The lead pastor at a North Texas megachurch has resigned after confessing to “sexual sin and moral failure.”

John McKinzie, lead pastor at Hope Fellowship Church in Collin County, Texas, stepped down Monday, church leaders announced in an email to congregants. 

Hope Fellowship, with an estimated weekly attendance of 8,000 to 9,000, operates four campuses in Frisco, McKinney, and Prosper, Texas.

The email described how leaders were blindsided by McKinzie’s confession on Sunday.

“As a church, our hearts are broken and we are devastated,” it stated. “Many of us have been deeply blessed by John’s ministry, teaching, and friendship. We grieve not only the sin itself but also the pain and disappointment this brings to our church family and community.”

It was unclear how long McKinzie’s sin had been occurring or what it was “out of respect for the privacy of those involved,” according to an FAQs page on the church’s website.

“What does ‘moral failure’ mean? We recognize that this phrase may feel vague,” the site says. “We can say that John admitted to sexual sin and to a pattern of consensual behavior that made him unfit to continue in his role as pastor.”

The church noted that it will not be possible for the married father of four to be restored to a leadership position at the church, but “restoration to Christ is always possible.” McKinzie has been in ministry more than 30 years.

Leaders expressed that congregants “may be experiencing a swirl of emotions  — sorrow, confusion, anger, or even disbelief” — and they want to give members the space to lament.

“A church leader is highly trusted, and when there is a betrayal of that trust, these emotions are warranted,” the email said. “We will spend time this weekend as a church to worship, pray, and process.”

The church will be led by the church’s executive team, with the website listing Angela Linz and Aaron Alexander as co-interim lead pastors and executive pastors. 

“Above all, we want to remind you of this truth: our faith is not built on the leader of any single church, but on Jesus Christ, who is faithful and unchanging,” the letter concludes. “In this difficult season, let’s draw near to Him and to one another, trusting that He will carry us through.”

McKinzie founded the nondenominational church with his wife in 2000, according to the Dallas Morning News.

North Texas plagued with pastor scandals

This is the second sex scandal this year at Hope Fellowship. In January, McKinzie announced the firing of Jerry Nickerson, the student pastor at the Frisco West campus, The Roys Report (TRR) previously reported.

Nickerson voluntarily confessed to having inappropriate contact with a minor a decade ago at another church while serving as an adult volunteer youth leader. 

He reportedly disclosed this because he was “unexpectedly confronted about these past incidents,” McKinzie told TRR in an email.

A month after this, McKinzie told the Dallas Morning News that Hope Fellowship aimed to be “as transparent as possible” after leaders removed Nickerson from the church. “It matters,” he said, “to a world that’s watching.

“There’s no question that the circumstances of the last few months of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex shaped our decisions in transparency,” he said, referring to recent spiritual leader scandals.

In just the last month, a Fort Worth pastor resigned due to “a pattern of moral failure,” a Lubbock youth pastor was charged with assaulting a child, a Fort Worth pastor and social media influencer was arrested for a sexual assault charge, and an Austin seminary dean was dismissed for an inappropriate relationship.

Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.