Tony Evans’ son, Jonathan, suggests his father didn’t disclose sin to family

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Monday, June 24, 2024

Though megachurch Pastor Tony Evans of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas, recently revealed he had fallen short of biblical leadership standards due to an undisclosed sin, his son, Jonathan Evans, said his father didn’t disclose the sin to his family, even though his public statement suggests he had.

Speaking during a Father’s Day sermon days after his father announced he was temporarily stepping away from his pulpit, Jonathan Evans, who is Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship’s associate pastor of the NextGen Ministry, told the congregation that his father told his family the same thing he told the church about falling short of biblical standards several years ago.

“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,” Jonathan Evans said.

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Pastor Tony Evans, who has led Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship for 48 years, did not provide specific details on why he was stepping away from the pulpit in a written statement earlier this month, but he made it clear he did not commit any crimes and suggested he shared his sin with his wife and children.

"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 stated.

"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 added. "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."

Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship elders did not say how long Pastor Tony Evans would be in restoration, but his son explained in his Father’s Day message, based on Psalm 46, that he expects a triumphant return of his father to his pulpit.

“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 Evans said.

“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.

“I feel like we have already won. And so, I have to go not based on just the circumstances, but based on the reality of the Savior, because His Word is true. So what are we going to do? We going to play offense. We're going to go and do and be what God has called us to go and do and be. And when he returns, when my dad returns, when that time comes, we going to celebrate a victory we already knew beforehand that we had.”