David Platt (pastor)

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David Platt
David Platt.jpg
Platt in 2010
Born
David Joseph Platt [1]

(1978-07-11) July 11, 1978 (age 47) [1]
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.[ citation needed ]
Occupation(s)Pastor, religious writer, university teacher
Years active2005–present
Notable workRadical
SpouseHeather [2]
Children6 [3]
Theological work
EraEarly 21st century
Tradition or movement

David Platt (born July 11, 1978 [1] ) is an American evangelical Baptist pastor. He was senior pastor at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, from 2006 to 2014. At the time he was the youngest megachurch pastor in the United States. From 2014 to 2017, Platt was president of the International Mission Board. He became pastor-teacher at McLean Bible Church in 2017. In late 2025 he is lead pastor at McLean. [3] He is the author of the 2010 New York Times Best Seller Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream . [1]

Contents

Early life and education

David Joseph Platt was born on July 11, 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia.[ citation needed ]

Platt earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of Georgia; he then studied at New Orleans Seminary, where he earned a Ph.D. [4] [5] [6]

Career

David Platt served at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary as Dean of Chapel and Assistant Professor of Expository Preaching and Apologetics. He was serving at Edgewater Baptist Church in New Orleans when the parsonage where he lived flooded during Hurricane Katrina. [5]

In 2006, Platt was introduced as the new senior pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. [7] At age 27, he became the youngest megachurch pastor in the United States. [5] [6]

In 2014, Platt was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board. [8] The International Mission Board is one of the largest missionary sending organizations in the world. [9]

In February 2017, Platt began serving as interim teaching pastor at McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia. During this time he continued in his primary role as president of the International Mission Board. [10] In September of that year, Platt was introduced as pastor-teacher of McLean Bible Church. In February 2018, he announced his resignation from the IMB on the hiring of his successor. [11]

In June 2019, Platt made national headlines when then president Donald Trump visited McLean Bible Church unannounced, during a Sunday service, and Platt prayed for him on stage. [12] [13] [14] During Platt's tenure at McLean, the church underwent a legal dispute regarding Platts leadership, including with regard to its financial ties and partnership with the Southern Baptist Convention. [15]

A two-part documentary about Platt was released in 2024. [4] [16]

Published works

Platt’s publications include;

Awards and recognition

Platt's book, Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream , is an Evangelical Christian Publishers Association bestseller. [20]

Personal life

David is married to Heather and they have six children. [2] [3] [21]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "David Platt". Patheos. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "David and Heather Platt". Lifeline Children’s Services. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Lead Pastors". McLean Bible Church. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Understanding the David Platt story". Baptist News. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Garrison, Greg (August 15, 2006). "At 28, Pastor Has Five Degrees and a 4,300-Member Flock". Christianity Today . Religion News Service . Retrieved October 2, 2025. Note, Garrison confirms two bachelors, two masters, and a PhD, specifics omitted, all from the stated institution.
  6. 1 2 Brooks, David (September 7, 2010). "The Gospel of Wealth". The New York Times . p. 25. Retrieved December 8, 2012. Note, Brooks confirms two masters degrees and a PhD, specifics omitted, all from the stated institution.
  7. ↑ Hansen, Collin (June 16, 2017). "Platt Commissioned by Brook Hills in Final Sunday as Senior Pastor". The Gospel Coalition.
  8. ↑ "imbConnecting". Archived from the original on March 1, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Pastor David Platt succeeds Tom Elliff as IMB president". Baptist Press. August 27, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  10. ↑ Gryboski, Michael (March 22, 2017). "David Platt Joins McLean Bible Church as Interim Pastor; Megachurch's Senior Pastor Stepping Down". Christian Post (ChristianPost.com). Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  11. ↑ McGowan, Julie (September 14, 2018). "Platt to step down from IMB; Meador named interim president". imb.org.
  12. ↑ Morin, Rebecca. "Virginia pastor explains sudden decision to pray for Trump, after some 'hurt' by it". USA TODAY. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  13. ↑ Shellnutt, Kate (June 3, 2019). "David Platt Asks God to Grant Trump 'All the Grace He Needs to Govern'". News & Reporting. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  14. ↑ Green, Emma (June 3, 2019). "On Praying for the President". The Atlantic. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  15. ↑ Martin, Stephanie (December 15, 2022). "David Platt's Church Sued Again by Members Seeking New Leadership". Church Leaders (ChurchLeaders.com). Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  16. ↑ "The Real David Platt". Church Reformed Initiative. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "David Platt". Good Reads. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "David Platt". 10 of Those. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "David Platt". Eden Books. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  20. ↑ "david+and+platt" "David Platt". ECPA. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  21. ↑ "Raising Kids as a Pastor's Wife". Crossway. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
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