Dr. Tony Evans' son, Jonathan recently spoke out about how his dad stepping down from the pulpit affected the family.
"In 2024, in the summer, my dad took a step back from ministry," said Jonathan in a video posted on YouTube. "It was a shock to a lot of people. It was a shock to us when he told us he was going to take a step back from ministry to go through a time of healing and restoration."
Evans says when his dad stepped down it was like a punch to the gut for himself and his siblings.
"For me, it was a sharp change. I personally was trying to figure it out. All of the different things you try to figure out when you have sharp changes in your life. He's been doing it since I was born so I don't know anything different," Jonathan explained. "So, it's one of those things where you reset, recalibrate and try to reorganize the settings that have been set for so long."
This led Jonathan to explore Psalm 46 in its entirety.
"It reminded me that I needed to chase harder after God. Not those other things. All of a sudden you realize what matters when there is a sharp turn."
Jonathan says when things happen in our lives, we get quiet, but just because there are bumps along the way, he says doesn't mean victory hasn't already been had.
"I know what you feel, but remember Psalm 46, because it is the truth that will set you free even when you feel like you're in bondage.
On June 9, 2024, Tony Evans, the lead pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship church in Dallas, Texas, shared that he would be stepping down as pastor.
"When we fall short of that standard due to sin, we are required to repent and restore our relationship with God," says Evans in a statement. "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."
The details of what 'sin' was committed is uknown.
Dr. Tony Evans pastored at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship for almost five decades before stepping down.
-With files from Sylvia St. Cyr