INFLUENTIAL California Pastor John MacArthur has been hospitalized with a life-threatening illness after years of health complications.

His congregation has begged for prayers for the popular pastor after a church leader said the 86-year-old “may be in the presence of the Lord soon.”

Tom Patton, associate pastor at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, announced MacArthur’s hospitalization during Sunday’s service.

“This week, Pastor John contracted pneumonia,” Patton said.

“He was admitted into the hospital and may be in the presence of the Lord soon.”

Patton asked the congregation to pray for MacArthur and his family.

MacArthur has served at Grace Community Church, a megachurch in a Los Angeles neighborhood, for over five decades.

He came into the national spotlight in 2020 when he chose to conduct in-person church services, defying Governor Gavin Newsom’s statewide coronavirus restrictions.

MacArthur has suffered multiple health complications over the years.