October 7, 2025
Pastor and radio host Tony Evans has been reinstated on the church he based after stepping down final yr over an undisclosed sin.
Evangelical pastor and radio host Tony Evans has returned to the ministry at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas, one yr after stepping down over an undisclosed sin.
Elders on the 11,000-member church introduced on October 5 that Evans has been restored to ministry however is not going to return to a workers position, in line with The Christian Put up. His reinstatement follows a yearlong restoration course of that included counseling with exterior professionals, pastoral mentoring, and time away from the pulpit.
“As you already know, this final yr has been an especially difficult time – a time of being separated from what I like most – the proclamation of God’s phrase,” Evans mentioned in a video assertion shared on YouTube. “A whole lot of that was as a result of my very own fault, and I needed to undergo a interval of repentance and restoration in order that therapeutic may happen.”
Affiliate Pastor for Outreach, Chris Wheel, welcomed Evans to the stage throughout a service billed as “Restoration Sunday,” the place the congregation greeted him with a standing ovation and full of life applause.
“In alignment with biblical rules and unanimous affirmation of the elder board, Dr. Evans has efficiently accomplished this restoration journey,” Wheel mentioned.
Evans, a former chaplain for the Dallas Cowboys and the Dallas Mavericks, stepped down in June 2024 after 48 years of main the church he based in 1976. The veteran pastor admitted he had fallen wanting biblical requirements years earlier and deemed it a severe sufficient failure that required him to step away from ministry.
“Quite a lot of years in the past, I fell wanting that normal. I’m, due to this fact, required to use the identical biblical normal of repentance and restoration to myself that I’ve utilized to others. I’ve shared this with my spouse, my kids, and our church elders, they usually have lovingly positioned their arms of grace round me,” Evans mentioned in his confession. “Whereas I’ve dedicated no crime, I didn’t use righteous judgment in my actions. In mild of this, I’m stepping away from my pastoral duties and am submitting to a therapeutic and restoration course of established by the elders.”
Throughout Sunday’s service, church leaders counseled Evans for the humility and accountability he confirmed in addressing his ethical failure.
“Dr. Evans acknowledged in a public assertion falling wanting God’s normal and a must undergo the church’s self-discipline and restoration course of,” Wheel mentioned. “We’re happy to report that Dr. Evans has absolutely submitted to the church’s self-discipline and restoration course of.”
Evans’ son, Rev. Jonathan Evans, is anticipated to be formally confirmed because the church’s new lead pastor quickly. When his father confessed final yr, Jonathan revealed that the household discovered of his shortcomings simply days earlier than the general public announcement and was informed solely what was shared with the congregation.
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