On Sunday, August 23, Grace Community Church announced the appointment of Dr. Nathan Busenitz as senior pastor. The announcement came on the one-year anniversary of the memorial service for Dr. John MacArthur, who faithfully served as pastor of Grace Community Church for 56 years. The church’s prayer is that God would bless Nathan to lead the flock with the same commitment to the lordship of Christ and the authority of His Word.
This appointment holds particular significance for The Master’s Seminary, where Nathan has been serving as executive vice president, provost, and professor of historical theology. Since the Seminary’s founding, Grace Community Church and The Master’s Seminary have shared a close relationship, and Nathan’s appointment represents a new chapter in a story that has connected the church, the Seminary, and the Busenitz family.
In 1977, Dr. Irv Busenitz, Nathan’s father, worked alongside John MacArthur to establish the Talbot Seminary extension campus at Grace Community Church. Less than a decade later, in 1986, that extension became The Master’s Seminary. Irv served as the academic dean at The Master’s Seminary for decades, helping to shape generations of pastors and church leaders.
Nathan followed a similar path. After graduating from The Master’s University and The Master’s Seminary, Nathan served at the University, the Seminary, and Grace Church in various capacities. In 2000, he began teaching at The Master’s University as an adjunct faculty member. From 2003 to 2009, he served full-time on the pastoral staff at Grace Community Church. In 2008, he began teaching historical theology at The Master’s Seminary and became a full-time faculty member the following year. In 2021, the TMUS board of directors appointed him executive vice president. Since August 2025, he has served as interim pastor of Grace Community Church.
“Nathan’s appointment is a wondrous answer to prayer for Grace Community Church and a significant moment for the entire TMUS family,” said Dr. Abner Chou, president of The Master’s University and Seminary. “We are deeply grateful to the Chief Shepherd for providing a shepherd for Grace Church and rejoice with them in this appointment. Nathan has served The Master’s Seminary with distinction, bringing unwavering conviction, wisdom, compassion, and tireless commitment to his leadership of the faculty and staff in the training of pastors. I know he will bring that same devotion to the flock of Grace Church. We are praying for him and his family as he takes up this new responsibility, and we look ahead with great joy and confidence to how God will use him in the years ahead.”
As Nathan transitions to serve Grace Community Church, The Master’s Seminary reaffirms its foundational commitment to train pastors in the context of the local church. Historically, John MacArthur served as senior pastor of Grace Church while also providing leadership to the Seminary. During this transition, Abner will work with the TMUS board and the Seminary’s executive team to provide continuity as new leadership is established. Meanwhile, Nathan will continue teaching at the Seminary. The Seminary’s work of raising up men for the church will go on uninterrupted.
As Nathan begins this new chapter of ministry at Grace Church, The Master’s Seminary gives thanks to God for His providence and looks ahead with confidence. The Seminary was born out of a conviction that the church needs faithful pastors—men equipped to preach the Word of God, reach the world for Christ, and teach others to do the same (2 Tim 2:2). The Master’s Seminary remains committed to its mission and steadfast in its calling to train men for ministry—because lives depend on it.