Posted: 3/23/07
Author Lucado steps down
from San Antonio pulpit
By Hannah Elliott
Associated Baptist Press
SAN ANTONIO (ABP)—Prolific Christian author Max Lucado has announced plans to step down as senior pastor of his San Antonio megachurch due to a heart ailment.
In a letter addressed to members of Oak Hills Church, Lucado said he hed begun easing away from his duties as senior minister. The 51-year-old pastor is reportedly suffering from heart arrhythmia.
| Max Lucado |
“While my spiritual heart is in a wonderful state, my physical heart has developed some irregularities,” Lucado wrote. “We have high hopes for complete healing; yet, I need to make some lifestyle adjustments.”
In the letter, Lucado also said he plans to continue preaching on weekends for a time but will opt out of weekly meetings. The church has also inaugurated a succession plan for a new senior minister.
“I have no intention of leaving this great church, but simply altering my role in it,” he wrote. “Yes, this is a major step, but one that will benefit the health of us all.”
Lucado plans to continue to write. His books, including Just Like Jesus and When God Whispers Your Name, have sold more than 40 million copies. Since 1985, he has written or contributed to 80 books. Although he is best-known for adult spiritual-formation books, he has also written several children's works.
An Abilene Christian University graduate, Lucado became pastor of the 5,000-member church in 1988. Although it was historically affiliated with the Churches of Christ, the congregation's website now describes it as “non-denominational.”
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