Charles F. Stanley

Charles F. Stanley is the founder of In Touch Ministries and a New York Times best-selling author. He demonstrates a keen awareness of people's needs and provides Christ-centered biblically-based principles for everyday life.

Charles Frazier Stanley was born September 25, 1932, in the small town of Dry Fork, Virginia.

The only child of Charley and Rebecca Stanley, Charles came into the world during a time when the entire nation felt the grip of the Great Depression. To make matters worse, just nine months later, his father Charley died at the young age of 29.

However, Charles refused to let the Great Depression or the difficulties of his life define him. Through the excellent counsel and example of his godly mother, Rebecca, he grew up to trust God and obey His Word wholeheartedly.

At the age of fourteen, Charles received a clear call to the ministry and—like his father and grandfather before him—he took up the mantle to preach the gospel to whomever would listen.

Charles received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Richmond in 1956. That same year, on August 19, Dr. Stanley was ordained to the ministry at Moffett Memorial Baptist Church in Danville, Virginia. From there, he pursued his Bachelor of Divinity degree from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He later earned his master’s and doctorate degrees in Theology from Luther Rice Seminary.