How Charles Stanley Achieved a Net Worth of $1.5 Million
Charles Stanley is the Pastor Emeritus of the First Baptist Church of Atlanta. Some people might have seen his name come up in the news because he stepped down from his position as Senior Pastor to become Pastor Emeritus in September of 2020, which was notable because his megachurch is one of the best-known in the Southern Baptist Convention.
What Is Charles Stanley’s Current Net Worth?
Megachurches can pull in a lot of money. As a result, there are megachurch pastors out there who have managed to amass tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. However, Stanley doesn’t seem to be one of them. His exact net worth is unclear. Still, it is worth mentioning that Celebrity Net Worth estimates his net worth to be approximately $1.5 million, which is a modest sum compared to some of his counterparts.
How Did Charles Stanley Reach His Current Net Worth?
Stanley was born in Dry Fork, an unincorporated community that can be found in the state of Virginia. For context, said community is situated in the rural outskirts of the city of Danville, which is the center of the Danville, Virginia Micropolitan Statistical Area. Those who are unfamiliar should know that Micropolitan Statistical Areas are much the same as Metropolitan Statistical Areas except that they have a population of at least 10,000 people but fewer than 50,000 people. Besides this, it is worth mentioning that Stanley’s father died just nine months after he was born, meaning that Stanley’s father didn’t have much of a chance to be involved in his life.
In any case, Stanley took an interest in his eventual calling at a young age. He became a born-again Christian at the age of 12. Similarly, he became involved in Christian ministry at the age of 14. Eventually, Stanley studied for a bachelor’s degree from the University of Richmond. After which, he went on to study for a Master of Divinity from the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, which is an institution of higher learning with a strong connection with the Southern Baptist Convention. On top of this, Stanley has both a Master of Theology and a Doctor of Ministry from Luther Rice Seminary, meaning that he has a very strong educational background in this respect. It is interesting to note that Stanley didn’t found the First Baptist Church of Atlanta. After all, said megachurch was founded in 1848, meaning that it has been around since long before his time. Instead, Stanley became a member of its staff in 1969, with the result that it wasn’t too long before he had become its Senior Pastor in 1971. As such, he was in a position to determine how he would reach out to his audience. This can be seen in his decision to launch a half-hour religious program called The Chapel Hour. Something that was followed by the formal establishment of In Touch Ministries. Nowadays, it has enormous reach, as shown by how In Touch is broadcast on hundreds of radio stations, hundreds of TV stations, and a number of satellite networks. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that there is more to In Touch Ministries than just In Touch because it is meant to reach out to people through more methods than just those that have been mentioned.
Subject-wise, Stanley’s content is much what one would expect. In short, he has stated that he believes that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Something that has influenced every single one of his teachings. As for the topics covered by those teachings, they extend to everything from higher matters to day-to-day affairs. Naturally, Christianity often comes up. However, so do topics such as finances, parenting, and interpersonal relationships. In this, Stanley is much the same as his counterparts. Regardless, if people want to get a general sense of his beliefs, that are few statements as useful as what he has said about the life principle that he picked up from his grandfather. Paraphrased, it can be summed up as saying that he believes in doing whatever God says that he should do, which includes running right at a brick wall head-first because God will make a hole for his head. Of course, Stanley has experienced challenges in his five decades as a pastor. To name a particularly well-known example, he and his wife Anna J. Stanley separated in 1992. After which, she filed for a divorce in 1993. Eventually, the two agreed to seek a legal separation while seek reconciliation. Something that didn’t last because Anna filed for divorce a second time in 1995, with the result that the two were divorced in 2000. At the time, there was a fair amount of controversy over the matter. Something that was particularly true because Stanley had stated that he would resign from his position as the Senior Pastor if he became divorced. Initially, he was convinced that the separation wouldn’t result in a divorce. However, he proved to be wrong on the matter, which had consequences for his chosen career. For instance, the Moody Radio Network station in Atlanta, GA took his show off of the air in 1995 because its managers concluded that there would be no reconciliation between him and his wife. Still, Stanley’s own congregation stood by him by overwhelming margins, with the result that it was decided that he would be able to remain in his position so long as he remained unmarried after his divorce. Something that was stated by the First Baptist Church of Atlanta’s own bylaws.
Further Considerations
Stanley has stepped down from his position as the Senior Pastor. However, it isn’t quite accurate to say that he has retired. This is because Stanley remains involved with In Touch Ministries. Moreover, it is expected that he will remain involved with In Touch Ministries for as long as possible because he has open about the fact that he doesn’t believe in retirement. Even so, it seems reasonable to speculate that his current net worth won’t see great changes from this point forward, particularly since he is in his late 80s.