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Mystery as married Texas megachurch pastor steps down over 'inappropriate behavior'
A married Texan megachurch pastor has stepped down in a cloud of mystery surrounding alleged 'inappropriate behavior'.
Cross Timbers Church in the Fort Worth suburb of Argyle announced the resignation of lead pastor Josiah Anthony in vague terms over the weekend.
Elder John Chalk told the congregation 'events and circumstances' involving Anthony have unfolded over the 'past few years'.
'Josiah has been in a prolonged and sustained season of struggle with his emotional and mental health which has been very painful for him and those around him,' Chalk told the flock.
'Throughout this struggle, some of Josiah's decisions and actions were inappropriate and hurtful to current and former members of the CT family and staff.'
Cross Timbers Church in the Fort Worth suburb of Argyle announced the resignation of lead pastor Josiah Anthony (pictured) in vague terms over the weekend
Elder John Chalk from Cross Timbers Church (pictured) told the congregation 'events and circumstances' involving Anthony have unfolded over the 'past few years'
Chalk added that Anthony was not 'forthcoming and transparent' with the church staff and authorities.
'Once all of this came to light over the last few weeks, it became evident that Josiah could not continue to serve as our lead pastor,' he said.
Chalk said the elders had asked Anthony to resign and he agreed.
The inappropriate behavior appears not to be a police matter, as Argyle cops said they had 'no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding changes' in the church.
Anthony started working for Cross Timbers Church, which has a congregation of 5,000, as a student pastor in 2014.
Over the next nine years he rose through the ranks to Senior Pastor in March 2022, according to his LinkedIn.
Anthony's profile has been removed from the church website but his speeches to the congregation are still visible on the YouTube page.
Anthony started working for Cross Timbers Church, which has a congregation of 5,000, as a student pastor in 2014. (Pictured: Anthony with his partner)
The inappropriate behavior appears not to be a police matter, as Argyle cops said they had 'no knowledge of the circumstances surrounding changes' in the church (pictured)
Cross Timbers executive pastor Byron Copeland is serving as interim lead pastor in Anthony's absence.
Copeland previously worked for the recently embattled Gateway Church in Southlake - one of the biggest megachurches in the country.
The founder and senior pastor of the church, Robert Morris, was accused of sexually abusing his former family friend Cindy Clemishire in the 1980s when she was 12.
Lawyers for the former spiritual advisor to Donald Trump initially tried to pin the blame on the child for 'getting into bed with him', but he eventually admitted the abuse.
Cross Timbers' temporary pastor Copeland was also named in a separate 2023 lawsuit against Gateway Church over alleged civil rights violations.
According to the lawsuit, 'Pastor Copeland backed [the plaintiff] into a corner of the room they were in and threatened to fire her if she didn't shut up and stop stirring up drama.'