Tony Evans, pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, recently married Carla Crummie in a “private ceremony” surrounded by family and close friends four years after the death of his first wife, Lois Evans. Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship announced the marriage in a social media post shared by the pastor.
The announcement said, featuring a photo of the couple, “As we enter the celebratory Christmas season, we also celebrate the marriage announcement of our senior pastor and his bride, Mrs. Carla Evans. Marriage is a blessing from God, and it brings us great joy to see our pastor blessed in this beautiful way. After entering into their union in a private ceremony surrounded by family and close friends, the couple is excited to continue serving the Lord together, supported by faith, love, and the prayers of our church family.”
In September, the 74-year-old pastor revealed he was engaged to Crummie during a celebration service for his birthday at his church. He told the congregation, flanked by his four children, “As I worked through the ups and downs of singlehood, God, in His sovereignty, has brought someone into my life. This someone has traveled a similar road. Carla Crummie and her husband were on their way to Lois’ funeral when her husband died.”
Evans continued, “As I’ve tried to share the ups and downs of my life with you, I wanted to share this and give you the opportunity to meet my new fiancée, Miss Carla Crummie.” He asked the church to pray for them, calling it a “sensitive” and “tender” time. He said, “Just pray for us,” “This [has] already invoked some grief in some people, which I can understand because we’re reminded about the fingerprints. The one thing I’ve appreciated about Carla is that she has held Lois Evans high in honoring her legacy here.”
Evans had been married to Lois for 49 years before she died of biliary cancer at the end of 2019. In a 2020 interview with The Christian Post, Evans reflected on his wife’s legacy, emphasizing, “There’s no part of my life and ministry where her footprints aren’t felt.”
“Lois committed her life to Christ when she was 9. At 15, she told the Lord that she would serve Him in whatever capacity He called her to, so she kind of dedicated her life to service. We met at 18, and I saw her heart for the Lord and ministry, and we kind of connected around that.”
In addition to “helping me through school, mothering our four children, and leading them to the Lord,” Evans said Lois assisted him both in starting their church and The Urban Alternative, a media ministry whose radio broadcasts are today heard by millions each week on more than 1,400 radio outlets across 130 countries.