Rev. John MacArthur refused to close the doors of his Sun Valley megachurch during the COVID-19 pandemic, thrusting him into the national debate over whether religious institutions had to follow public health orders.

The Rev. John MacArthur, among the country’s most influential evangelical pastors with a prolific media reach — and whose San Fernando Valley megachurch became the face of

John MacArthur was the pastor of Grace Community Church in Los Angeles since 1969. He was thrust into national attention during the Covid-19 pandemic.