Timothy Keller, the notable Evangelical author, theologian, and New York City-based pastor, has died following a lengthy battle with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. He was 72 years old.
Redeemer Presbyterian Church in Manhattan, a congregation that Keller helped found, sent a statement to members informing them that he died Friday morning.
“We are forever grateful for his leadership, heart, and dedication to sharing the love of Christ with others. While we will miss his presence here, we know he is rejoicing with his Savior in heaven,” stated Redeemer, according to Church Leaders.
“Tim loved what he did. He loved interacting with Redeemer congregants and global ministry leaders alike. He delighted in communicating the profound wonder and transforming power of the gospel of grace. He would quickly disarm you and brush away your addressing him as Dr. Keller. ‘Just Tim, please.'”
In a public update on Facebook, the famed pastor’s son, Michael Keller, wrote: “Timothy J. Keller, husband, father, grandfather, mentor, friend, pastor, and scholar died this morning at home. Dad waited until he was alone with Mom. She kissed him on the forehead and he breathed his last breath. We take comfort in some of his last words, ‘There is no downside for me leaving, not in the slightest.’ See you soon Dad.”
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1950, Keller earned a bachelor of arts degree from Bucknell University, a master in divinity from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a doctor in ministry from Westminster Theological Seminary.
He served as pastor of West Hopewell Presbyterian Church of Hopewell, Virginia, an associate professor at Westminster, and the director of Mercy Ministries for the Presbyterian Church in America.
Just prior to his death, his son Michael wrote on his Twitter page Thursday that “Dad is being discharged from the hospital to receive hospice care at home.”
Michael later posted midday Friday that “Timothy J. Keller, husband, father, grandfather, mentor, friend, pastor, and scholar died this morning at home.
“Dad waited until he was alone with Mom. She kissed him on the forehead and he breathed his last breath. We take comfort in some of his last words… ‘There is no downside for me leaving, not in the slightest.’” the statement read.
Since Keller’s 2020 diagnosis, he has undergone two years of chemotherapy. He was also participating in the immunotherapy drug trial at the National Institute for Health in Bethesda, Maryland as recently as January.
However, despite the immunotherapy successfully killing 99% of the cancerous tumors, Keller announced in a Facebook post in March the return of additional cancerous tumors requiring him to undergo a variation of the previous immunotherapy treatment.
“They are unfortunately in some fairly inconvenient places, so the doctors encouraged us to go through the treatment again, this time targeting a different genetic marker of cancer,” Keller wrote.
