Pastor Josiah Anthony Engaged in Sexual Messaging, Cross Timbers Church Reveals

In the heart of Argyle, Texas, Cross Timbers Church is grappling with revelations about their former lead pastor, Josiah Anthony. Initially, the church’s elders announced his resignation due to “inappropriate and hurtful” behavior towards staff, explicitly stating it was not sexual. However, new information has emerged that contradicts this assertion.

“After announcing Josiah’s resignation to our congregation, we then learned about additional inappropriate comments he made in text messages and through social media that were sexual in nature,” the elders disclosed in a recent statement. This revelation has the church bracing for more allegations and deepening their crisis.

The elders clearly stated: “We do not consider any of these instances to be emotional affairs. Because the power dynamic of these interactions was never equal, we do not consider these consensual. This behavior will not be tolerated at our church.”

John Chalk, the senior member of the church’s elder board, had earlier communicated to the congregation that Anthony’s resignation stemmed from non-sexual misconduct related to his emotional and mental health struggles. Yet, further scrutiny revealed that Anthony’s actions were indeed sexually inappropriate, involving excessive familiarity and personal communication with a former staff member.

The church’s elder board provided a detailed timeline of events. At the end of June, just before Anthony’s annual sabbatical, concerns were initially raised about inappropriate social media communication with a former church member. This prompted a thorough investigation by the elders, who took immediate action upon confirming the report.

“Josiah has been open in his preaching about his mental health issues,” the elders noted. “He suggested that his actions were a result of his struggles. However, upon further investigation, we discovered that Josiah was not forthcoming or transparent and had a concerning pattern of behavior communicating inappropriately with women.”

Following the initial discovery of non-sexual but excessively personal communication with a former staff member on July 2, the elders requested Anthony’s resignation. Subsequent findings of sexual communication have only intensified the scrutiny.

The elders have committed to ongoing transparency and corrective actions. “We may learn more in the coming days; we commit to take additional action as necessary. This will be a continual process, but the elders and staff are committed to having a culture of support and care for every current and former church member.”

Toby Slough, the church’s founding and legacy pastor, has stepped in as interim lead pastor until a permanent replacement for Anthony to steer the church through this turbulent period.