Texas megachurch pastor forced to step down over unwanted ‘sexual’ communications with women
A Texas megachurch pastor has been forced to step down over a “concerning pattern of behavior” that included unwanted “sexual” communications with women.
When lead Pastor Josiah Anthony’s resignation was announced late last month, elders at Cross Timbers Church in Argyle cited “inappropriate” communications with women that were “excessively personal and overly familiar” — but initially not sexual, WFAA reported.
But in an update to congregants, the elders now say that further messages were found to be “sexual in nature.”
“Please know that we are trying not to hide it from you… we shared with you what we knew to be true at the time,” church elder John Chalk said Sunday.
“We’ve made mistakes along the way, we should have communicated more clearly and directly with you,” he said. “Our lack of clarity led to a lot of assumptions about the situation and in trying not to cause unnecessary harm, we inadvertently did.”
When announcing Anthony’s resignation, church elders noted that he would preach about his mental health struggles — something Chalk says now makes it seem like they were excusing his inappropriate behavior.
“That was not our intention and we are sorry for that,” Chalk said.
Chalk also apologized on behalf of another former staff member who described his inappropriate actions as “emotional affairs,” saying the interactions between Anthony and women were at no point consensual due to the power imbalance caused by his leadership role within the church.
“That behavior will not be tolerated in our church, it should not be tolerated at any church or in any ministry. We are deeply sorry for those who have experienced it,” Chalk added.
Chalk said the church elders are committed to making necessary changes as they move forward and continue to investigate the situation.
