SUN VALLEY, CA – On August 23, 2025, Grace Community Church held a celebration of life service to honor John Fullerton MacArthur Jr., who passed away on July 14 at the age of 86 after a brief battle with pneumonia. The sanctuary was filled to capacity, and thousands more joined online as believers from around the world came together to remember a man whose ministry shaped Christian thought and practice for more than five decades.

The service featured heartfelt tributes from fellow pastors and Christian leaders who had long regarded MacArthur as both a friend and mentor. Sinclair B. Ferguson delivered the central message, reflecting on MacArthur’s lifelong commitment to expository preaching and the centrality of God’s Word. John Piper, Alistair Begg, and Joni Eareckson Tada also spoke, each offering personal stories and reflections that captured different aspects of MacArthur’s influence. Piper emphasized the clarity of his preaching, Begg remembered his steadfastness through cultural change, and Tada spoke of his compassion and encouragement for those who suffer. Music was led in part by Keith and Kristen Getty, whose hymns filled the sanctuary with a sense of reverence and hope. Additionally, MacArthur’s sons Matt and Mark both spoke at length about their love for their father and his life of ministry.

Again and again throughout the service, speakers returned to the theme of faithfulness. MacArthur had built his ministry on an unwavering conviction that Scripture is sufficient, authoritative, and relevant in every generation. His work through The Master’s Seminary, The Master’s University, and his countless sermons and books underscored that conviction. The elders of Grace Community Church, in announcing his passing, echoed his life’s message with the words of 2 Timothy 4:7: “Having fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith, Pastor John was summoned home by his heavenly Master.”

For many, the service was not only a memorial but also a call to action. MacArthur’s life was presented as an example of enduring faith, rooted in the conviction expressed in Philippians 1:21: “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (BSB). Those gathered were reminded that his ministry was never about personality or  platform, but about pointing others to Christ and calling believers to live by every word of God. His passing was framed not as the end of a ministry, but as the continuation of his influence through those he trained, mentored, and inspired.

As the service drew to a close, there was both grief and celebration—grief at the loss of a faithful shepherd, and celebration in the assurance that he is now “absent from the body, and present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8). Attendees left with a renewed commitment to carry forward the legacy of careful biblical preaching and uncompromising devotion to Christ. For those who knew him personally and for countless others who only knew him through his sermons and writings, the memorial served as a reminder that in every generation, God raises up voices to call His people back to the truth of His Word.