Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Pastor Tony Evans recently shocked the Christian community when it was announced he would be stepping down from his leadership following the confession of an unspecified sin that he committed in the past. While details around Evans’ moral failure have been sparse, the pastor’s son, Jonathan, revealed that the family knows little more than the general public.
Jonathan Evans, who holds a leadership position at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship as the associate pastor of the NextGen Ministry, told the congregation during a Father’s Day sermon that his dad had told his family the same thing he told the church.
“Three days [before the public confession], my dad would call us [his family] and tell us the exact same thing he told you. No more. No less. And then on Monday, he said, ‘Hey, I need you to preach Father’s Day for me,” he said, as reported by The Christian Post.
The Christian Tribune reported on the initial news that Tony Evans would be stepping down from the pulpit, where he released a statement vaguely describing a moral shortcoming that failed to live up to biblical standards several years ago. He claimed that he had shared this with his family and church.
“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 has not been specified how long Evans will step away from his preaching at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, which he has led for 48 years. However, his son noted that, after healing and restoration prescribed by the elders of the church, he would return to his ministry.
“Let me tell you, let me put it this way, my dad has been there for all of my challenges. Yes sir, he’s been there for a lot of y’all challenges, whether it’s counseling, whether it’s preaching, radio, some of y’all YouTube, whatever medium [it] has been, he’s been there, so it’s an honor for me to return the favor,” Jonathan said.
Jonathan further defended his dad despite his sin, offering a hopeful message for his eventual return. “People have been asking me all week, ‘how do you feel’? Let me tell you, I feel like we’ve already won. I feel like we’re on offense, not defense. I feel like we already have victory. I feel like His word is true. I feel like He’s going to finish the work that He started. I feel like, if it’s not good yet, God’s not done yet. I feel like all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purposes. I feel like just because it’s a shock to you, doesn’t mean it’s a shock to Him,” he added.
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