Second Baptist Church Pastor Ed Young Resigns After 46 Years – Houston Public Media

Ed Young, 87, one of Houston’s most prominent megachurch pastors, announced he was stepping down from his longtime post during a Sunday sermon.

Over the past 46 years, Young has led the congregation of Second Baptist Church to massive growth of more than 80,000 members. He has become known within the Christian community for his controversial comments, sparking criticism and recent calls for his resignation.

During a tearful sermon Sunday, Young said he would step away from preaching to make way for a new senior pastor, Ben Young, his son.

“Lisa and I are stepping up, not trying,” he said in a recent letter to the congregation. “I move from the pulpit to the pew, we are committed to our Second Family. In our new capacity, we look forward to using our core spiritual gifts of evangelism and encouragement within the family of faith.

During his sermon, Ed Young, who turns 88 in August, said he would remain in the church while his son led the congregation, Chron reported.

“Two weeks ago I thought I was in the red zone and maybe in the two-minute zone because I know I’m in the last quarter of my life,” Young said. “But Lisa and I have been through all kinds of medical stuff, and it’s amazing. So here I stand happy, reasonably healthy, and ready to serve God.

Young served as the church’s senior pastor for more than 40 years before resigning his position. He joined the six-campus church after moving to Houston in 1978. He also served two terms as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, according to The Winning Walk.

Young made headlines in 2022 after delivering a sermon in which he criticized the crime-related policies of “left-wing progressives”, urging the church congregation to “run these bums out of power”.

RELATED: Second Baptist Church experiences blowback over politically charged sermon

Young hosted a private luncheon earlier this year, when Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick made an appearance to call on church members and Christians to vote in the upcoming election. He said Christians “will lose this nation” if conservatives do not win the November presidential election, according to Chron.

In a message published Sunday in

“Young was careful to continually warn his congregation never to trust the advice of man in politics, but rather to pray and listen to the Holy Spirit about who they should vote for in elections, s be involved in its governance as much as it feels directed. their personal relationship with God,” he said.