A Texas Megachurch Pastor Steps Down Amid ‘Moral Failures’ Allegations, Congregants Barred from Discussing Incident.
The Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas has experienced significant upheaval as its pastor of 17 years, Tony Cammarota, stepped down after admitting to “moral failures.” In a letter obtained by watchkeep.org, the church’s leadership revealed that they had terminated Cammarota’s employment, effective immediately, due to his confession and subsequent remorse. Despite the lack of details surrounding the nature of his transgression, congregants are urged not to discuss it in order to prevent further damage to the church.
This development marks yet another high-profile pastor stepping down from a megachurch in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in recent weeks. In early June, Tony Evans resigned after almost 50 years of service at the Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, which serves 10,000 members in Dallas. His departure was accompanied by vague statements about failing to use “righteous judgment” in his actions, according to Baptist News Global.
Shortly thereafter, pastor Mike Buster resigned from the 45,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church after serving for 35 years, while denying any wrongdoing. Finally, just four days later, longtime pastor of the Gateway Church, Robert Morris, stepped down following allegations that he sexually assaulted a girl over several years, beginning when she was just 12 years old.
Despite the recent wave of resignations among prominent megachurch pastors in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, it remains unclear what specific actions have led to these dramatic changes in leadership. The absence of clear information has left many congregants feeling uncertain about the future of their churches and struggling to reconcile the moral failings of their spiritual leaders with the communities they once led so faithfully.
The Stonebriar Community Church, which serves more than 11,000 congregants, has not yet issued a public statement on Cammarota’s resignation or the nature of his “moral failures.” As church leadership urges its members to remain silent about the incident, it remains to be seen how this development will impact the broader Christian community in Texas and beyond.
