Evangelical Anglican preacher, John Stott is no more. John Stott died today at 3:15pm London time according to John Stott Ministries President Benjamin Homan. Homan said that Stott's death came after complications related to old age and that he has been in discomfort for the last several weeks. Family and close friends gathered with Stott today as they listened to Handel's Messiah. Homan said that John Stott Ministries has been preparing for his death for the past 15 years. "I think he set an impeccable example for leaders of ministries of handing things over to other leaders," Homan said. "He imparted to many a love for the global church and imparted a passion for biblical fidelity and a love for the Savior." [1] He was 90 years old.
John Robert Walmsley Stott was born in London in 1921 to Sir Arnold and Lady Stott.[2] He was ordained in 1945 and for most of his years has served in various capacities at All Souls Church in London, where he carried out an effective urban pastoral ministry. A leader among Evangelicals in Britain, the United States and even around the world, Stott was a principal framer of the landmark Lausanne Covenant (1974). Whether in the West or in the Third World, a hallmark of Stott's ministry has been expository preaching that addresses not only the hearts but also the minds of contemporary men and women.
Stott had remained celibate his entire life. He says, "The gift of singleness is more a vocation than an empowerment, although to be sure God is faithful in supporting those He calls."[3] John Stott’s biographer, Timothy Dudley-Smith, writes: “To those who know and meet him, respect and affection go hand in hand. The world-figure is lost in personal friendship, disarming interest, unfeigned humility—and a dash of mischievous humour and charm. By contrast, he thinks of himself, as all Christians should but few of us achieve, as simply a beloved child of a heavenly Father; an unworthy servant of his friend and master, Jesus Christ; a sinner saved by grace to the glory and praise of God.” [4]
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| An old pic of John Stott |
Though many Evangelicals have expressed concerns on some of the theological convictions of Stott [5], it is still noteworthy that he was the architect of the post-war, New-Evangelicalism in the Western World. His expositions of scriptures was characterized by balanced and biblical articulation of truth. His literary works, amounting to more than 40 books and hundreds of articles, is another wealth containing stimulating and balanced, scriptural teachings, written in a way that is profitable for both ministers and thoughtful laymen. It has been pointed by many that his self-discipline has played a key role in the gifting of these many priceless works from him.
David Wells, Distinguished Senior Research Professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, reflecting on Stott said “His leadership was effective, because of his personal integrity and his Christian life. People who knew him always came back to these points. He was known all over the world, but when you met him he was a most devout, humble Christian man. His private life was no different from his public life. It was the same person. That's another way to say that he had integrity. There was no posing”. Wells was converted through a 1959 John Stott mission in South Africa. He later shared a household with Stott for five years in the early 1960s. In his homage to Stott, Wells writes, “Stott will be remembered for a long time to come for his roles as writer, speaker, and leader. In these roles he often served different audiences and yet what stands out across a long life is how utterly consistent he was. And that consistency, in public and in private, was rooted in the same, unshakable convictions. At their center, first, was his lifelong commitment to make himself subject to the truth of Scripture. It was because of his own inner commitment at this point that he could preach to others with such insistence and directness. Yet his sermons were not simply words but expositions of divinely given truth. For Scripture is not merely a book but, in and through its teaching, it is the disclosure of God, the unveiling of his character, will, and ways. What this inspired Scripture says, God says. So it was that Stott preached and so it was that he pastored. And the second principle concerned the uniqueness of Christ as God-incarnate and the uniqueness of his substitutionary death on the Cross. Without this work, there is no reconciliation with God, no forgiveness, no justification, and no hope. It is these principles that framed and directed everything he did.”[6]
John Stott will be buried near his beloved retreat in Wales, the Hookses. There will be a funeral service in St. Paul's Cathedral, an honor reserved for those of great prominence in the United Kingdom.[7]
Footnotes
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[1] Tim Stafford, John Stott Has Died, Christianity Today, July (Web-only) 2011, Vol. 55
[2] Timothy Dudley-Smith, John Stott: The Making of a Leader, Vol. 1
[3] Albert Hsu, Singles at the Crossroads. Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, p.178
[4] Timothy Dudley-Smith, Who Is John Stott?, All Souls Broadsheet (London), Apr/May 01
[5] Timothy Dudley-Smith, John Stott: A Global Ministry, Vol.2
[6] Dr. David Wells, John Stott: Prince of the Church Dies
[7] Ibid
