Remembering the Pastors and Gospel Musicians We Lost in 2025–2026
Pastors & Gospel Legends We Lost in 2025–2026: Tribute
Remembering John MacArthur, Jimmy Swaggart, Voddie Baucham, Uma Ukpai, Ron Kenoly, Richard Smallwood, Yaw Sarpong, Bunmi Akinnaanu, and other Christian voices whose ministries shaped generations
Updated August 2026
Every generation eventually says goodbye to the voices that helped shape its faith. Some preached behind pulpits for over half a century. Some carried the Gospel into stadiums and crusade grounds. Others stood behind microphones and gave the church songs that became more than music — they became prayers.
Between 2025 and 2026, the global Christian community experienced an extraordinary season of loss, from John MacArthur and Jimmy Swaggart in America to Uma Ukpai and Pastor Nkechi Ene in Nigeria, to the worship of Ron Kenoly and the songs of Ghana’s Yaw Sarpong. None of these were perfect people — no servant of God is — but each shaped the Christian story of their generation.
As Scripture declares, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth… that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” (Revelation 14:13)
Pastors, Preachers & Christian Leaders We Lost
John MacArthur (1939–2025) — Died July 14, 2025, at 86, after 56 years as pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California. Through Grace to You, The Master’s Seminary, and the MacArthur Study Bible, his verse-by-verse expository preaching shaped conservative evangelicalism worldwide. His pulpit is now silent; his recorded sermons are not.
Jimmy Swaggart (1935–2025) — Died July 1, 2025, at 90 in Baton Rouge following cardiac arrest. A Pentecostal preacher, pianist, and televangelist whose ministry was nearly destroyed by scandal in the late 1980s, he was defrocked by the Assemblies of God — yet kept preaching and singing for decades more, building SonLife Broadcasting Network. His story is a reminder that ministers are never the Gospel; Jesus is.
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Voddie Baucham Jr. (1969–2025) — Died September 25, 2025, at just 56. A pastor, missionary, and theological educator who served in Zambia before returning to found Founders Seminary in Florida. His book Fault Lines made him one of the most talked-about Reformed voices of his generation.
Rev. Dr. Uma Ukpai (1945–2025) — Died October 6, 2025, at 80. Founder of the Uma Ukpai Evangelistic Association, his mass crusades helped define modern African Pentecostalism. A generation grew up hearing him preach.
Pastor Nkechi Ene (1969–2025) — Died October 29, 2025, shortly after returning from an international ministry trip. Presiding pastor of The Carpenter’s Church in Port Harcourt, she was remembered as a spiritual mother and teacher to thousands.
Sonny Arguinzoni Sr (1939–2025) — Died March 3, 2025, at 85. Founder of Victory Outreach International, his ministry reached people battling addiction and gang life, expanding to dozens of nations.
Dr. Jim Shaddix (1960–2025) — Died February 1, 2025, at 64, after battling brain cancer. As senior professor of preaching at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, he trained generations of pastors to handle Scripture faithfully.
Morris Chapman (1940–2025) — Died October 20, 2025, at 84. Long-time president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Executive Committee, his legacy was built through decades of denominational stewardship.
Steve Gaines (1957–2026) — Died March 20, 2026, at 68, after a two-year battle with cancer. Former Southern Baptist Convention president and longtime pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis.
Pastor Abraham Olukunle Akinosun (1944–2026) — Died March 22, 2026, at 81. Former president of Christ Apostolic Church Nigeria and Overseas, continuing one of Nigeria’s most historic Pentecostal movements.
Bishop Nathaniel Garang (c. 1939–2026) — Died February 24, 2026, at 86. Known as the “Lost Bishop” after losing contact with the Anglican Communion during Sudan’s civil war, he remained among his people through violence and displacement — a reminder that some pastors preach while war rages around them.
Bishop Bernardin Francis Mfumbusa (1962–2026) — Died April 14, 2026, at 64, days after his appointment to a Vatican communications body. Tanzania’s first bishop of the Diocese of Kondoa, known for advocating modern media as a tool for evangelization.
Gospel Musicians & Worship Leaders We Lost
There are sermons we remember word for word – and sermons the Church sings. Between 2025 and 2026, gospel music lost several extraordinary voices.
Richard Smallwood (1948–2025) — Died December 30, 2025, at 77, from complications of kidney failure. The composer behind “Total Praise” brought classical harmony and Black church tradition together in songs recorded by artists including Whitney Houston. Few gospel songs are as instantly recognizable as his opening chords.
Dr. Norman Hutchins (1962–2025) — Died June 5, 2025, at 62. His praise-and-worship recordings became part of the soundtrack of Black church worship, even as he battled significant health challenges of his own.
Maame Tiwaa (1963–2025) — Died December 7, 2025, at 62. Longtime vocalist with Ghana’s Yaw Sarpong and the Asomafo band, her harmonies shaped one of Ghana’s most beloved gospel sounds.
Yaw Sarpong (d. 2026) — Died January 20, 2026, only weeks after his longtime musical partner Maame Tiwaa. His Asomafo Band defined modern Akan gospel music from the 1980s onward; songs like “Awurade Kasa” remain deeply embedded in Ghanaian Christian culture.
Dr. Ron Kenoly (1944–2026) — Died February 3, 2026, at 81. His 1992 album Lift Him Up and songs like “Ancient of Days” and “Majesty” helped shape the global worship movement, teaching a generation of leaders that worship isn’t performed for a congregation — it’s led alongside one.
Bunmi Akinnaanu — “Omije Ojumi” (d. 2026) — Died January 12, 2026, in Lagos, at 46. She left banking for gospel music, and her breakthrough song “Omije Ojumi” became a prayerful anthem for Yoruba-speaking Christians everywhere.
Evangelist Toun Soetan (1953–2026) — Died March 13, 2026, at 72. A veteran Nigerian gospel singer known for “Iye Ree” and “Gbe Jesus Ga,” she also founded a school of worship, training the next generation of ministers and musicians.
Onos Brisibi (1970–2026) — Died March 23, 2026, at 55, after a prolonged illness. Her voice touched gospel music and Nollywood soundtracks alike, working alongside artists including the late Sammie Okposo.
Roscoe Robinson (1928–2026) — Died February 26, 2026, at 97. A gospel and soul singer whose career traced back to the era of gospel quartets, his lifetime spanned nearly a century of Black sacred music.
A Special Farewell: Dolly Parton (1946–2026)
Dolly Parton was known primarily as a country music legend, but Christian faith ran deep through her story. She died August 25, 2026, at 80, closing a seven-decade career. Raised in a Christian family in the Tennessee mountains, she recorded hymns and gospel music throughout her life, and in 2021 won a Grammy in the Contemporary Christian Music category for “There Was Jesus.” Millions knew her for Jolene — many Christians also knew a woman who spoke naturally about prayer, God, and heaven.
What Their Lives Teach the Church
Longevity matters more than virality. Most on this list didn’t build ministries through a single viral moment — they served for decades. A million views isn’t the same as a lifetime of fruit.
The gift is never greater than the character carrying it. Great gifting doesn’t remove human weakness, as Jimmy Swaggart’s story shows. “We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us” (2 Corinthians 4:7). The treasure is perfect. The vessels are not.
Songs preach long after singers die. Richard Smallwood is gone; churches still sing Total Praise. Ron Kenoly is gone; congregations still sing Ancient of Days. A songwriter can die while the prayer inside the song keeps traveling.
No platform lasts forever. “To every thing there is a season” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). No pastor owns a pulpit permanently. We are stewards — then we hand it over.
Pick Up the Torch
Hebrews 12 speaks of a “great cloud of witnesses” and immediately gives the living an instruction: run. “Let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus” (Hebrews 12:1–2).
The question isn’t whether we’ll become the next MacArthur, Kenoly, or Smallwood — God already gave their generation those people. The question is who will write the songs, plant the churches, preach when it’s unpopular, and stay faithful when the applause fades in ours.
A Prayer for the Families and Ministries They Left Behind
Father, we thank You for every life represented in this remembrance — every sermon preached, soul encouraged, church planted, and song written. Comfort the families and congregations still learning to continue without those they loved. Give wisdom to those now carrying what the last generation set down. Keep our eyes on Jesus Christ, because ministers come and go, but He remains the Head of His Church. May we run faithfully until our own work is finished. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Gone From the Platform, Not From Memory
Different assignments. Different countries. Different denominations. But every biography reaches the same final punctuation — a dash between two dates that holds an entire lifetime.
The question for those of us still living is simple: what will our own dash say?
May we serve faithfully, preach Christ, worship sincerely, and leave behind more than applause – so that when our race is finished, it can be said of us too: they served their generation by the will of God.
This tribute remembers the pastors, ministers, evangelists, worship leaders and gospel musicians who died during 2025 and 2026, compiled from publicly reported family announcements, ministry statements, and news sources. No single list can capture every faithful servant lost in this season — this remembrance focuses on figures whose ministries carried significant national, denominational, or international influence.
