HOUSTON (BP) — Longtime pastor of Houston’s Second Baptist Church, Ed Young, Sr., has announced his retirement from preaching ministry. Young shared the announcement in a letter with the congregation on May 26.

“Lisa and I are stepping up, not down,” Young said in a letter posted to the KHOU-TV website. “While I am moving from the pulpit to the pew, we are committed to our Second Family. In our new capacity, we are eager to use our primary spiritual gifts of evangelism and encouragement within this family of faith.

“This is a significant moment in the life of our church as we transition leadership. I am thrilled with whom God has called to be our new senior pastor, Dr. Ben Young,” he said. Ben Young is one of Ed Young’s three children.

Young, Sr., 87, has been the pastor of Second Baptist Church since 1978. He previously served churches in South Carolina. He served as the president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) in 1992 and 1993.

A Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS) graduate, the Ed Young Sr. Chair of Preaching was endowed in 2013 to honor Young. It has been held by SEBTS President Danny Akin since its inception.

“Long ago, I pledged to God that I would give Him all that I am and all that I will ever be. Though I am the chief of sinners, God has graciously allowed me to live out that calling with you. Serving you has been the great privilege of my life. You are family to Lisa and me,” Young said.