Dr. Tony Evans released a deeply personal message this week following his restoration service at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship on Sunday, Oct. 5. After stepping away from pastoral duties in June 2024, Evans returned with gratitude, humility and renewed passion for God’s Word.
“I come to you today with a humble heart of gratitude,” Evans said. “I’m grateful for the many people that God has allowed me to have a relationship with whether in person or through the airwaves or social media who have walked with me and our ministry over decades.”
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The longtime pastor thanked supporters who stood by him and his family during a season he described as “an extremely challenging time.” He said his time away was “due to my own fault” and required “a period of repentance and restoration so that healing could take place.”
“I know a lot of you know what that’s like,” he continued. “It’s not an exciting time to have to go through but it’s a time that God tells us we need to go through when the necessity calls for it.”
Evans expressed deep appreciation for the leadership and congregation of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship saying, “I’m so grateful for our leaders, elders, deacons, deaconesses, ministers at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship for how they’ve walked with me through this time of healing and restoration.” He also credited his wife Carla for standing faithfully by him. “Although a new bride didn’t know that this would be part of the deal she fully accepted that and joined me and walked by my side through it,” he said.
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Reflecting on the season of separation Evans shared that it became a time of deep spiritual renewal. “During the valley God is still in control and God is still good,” he said. “He can take things that are bent, bruised and even broken and He’s got a repair process that is staggering.”
He explained that time away from the pulpit allowed him to rediscover intimacy with the Lord. “That additional time away from the regular pulpit has given me extra time with the Lord, extra time with His Word, with prayer and with relationships,” he said. “God does a lot of His best work in the dark.”
Evans celebrated his official restoration recognized by the church’s leaders saying, “The Bible says that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. He still uses people when they’ve gone down. He knows how to lift them up.”
Now with renewed focus he emphasized his desire to proclaim biblical truth to a world in chaos. “I am more passionate about God’s Word now than I have ever been,” he said. “In a world in calamity and chaos and disillusionment and division there’s nothing more needed now than His Word being relevantly applied to people’s lives.”
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Evans’ restoration serves as a powerful example of what repentance and accountability can produce when guided by Scripture. Rather than hiding failure or dismissing correction, he chose humility and allowed God’s process to bring healing and renewal. His journey mirrors the biblical pattern for restoration, showing that confession and discipline, when met with grace, lead to redemption and renewed purpose.
His testimony stands as a reminder that “a bruised reed He will not break” and that true restoration is not just possible but is the heart of the gospel itself.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a background in journalism from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine.
