The pastor of a megachurch in Texas resigned after confessing to “moral failings,” and church leaders barred congregants from speaking about what happened.
Tony Camarota, who served as pastor at Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, for 17 years, resigned on July 7 after “confessing moral failings to church leadership,” the church said in a letter sent to members.
“While he is deeply remorseful, his transgressions disqualify him from serving on our staff as a pastor,” the letter, obtained by church watchdog group watchkeep.org, said.
“After much prayer for God’s guidance, discussions as leaders, and speaking with Tony, we have decided to terminate his employment effective immediately.”
The letter did not say anything about the circumstances that led to Camarota’s firing, but instead brought up Lucifer himself while warning church members not to talk about the matter.
“Please be careful not to give the devil a foothold to cause further damage to our church through unnecessary statements and speculations,” the letter said.
“It’s a sad day and we don’t want the devil to make it worse through any of us.”
Stonebriar Community Church, which serves more than 11,000 members, did not respond to a request for comment.
Camarota’s resignation marks the latest in a string of pastors stepping down from large churches in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in recent weeks.
In early June, the Rev. Tony Evans, who served for nearly 50 years at the 10,000-member Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship in Dallas, vaguely explained in a statement that he had not committed a crime but “did not use good judgment in my actions.” According to Baptist News Global.
A week later, the pastor, Mike Buster, resigned from his position as pastor of the 45,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church after 35 years and denied any wrongdoing.
And just four days later, Robert Morris, the longtime pastor of the 100,000-member Gateway Church, resigned following allegations that he sexually assaulted girls as young as 12 over a period of several years.
