(RNS) — Dallas megachurch founder Tony Evans has lived a mostly private life for more than a year, after announcing an undisclosed “sin” caused him to step away from the prominent pulpit where he preached for almost five decades.
His church, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, announced Sunday (Oct. 5) that he completed a restoration process but is not returning to its leadership. However, Evans, 76, is working on new public-facing projects, mostly through his ministry The Urban Alternative.
RELATED: Tony Evans will no longer lead Dallas megachurch after restoration process for ‘sin’
His latest book, “Unleashed: Releasing God’s Glorious Kingdom in and Through You,” is set to be released by Thomas Nelson Publishers on Oct. 28. He’s also scheduling speaking engagements at churches and conferences after his first major address in more than a year at a conservative Christian summit in Des Moines, Iowa, in July.
The elder board of his predominantly Black nondenominational church also announced that his son, Jonathan Evans, has been appointed an elder and is expected to officially be installed as lead pastor.
In an interview with Religion News Service days before his church’s “Restoration Sunday,” the elder Evans said he has faced challenges with people not accepting his marriage to his second wife, Carla Evans, after the death of Lois Evans, to whom he was married for 49 years. He also said there have been other personal matters, which he chose not to discuss in the interview, that he has grappled with as his son is gaining more church responsibilities. When he’s in town, Evans now sits at the front of the church with his family …