Fort Worth, Texas pastor resigns unexpectedly

David Daniels, the pastor of Central Bible Church in Fort Worth, Texas, has resigned, according to a statement the church provided to WORLD on Tuesday. The church, which has about 1,800 members each Sunday, characterized his decision to step down as sudden and unexpected.

The church did not say why Daniels resigned, citing employee privacy laws. It referenced a failure to uphold church policies, but added that it was not aware of any laws that were broken or any church members directly affected by the violation of policies. A statement on the church’s website invited members to contact a church elder if they desired more information about Daniel's resignation.

Has Daniels commented on his resignation? WORLD attempted to contact Daniels on Tuesday, but, as of Wednesday morning, had not heard from him. Daniels issued a statement on his Facebook page Thursday expressing thanks for what he characterized as overwhelming expressions of compassion, grace, and love from both friends and strangers. He thanked them for their prayers and said he would be logging off the internet for a couple of months. His Facebook profile indicated that he was no longer the lead pastor at Central Bible Church, but did not provide the reason for his resignation. A sermon that Daniels gave just three weeks ago, on Psalm 109, is still available on the church’s YouTube channel.

Will Daniels continue to attend Central Bible Church? Daniels was welcome to continue to attend the church, but he would not return to teach in any capacity, according to the church’s statement. All people are imperfect and in need of a savior, the statement added.