Tony Evans, the longtime leader of a Dallas megachurch and bestselling author, has announced that he is stepping back from his ministry due to “sin” he committed years ago.
“The foundation of our ministry has always been our commitment to the Word of God as the absolute supreme standard of truth to which we are to conform our lives,” Evans said in a Sunday statement to his Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship church that was posted on its website.
“When we fall short of that standard due to sin, we are required to repent and restore our relationship with God. A number of years ago, I fell short of that standard. I am, therefore, required to apply the same biblical standard of repentance and restoration to myself that I have applied to others.”
Evans, 74, was not specific about his actions but said they were not criminal.
“While I have committed no crime, I did not use righteous judgment in my actions,” he said. “In light of this, I am stepping away from my pastoral duties and am submitting to a healing and restoration process established by the elders.”
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Evans, the founder of the Christian Bible teaching ministry The Urban Alternative, has led the congregation for more than 40 years and has a radio broadcast, The Alternative with Tony Evans, that is carried on hundreds of radio outlets across the globe.
An additional statement on the website of the predominantly Black nondenominational church said Evans made the announcement about stepping away from his senior pastoral duties during both of the congregation’s services on Sunday.
“This difficult decision was made after tremendous prayer and multiple meetings with Dr. Evans and the church elders,” the other statement reads. “The elder board is obligated to govern the church in accordance with the scriptures. Dr. Evans and the elders agree that when any elder or pastor falls short of the high standards of scripture, the elders are responsible for providing accountability and maintaining integrity in the church.”
The second statement said Pastor Bobby Gibson, lead associate pastor of fellowship, and the church’s elders will provide more details about future steps concerning interim leadership.
Evans noted in his statement that he had shared this development with his family and church elders who, he said, “have lovingly placed their arms of grace around me.”
Evans’ wife of 49 years, Lois, died in 2019. He remarried in November, and the church announced his marriage to the former Carla Crummie in December, introducing her as “Mrs. Carla Evans.”
Tony Evans, the first African American to have both a study Bible and a full-Bible commentary bearing his name, has called on others to be accountable.
In a 2021 interview with Religion News Service, he spoke of how he “corrected” gospel musician Kirk Franklin, who then apologized for an obscenity-laced audio that was released by Franklin’s oldest son after the two had an argument.
Evans said at that time that Franklin “was both challenged and corrected for that. And that’s part of the accountability that every man needs in his life.”
Now, the pastor told the congregation that he is entering a period of “spiritual recovery and healing.”
“During this season, I will be a worshiper like you,” he said. “I have never loved you more than I love you right now, and I’m trusting God to walk me through this valley.”
Adelle Banks is production editor and a national correspondent at Religion News Service.
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66 Responses
What has yet to be heard from many who fail….”In my flesh dwells no good thing”…when stated in a sincere tone of brokenness and humility, it carries alot of weight.As does admitting honestly, ” I failed, I have been a hypocrite, please forgive this wretch of a man”….
To say “I have committed no crime “….perhaps not in man’s eyes but whose standards are so much higher?
What price did David have to pay for his “failings?…yet modern men want to keep all the benefits without having to pay a costly price for hypocrisy. No wonder no fire from heaven can authenticate the work of so many of these “reputable leaders”.They need to spend a month on the streets of Kolkata,India or the favelas of South America to get shaken up and purified and come to grips
Where is the rib busting cries of agony and godly sorrow that a servant of God would demonstrate if repentance was deep and truly life changing? Hardly ever seen anymore…wherever one goes…SAD and certainly grieves the heart of a Holy God
According to the Bible, we have all sinned and come short of the word of God. If everyone would be honest and open up their closets can you imagine how many skeletons would fall out? This is why we have Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We ask to be forgiven with a sincere heart and it is done and thrown in the sea of forgetfulness forever. Can you imagine what would happen if everyone would step down from a leadership position because of what they have done wrong years ago? Who would be the leaders in the church, etc. today? How many churches would be opened? We continue to grow in the Lord through prayer and fasting. Why did Jesus die on the cross?
Comments like these are unhelpful. Yes, we have all sinned. But clearly, Evans’ church recognized that this sin was serious and potentially disqualifying. And though everyone can be forgiven, not everyone can be a pastor/elder; only only those who meet the biblical requirements can (See 1 Tim 3:2-7 and Titus 1:6-8).
In reality, all you are trying to do is absolve leaders of any reponsibility and accountability for their sins. The Bible is clear that sexual sin is on a higher plateau than many other sins, therefore a person is more accountable for it. Yes, sins are forgotten in God’s eyes once repented of, but in the earthly realm a person is still held accountable for certain sins such as sexual abuse and will suffer from reprocusions from it for years. An abuser does not, in this lifetime, get to just do a quicky repent and get a pass.