Dr. Joel Hunter Leaves 20,000-Member Church for Bigger Ministry to Those Who are Marginalized and Forgotten

Dr. Joel Hunter might be in a category of his own. When he announced earlier this month he was stepping down from Northland, a Church Distributed, after more than 30 years as senior pastor, those who praised his faith and action for those in need and those marginalized in Central Florida included leaders from both the Muslim and Jewish communities.

A rare megachurch pastor who believes that working with those of other faiths is the only way to fully minister to the world, Hunter will now devote his efforts in his Florida community in full devotion to "the least of these."

He says it's a return to his roots in ministry, which started with the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

Hunter is one of the good ones, who helps others find the light shining through the cracks in their lives.