Less than a week after a Texas megachurch pastor resigned for what elders described as “inappropriate and hurtful” actions, the elders have revealed that the former pastor sent sexual messages to multiple women.
Josiah Anthony, former lead pastor at Cross Timbers Church in Argyle, Texas, left his role after elders discovered he had a “concerning pattern of behavior communicating inappropriately with women,” according to an email from the church. Ruth Jones, director of communications at the church, shared a copy of the email with The Roys Report (TRR).
Church elders sent the email to “clarify” the chain of events that led to Anthony’s resignation.
At the end of June, the elders received a “concerning report” that Anthony had inappropriate communication on social media with a woman who is a former member of the church, the email said. This news came in just before Anthony planned to start his sabbatical.
When the elders confronted Anthony, he claimed his mental health issues had caused his actions, the email stated.
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However, the elders continued to investigate and learned that Anthony was “not forthcoming or transparent” but instead had a pattern of inappropriate communication with women.
On July 2, the elders discovered Anthony had “excessively personal” but not sexual communication with a former church staff member. “This was inappropriate for a pastor in a position of authority in our church,” the email said.
The elders then asked Anthony for his resignation and the pastor agreed, the email stated.
After elders announced the resignation to the congregation last week, they uncovered additional sexual comments that Anthony made through both text messages and social media, according to the email.
“We want to be very clear; we do not consider any of these instances to be emotional affairs,” the elders said in the email. “Because the power dynamic of these interactions were never equal, we do not consider these to be consensual. This behavior will not be tolerated at our church.”
The elders added that they may learn more in the coming weeks.
The elders thanked the women who have come forward, according to the email.
“We believe you, are grateful for your willingness to share your experiences, and we are deeply sorry that your trust was violated,” the elders wrote.
In a prior email last week, the elders stated that “the inappropriate, and hurtful actions of (Anthony) does not include any children, physical or sexual interactions or any illegal activity to our knowledge.”
A lead elder first announced Anthony’s resignation to church members on July 28, TRR reported. Elder John Chalk shared the news in broad terms while reading from a statement.
“Josiah has been in a prolonged and sustained season of struggle with his emotional and mental health which has been very painful for him and those around him,” Chalk said. “Throughout this struggle, some of Josiah’s decisions and actions were inappropriate and hurtful to current and former members of the CT family and staff.”
Church founder replaces former Gateway pastor as interim leader
In the second email from elders, they made an additional unexpected announcement. They shared that Toby Slough, founder of the church, is taking over as interim lead pastor. Previously, elders had said that Cross Timbers Executive Pastor Byron Copeland would take the helm.
Before coming to Cross Timbers, Copeland worked as a pastor at the embattled Gateway Church for nearly 20 years, TRR reported. Additionally, he was accused of misconduct in a 2023 civil lawsuit filed by Rachel Childress against Gateway.
Gateway Church has made headlines in recent months over the bombshell allegations that its founder Robert Morris sexually abused Cindy Clemishire, beginning in 1982, when she was 12 years old.
The elders stated they made the change because Slough “made the offer to return to Cross Timbers in an even greater capacity,” the email said. They added that this reflects his “heart for this church.”
They made no mention of Copeland’s ties to Gateway or the 2023 lawsuit.
“The elevation of Toby to this position is not due to the lapse of Byron’s service to Cross Timbers,” the elders wrote in the email. “Rather, it is Bryon’s gracious deference to the most trusted and qualified person to tend to the hearts of Cross Timbers, and lead our church family forward during this time.”
The elders are searching for a permanent lead pastor. Until then, Slough will supervise staff, lead all executive functions, and teach.
In the email, the elders also apologized for the “unnecessary speculation and distress” that they have caused.
“As a church, we are experiencing a tremendous amount of change in a short period of time. It is important to acknowledge how difficult this is for our church community,” the elders wrote. “It is also important to acknowledge that we have made mistakes along the way. We should have communicated more directly and clearly early on.”
Freelance journalist Liz Lykins writes for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.
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8 Responses
This is a well-written article. See what happens when the Roys Report relies on its own freelancers rather than pasting in articles from left-leaning sites like RNS and ProPublica? Use your own writers, and you’ll get good articles like this that serve the body of Christ.
I agree. TRR does good work reporting on church abuse stuff. Very valuable journalism that is needed!
The general wire feed service re-posting tends to take TRR out of area where it excels. 5 faith facts about Harris’ VP pick? Leave that general stuff to RNS or wherever.
My recommendation – as a long time TRR reader and admirer – stick to the narrower lane where you do your best work.
This article shows how churches ought to respond to reports of their pastor’s bad behavior. Strength, humility, and transparency: Believe the whistleblowers instead of automatically dismissing their reports. Remove the wayward pastor from all perks of ministry. Apologize to victims, known and unknown. Be transparent with the congregation AND news organizations. Move forward.
Strong, humble and transparent responses by the elders at Cross Timbers Church in Argyle, Texas, are why this article seems so well written: Articles about good actions practically write themselves. That’s why new “cub” reporters cut their teeth on “good news” articles about local heroes, fundraisers, and charities.
But when church leaders obfuscate, circle the wagons, hire law firms, and try to metaphorically bury the victims, they open themselves up to the accusations of so-called left-leaning news organizations, whose criticism is fully justified. Churches, and Christians, everywhere can learn a thing or two from Cross Timbers Church.
I’m glad the timeline was laid out, as if the church has deliberately hidden the sexual nature of some of the texts (rather than finding out about it after investigation) it would have been disturbing. And it’s good they didn’t try to hide it after finding out, as other women in the church may have been affected and this should encourage them to speak up.
Oh my, oh my. Nearly overdosed on all the megachurch words coming from CT (Cross Timbers–how’s that for a trendy megachurch moniker?!). From the perspective of a former evangelical who finally embraced reality (after way too long in) these church dramas are so full of obfuscating nonsense and drama they make soap operas seem tame. I hope people will be able to embrace serenity, open their eyes, walk away, and realize that simply being a decent human being is enough. Sunday is a great day to get outside, to embrace your loved ones, to breathe. Charlatans and narcissists will take all the oxygen out of every room (or sanctuary, if you please) they dominate. We don’t have to help them do it. (Plus, we’ll have more money to give to real causes, including taking care of our own family.)
The church seems to have lifted its name from Cross Timbers Road, a prominent thoroughfare in Argyle, TX. Minutes from the church’s location. That said, it’s a pretty cool play on words. :)
I also agree with the rest of your sentiments, Lee. I too am a refugee from the ‘Evangelical Industrial Complex’ (credit to Skye Jethani for that phrase).
Dear Lee:
In reading your comments, I think that you mislead people through your unbiblical statement: “I hope people will be able to embrace serenity, open their eyes, walk away, and realize that simply being a decent human being is enough.” Nothing in this statement is true, biblically speaking. Christ died on the cross in order that He might pay our sin debt, atone for our sins with His precious blood, and to ultimately reconcile us to our heavenly Father. Perhaps your cynicism comes from experiencing church hurt, and if that is the case, I am sincerely sorry that you’ve had that experience. It is important that even within our own hurt, that we not mislead others when it comes to the truth of Scripture. Being “good enough” is literally a human impossibility!
It’s so much worse than what we know. According to Covenant Eyes 1 out of 7 senior pastors has issues with porn, while 1 out if 5 youth directors struggle with same problem
It’s so much worse than we know. Many pastors are terribly screwed up. Over 30 a day walk off the job.