On Sunday, Tony Evans, senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church, announced he is stepping down from the role he’s occupied for more than 40 years, effective immediately.
"When we fall short of that standard due to sin, we are required to repent and restore our relationship with God," Evans wrote in a statement. "A number of years ago, I fell short of that standard."
WFAA reported that Evans said that although he hadn't committed any crime, “he hadn't used righteous judgment in his actions.”
With a reported membership of more than 10,000, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship has long been a major presence in the North Texas Christian community. The 74-year-old Evans is an internationally recognized Christian speaker, radio broadcaster and author, with more than 100 books to his credit. Evans married Carla Crummie in 2023, following the death of his first wife, Lois Evans, in 2019.
Evans and the church did not elaborate on what “sin” led to the pastor's stepping down, or if any further explanation regarding his decision will come soon. A request for comment from the church was not immediately returned on Tuesday morning.
Dallas Church Theft
As surprising as Evans’s Sunday announcement was, another local pastor-driven headline on Monday was no less dramatic.“Pastor Sentenced to 35 Years in Prison for Stealing Three Churches,” read the headline of a press release from Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot.
Whitney Foster, 56, of True Foundation Non-Denominational Church, a church without its own physical location, was convicted of theft of property valued at $300,000 or more.
“Foster filed fraudulent deeds, listing a fake leader for the victim churches as the grantors and naming his church in his own name as the grantee. The combined value of the stolen properties exceeds $800,000,” the press release said. “The affected churches are First Christian Church of Lancaster and, in Dallas, Canada Drive Christian Church and Church at Nineveh. Two of the three properties are still under the defendant’s or his church’s name, with his congregation actively gathering at one of them. The third property remains embroiled in legal complications caused by Foster's actions.”
In 2021, Foster was interviewed by WFAA about the case. According to that report, “he believed the building was vacant” and that he “put a $10 check in the mail and believed he was within his rights to acquire ownership of the property.”
“Stealing real estate is an incredibly serious and damaging crime. It’s worse than the theft of someone’s vehicle or other possessions,” Creuzot stated in the press release. “When someone steals property, we must hold them accountable because they are hurting people.”
Instead of leaving things on a sour note, we’ll wrap up with a more positive tone by mentioning that Lovers Lane United Methodist Church in Dallas has just ordained its first-ever openly gay pastor. A Pride month miracle, indeed.
