BREAKING: Grace Community Church Names John MacArthur’s Successor

We have breaking news today from Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California.

Nathan Busenitz has officially been named the new Pastor-Teacher of Grace Community Church, succeeding John MacArthur.

The announcement was made today, Sunday, August 23, 2026, during the second morning service at Grace Community Church.

John MacArthur died on July 14, 2025, after serving as Pastor-Teacher at Grace for more than 56 years.

Since then, there has been tremendous interest in who would succeed one of the most influential pastors of the modern evangelical era.

Today, we have the answer.

Nathan Busenitz is 48 years old, married to his wife Beth, and they have four children.

And this is very much an inside succession.

Busenitz grew up at Grace Community Church. His father was among the church's early members, so Nathan grew up sitting under John MacArthur's preaching.

He attended The Master's College and The Master's Seminary and eventually became a pastor, professor and leader within the ministries associated with Grace.

He served full-time on the pastoral staff at Grace Community Church from 2003 to 2009 and later became a professor at The Master's Seminary, where he has played a significant role in training pastors.

Then, following MacArthur's death, another important development occurred.

On August 28, 2025, Busenitz was announced as Grace Community Church's Pastor of Staff.

But the church did not immediately name him MacArthur's successor.

Instead, the elders shared the Sunday-morning preaching responsibilities.

And this is where the story gets particularly interesting.

I've previously reported here on BTWN News about an interview John MacArthur gave before his death concerning succession at Grace Community Church.

MacArthur explained that the church already had qualified men capable of preaching and leading. His expectation was that those men would preach and, over time, one