has had a “slower than expected” recovery from three surgeries performed last yr and is currently hospitalised, in line with a recent update.
GCC Elder Tom Patton said in an update Sunday the outstanding 85-year-old California pastor and creator “suffered a series of health issues that kept him out of the pulpit and required three surgeries within the second half of 2024.”
“His recovery has been slower than expected, with occasional setbacks affecting his heart, lungs, and kidneys,” Patton added. “The doctors haven’t yet discovered any single root cause for these diverse troubles.”
“John has been hospitalised for the past two weeks undergoing tests and coverings. So please pray for him, and for the physicians which are handling the case.”
GCC elder Phil Johnson, executive director of Grace to You, took to Facebook last week to dispel rumours that MacArthur was receiving palliative care and taking issue with those wanting more regular health updates.
“John MacArthur has NEVER wanted public announcements to be made about his health. It’s one among his quirks, and it’s a years-old policy of his. The scarcity of public announcements about his health isn’t something unique to this current illness,” wrote Johnson.
“It’s an comprehensible policy, and there is nothing perfidious about it. It’s frankly tiresome having to reply 1000’s of questions on one’s health — AND cope with scores of quack remedies given by well-meaning individuals. I do know this from experience. It’s why HIPAA rules exist.”
MacArthur became the pastor-teacher of GCC of Sun Valley in 1969, a number of years after graduating from Biola University’s Talbot Theological Seminary. MacArthur has reportedly preached greater than 3,000 sermons since then.
On New Year’s Day 2023, MacArthur was hospitalised after preaching the primary GCC service day, stopping him from participating within the second service.
GCC provided an update the next day, saying that MacArthur was “doing well” after the 2023 emergency and that he “just needs rest from a busy holiday week.”
MacArthur continued to have health issues and was away from his pulpit from July last yr until November when he preached at a Thanksgiving service.
“I’m still here, and thankful to the Lord for that,” MacArthur said on the November service. “God has purposes that we’d’ve never been in a position to fulfill if we weren’t put into some sort of stress.”
“I’m just thankful I see the great and gracious and sort and providential hand of God in every vicissitude in my life, every hard experience, every challenge — whatever that challenge could also be.”
