Elders at Stephens Valley Church in Nashville deemed former Dallas preacher Steven Lawson "spiritually fit for ministry opportunities" in November 2025, according to a letter published by Protestia on Nov. 11, 2026. The letter was dated roughly 14 months after Trinity Bible Church of Dallas removed Lawson from ministry following his disclosure of an extramarital relationship.
The Nashville elders wrote that several of them had met with Lawson individually each week and that he had joined their weekly prayer meetings. They described him as a church member in good standing and said their conversations with him and his written statements had persuaded them that his repentance was genuine. They also acknowledged the harm caused by his conduct and commended the patience he had shown toward his wife, Anne.
Protestia reported that the letter was intended for churches and Christian organizations that might invite Lawson to speak. It identified no appointment to a pastoral office. Stephens Valley Church declined to comment when contacted by the outlet.
On Sept. 19, 2024, Trinity Bible Church of Dallas announced that Lawson, its lead preacher, had been removed indefinitely from all ministry activities at the church. OnePassion Ministries, which Lawson founded, also removed him from leadership. Lawson had served as a professor of preaching and dean of Doctor of Ministry studies at The Master's Seminary, where Austin Duncan said Lawson had "permanently disqualified himself from pastoral ministry," according to ChurchLeaders.
After moving to Nashville, Lawson began attending Stephens Valley Church. In a public statement in March 2025, he confessed to the extramarital relationship and acknowledged the harm he had caused his wife, his children and the ministries he had served. He said he had spent five months in counseling, met weekly with two pastors and was under the oversight of an accountability team.
In September 2026, Lawson released Mercy in the Wilderness: How I Fell & What I Found, an account of his conduct and the period of counseling and repentance that followed. Protestia also reported that he plans to publish a book on the life of King David.
The letter puts two questions before churches considering whether to invite Lawson to speak. One concerns how a congregation cares for a member who has confessed serious sin. The other concerns what a church asks of someone it entrusts with public teaching. The Nashville elders explained why they believed Lawson had repented and endorsed him for broadly worded ministry opportunities. What those opportunities may include remains open.
