Tony Evans Returns to the Pulpit after a Season of Personal Repentance
Dr. Tony Evans recently returned to the pulpit over a year after he stepped down from public ministry due to an unnamed sin. Evans, who previously served as lead pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church in Dallas, Texas, delivered a message titled "Principle Over Politics" at the FAMiLY Leadership Summit, which was hosted by The FAMiLY Leader in Iowa and led by President and CEO Bob Vander Plaat, The Christian Post reported.
"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.
According to Protestia, the event featured Steve Deace, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Bob Vander Plaats, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, author Joel Rosenber, and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America president Marjorie Dannenfelser.
Evans, 75, stepped down from ministry on June 24, 2024, following 48 years serving as lead pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship after confessing that he committed an unnamed sin years ago, but it was not criminal.
"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 at the time.
"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."
Despite his appearance at The FAMiLY Leadership Summit, where he had previously spoken, it was unclear whether Evans had been biblically restored to ministry. Additionally, The Christian Post did not receive immediate confirmation from an Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church official regarding Evans' status for ministry on Friday.
Photo Credit: ©Facebook/OakCliffBibleFellowship
Originally published August 25, 2025.
