Another Texas Pastor Ousted Due To ‘Pattern of Moral Failure’
The lead pastor of Central Bible Church in Fort Worth, Texas, has resigned after confessing to a “pattern of moral failure,” according to an announcement posted earlier this month on the church’s website. While the announcement is now deleted, the text of it is still visible on Google’s search page.
It states, “David Daniels was asked to resign as Lead Pastor of Central Bible Church due to an ongoing pattern of moral failure that he recently confessed to our Elders (emphasis in original announcement).”
Following the announcement, the nondenominational church shared on Facebook how that Sunday was a “heavy day for our church family.”
And according to an email obtained by abuse survivor advocate Amy Smith, church leaders informed the church’s 1,800 members that Daniel resigned due to a “pornographic addiction.”
“David shared for the past number of years he had developed a pornographic addiction that was deeply affecting his marriage and his walk with the Lord,” the email posted on X said. “As the Elders listened to David, they were both shocked and saddened by what they heard.”
The elders reportedly decided that this confession disqualified Daniels from serving as the church’s pastor, and Daniels agreed to submit a letter of resignation.
In the letter, Daniel reportedly admitted to being “genuinely broken over the foolish decisions” and for failing to be rightly accountable with the elders.
“I have failed our church, my ministry partners, Tiffany, and the Lord,” he reportedly said in his resignation letter. “As I have expressed before, I am truly sorry.”
The Roys Report reached out to Central Bible Church for confirmation that Daniels had resigned due to this addiction. The church’s public relations office did not answer TRR’s question but instead shared a statement.
“Employment privacy laws prevent us from going into further details,” the statement said. “We can confirm that David Daniels has resigned. To our knowledge, though our church policies were not upheld, no laws were broken, and no member or attendee in our church was involved or directly affected.”
The statement added that Daniels’ departure was “sudden and unexpected, and we have sought to be transparent with those who attend our church and those with whom David Daniels has been involved with in ministry.”
Daniels will not be returning to the church to teach, the statement noted.
Last Wednesday, Central Bible Church held a “Q&A time” for anyone who wanted to speak one-on-one with a pastor or elder about our Daniels’ resignation. In a Facebook post, the church urged that, “This is not a town hall forum, but a time for prayer and personal conversation with an individual pastor or elder.”
Daniels resignation the ‘worst day’
Remarks from other pastors at Central Church during this Sunday’s service seem to confirm that Daniels resigned due to some sort of moral failure.
Brett Hansen, the community pastor told the congregation that, “We know last Sunday was heavy, taking care of some family business.”
“We know that it was a lot to process and work through the news of the resignation of David Daniels,” he continued. “We completely understand, and these last seven plus days have been rough.”
Hansen said that many church members are “dealing” with how to trust God through this season, but he has been encouraged to see how church leaders and members have handled things on the ministry’s “worst day.”
Following this, Roger Sappington, the church’s executive pastor, preached a passage from Psalm 119:9, which states, “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word.”
He clarified that the passage had been selected nearly two months ago and hadn’t been chosen because of recent events.
“This is where God led us,” Sappington said. “This is not taking advantage of what occurred last week. This is the Lord in his providence, saying church, there are some things that I want all of you to hear.”
Following the service, the church launched a website to help those struggling with purity.
The latest Texas pastor scandal
In a follow-up statement to his resignation, Daniels posted on Facebook that he is taking a break from the internet while thanking supporters who have been praying for him.
“I am so grateful for the overwhelming expressions of compassion, grace, and love from my friends (and even strangers) over the last week,” Daniels wrote. “I am logging off for the next couple of months and will NOT receive or see any texts, emails, or online messages.”
Daniels led Central Bible Church for nearly 20 years, according to his LinkedIn. Prior to working there, he served at churches in Bloomington, Minnesota and Austin, Texas.
Daniels, now a father and grandfather, studied preaching at Dallas Theological Seminary, according to his Facebook profile. He has also authored several books.
Daniels’ resignation marks the latest in a string of scandals to hit pastors in Texas.
Robert Morris, former lead pastor at Gateway Church in Dallas, resigned over child sexual abuse allegations in June 2024, TRR previously reported. He has since been charged with child sex charges.
That same month, Tony Evans, leader of a Dallas megachurch, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, stepped away from his ministry due to “sin” he committed years ago.
Ronnie Goines, lead pastor of Koinonia Christian Church in Arlington, Texas, is currently facing a civil suit that alleges he assaulted a woman.
Similarly, Tony Cammarota of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, and Josiah Anthony of Cross Timbers Church in Argyle, Texas, have left their churches due to moral failures.
This article was first published at The Roys Report.
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.