When Our Leaders Are Taken Home

The past five to seven years have been a sobering season for evangelicalism. We have watched as some of the most faithful voices of our generation have been taken home to be with the Lord. R.C. Sproul (d. 2017), the Reformed theologian who taught us the holiness of God, was called home. John MacArthur (d. 2025), who spent decades faithfully preaching verse by verse through Scripture, has now entered glory. David Powlison (d. 2019), J. I. Packer (d. 2020), Derek Prime (d. 2020), Walter Chantry (d. 2022), Harry Reeder (d. 2023), Eric Alexander (d. 2023), James Dobson (d. 2025), and so many others. And just yesterday, we mourned the passing of Voddie Baucham (d. 2025), a bold defender of the faith who strengthened and encouraged countless believers with his unwavering commitment to God’s Word.

These losses feel personal. Some have even come as a shock to our hearts. These men shaped how we viewed God, how we think, how we worship, and how we live as courageous believers in a fallen world. They were steady hands on the rudder of the church, faithfully pointing us to Christ. When such leaders are taken, we may wonder: What is God doing? What will become of the church?

God’s Unchanging Plan

The good news is that the church has faced moments like this before—and every time, God has shown Himself to be faithful. When Moses died, the people of Israel faced great fear and uncertainty about their future. Yet God said to Joshua, “Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous” (Josh. 1:5–6).

In the early days of the church, when Stephen was stoned to death, it must have seemed like a crushing blow. But Acts 8 tells us that “those who were scattered went about preaching the word.” Stephen’s death became the spark that sent the gospel to Judea, Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the world—exactly as Jesus promised it would (Acts 1:8).

Even the Apostle Paul faced the reality of departing from the church he loved. In Acts 20, he gathered the Ephesian elders and told them they would “see his face no more.” What was his charge to them? To guard the flock, to preach the whole counsel of God, and to entrust themselves to the God “who is able to build you up and give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32). Paul knew the church’s survival did not depend on him but on the Holy Spirit and the faithful proclamation of the Word of God.

The Witness of Church History

Church history offers us the same encouragement. After Augustine died in 430, as the Roman Empire was collapsing, some feared that Christianity itself would crumble. But Augustine’s writings became a bedrock for centuries of theology, shaping Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin a thousand years later.

When Martin Luther died in 1546, the Reformation seemed fragile. Yet God raised up men like Philip Melanchthon and John Calvin to carry the torch and systematize and proclaim the theology Luther had unleashed.

When Charles H. Spurgeon died in 1892, his church (and the evangelical world) mourned deeply. Yet his sermons and books still preach today—more widely than ever before.

God has never left His people without shepherds, teachers, and voices to proclaim His Word.

What God Might Be Doing Now

When Elijah despaired and cried out that he was the only prophet left, God reminded him that He had preserved “seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed to Baal” (1 Kings 19:14, 18). We must not think that the loss of our leaders means the end of faithful ministry. God always preserves a remnant and continues His work through countless unseen servants—names we will know only in heaven. Let us take courage!

The image of Elijah passing the mantle to Elisha is a powerful picture for the present moment. When Elijah was taken up into heaven, Elisha picked up his cloak and stepped into the work God had prepared for him (2 Kings 2:13–15). In the same way, when our faithful leaders are taken home, the task does not end; it passes to the next generation. God calls new voices to take up the mantle, empowered by the same Spirit, to proclaim His Word and shepherd His bride. This is both a comfort and a challenge—the mission continues.

Perhaps God is doing something in each of us. The death of our leaders is a providential reminder that the church cannot be built on human personalities. Our faith and confidence must be rooted in Christ, “the chief Shepherd” (1 Pet. 5:4), who never dies, never retires, and never ceases to intercede for His people (Heb. 7:25).

Our Response

So what should believers do in this moment?

• Grieve with hope. Paul reminds us that we do not mourn as those without hope (1 Thess. 4:13). The men we grieve for are with Christ, which is “far better” (Phil. 1:23).

• Give thanks. Thank God for their lives and ministries. Their faithfulness, boldness, and steadfastness have shaped us, and we are stewards of what they passed down (2 Tim. 2:2).

• Pray for the church. Pray for God to raise up a new generation of faithful shepherds, teachers, missionaries, and evangelists who love His Word and His people.

• Stay steadfast. Resolve to live as they taught us—with boldness, humility, and devotion to Christ.

This is not the twilight of evangelicalism. It may very well be the dawn of something new—a season of pruning and strengthening, where God calls His church to deeper dependence upon Him and renewed zeal for His Word.

Let us honor those who have gone before by continuing their work: proclaiming Christ, discipling the next generation, and building the church upon the unshakeable foundation of the Word of God.

“So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Ps. 90:12).