Just over a year after Pastor Tony Evans stepped down as leader of the 11,000-member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas, due to a sin that has not been disclosed publicly, he is back to preaching.
Last month, the megachurch founder spoke at the FAMiLY Leadership Summit hosted by The FAMiLY Leader in Iowa, led by President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats. The Christian conservative advocacy organization, which started as the Iowa Family Policy Center in 1996, has evolved from a mission to “promote God-honoring public policy” to “empowering the Church to lead that transformation.”
In an address billed “Principle Over Politics,” Evans told the audience that it is the job of Christians to promote the principles of God’s Kingdom on Earth in every area of life.
“God’s not going to skip the church house to fix the White House. It will be the job of the Church of Jesus Christ to birth a generation of followers of Christ who progressively grow to representing Christ in the statehouse, in the White House, in the schoolhouse and in the culture who aren’t dumbed down by the culture but who are impactful for the culture,” he said.
“In movies, they show you previews of coming attractions. These previews are the hot clips of the upcoming show. They’re always the fight scene, love scene or chase scene. … And they stitch them all together to excite you about watching the whole show,” he continued.
“Now, it may be a terrible movie, but you’d never know it from the clips, because the clips are always the most exciting parts of the movie. My brothers and sisters, one day, there’s a big show coming to town. God is the producer, the Holy Spirit is the director, Jesus is the superstar, and it will be a worldwide production. It’s called the Kingdom of God,” he said.
“But in the meantime, he has left you and me here as previews of coming attractions. See, we’re supposed to be the hot clips of the upcoming show. People are supposed to see the clips of our presence and impact and the culture and say that clip is hot and raise the question, where can I buy a ticket to the whole show?” he added.
In June 2024, after 48 years of leading his church, Evans, 75, revealed he had fallen short of biblical standards a number of years prior, and his failure was serious enough to warrant stepping away from his ministry. Though he did not reveal what the sin was, he was quick to point out that he had not violated secular laws.
“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. When we fall short of that standard due to sin, we are required to repent and restore our relationship with God,” Evans said in his confession.
“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. I have shared this with my wife, my children, and our church elders, and they have lovingly placed their arms of grace around me,” he said. “While I have committed no crime, I did not use righteous judgment in my actions. 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.”
It was unclear on Friday whether Evans, who has previously spoken at The FAMiLY Leadership Summit, had been biblically restored to ministry. An Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church official could not immediately confirm Evans’ fitness for ministry on Friday when contacted by The Christian Post.
Officials at The FAMiLY Leader also did not respond when CP asked if the ministry had discussed the reason for Evans’ resignation from his church last year.
On its website, The FAMiLY Leader says it connects pastors with government leaders to “foster a movement rooted in prayer, revival, and gospel-driven change.”
“We believe true hope for America lies in the Church rising to be the salt and light Christ called it to be — in homes, communities, and government,” the website states.
In introducing Evans at The FAMiLY Leadership Summit last month, Vander Plaats said Evans had embraced the model of leadership his organization is promoting, saying he is a “champion of the Gospel.”
“He’s a guy who has embraced this model of leadership of inspiring the Church to engage government, not for the advancement of a party but for the advancement of God’s kingdom and the blessing of people,” he said. “He started The Urban Alternative about how the Church should be a resource in meeting community needs.”
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