About TUA - The Urban Alternative

Dr. Tony Evans

& The Urban Alternative

How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. Psalm 128:1

The Story

At the tender age of 24 (1973) Tony Evans, was contacted by a radio show producer from Houston (KHCB). This man had contacted Dallas Theological Seminary, where Tony was a junior in the ThM program, asking for great preaching content to put on his program for free. One of Tony’s professors recommended him. Thus began the public broadcasting of Dr. Tony Evans. Recorded in a tiny studio on the seminary campus, Tony spent the next few years faithfully preaching into a microphone for a crowd unseen in Houston.

Nearly a decade later, The Urban Alternative was formed in 1981 when requests for Dr. Evans’ sermons came in so frequently from his Houston and Dallas radio broadcasts that Mrs. Lois Evans, co-founder of the ministry, began fulfilling orders. Mrs. Evans used her business skills to organize, develop and expand the outreach and growth of the ministry.

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Dr. Lois Evans

ABOUT

In 1986, Tony was invited to preach at the National Religious Broadcasters annual conference.

This drew enormous attention and encouragement to expand the ministry even further.

Not too long after that appearance at NRB, radio stations began to air Dr. Evans’ program. Under the leadership of Dr. Lois Evans, Senior Vice-President of TUA, the radio ministry grew nationally and internationally. The reach of Tony’s preaching now spans the world with his broadcasts to millions of active listeners across hundreds of radio stations and digital outlets across the nation and around the world.

DR. LOIS EVANS

Dr. Evans was employed by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, the Grand Old Gospel Fellowship Ministry, Dallas Federal Savings and Loan, as well as numerous executive management positions with The Urban Alternative since its inception in 1982, including serving as Executive Vice President from 1989 to 1995. She served as Senior Vice President until 2019.

She served in the office of the Senior Pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship Church, National Religious Broadcasters Board, NRB Television Board, and The Urban Alternative Board of Directors. In addition, she was a member of Leadership Southwest, sponsored by the Oak Cliff Chamber of Commerce and served on the Board of the Christian Management Association. Also, she served as the first President of the Global Pastors’ Wives Network.

Lois was honored in 1995 with the Good Samaritan Award from Dallas Baptist University for outstanding Christian service to the community. In 1996, she received an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Eastern College, and in 2000 she received the Status of Women Award from Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. She recently received The Woman of the Year in Ministry Award presented by the Women of Influence, Inc.

Dr. Evans traveled throughout the United States, the Caribbean, China, India, South America, Europe and Africa. She was a much sought-after speaker for conferences and churches around the globe, as well as an accomplished singer.

More About Dr. Lois Evans

More about Dr. Tony Evans

Dr. Tony Evans is one of the country’s most respected leaders in evangelical circles. As a pastor, teacher, author and speaker, he serves the body of Christ through his unique ability to communicate complex theological truths through simple, yet profound, illustrations. While addressing the practical issues of today, Dr. Evans is known as a relevant expositor. New and veteran pastors alike regard him as a pastor of pastors and a father in the faith. In November, 2023, Dr. Tony and Carla Evans got married.

VISION AND MISSION

The first African American to graduate with a doctoral degree from Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), he served as an associate professor in the Pastoral Ministries Department at DTS in the areas of evangelism, homiletics and black church studies. He continues to serve DTS on the Board of Incorporate Members. Dr. Evans is the former chaplain of the Dallas Cowboys and former chaplain of the Dallas Mavericks for over three decades, which is the longest standing NBA chaplaincy on record.

Dr. Evans holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and Study Bible by an African American.

Through his local church and national ministry, Dr. Evans promotes a kingdom agenda philosophy that teaches God’s comprehensive rule over every sphere of life as demonstrated through the individual, family, church and society.

This philosophy connects biblical spirituality with social responsibility. Dr. Evans teaches that the church, not the government, is the best social service delivery system since it is closer to the needs of the people, offers the largest potential volunteer force, has facilities for outreach programs, and provides a moral and spiritual frame of reference for making right choices.

At the heart of this vision is the use of church and school partnerships to effect spiritual and social change in communities. Dr. Evans’ church and school outreach philosophy has been attributed as a catalyst for former President George W. Bush’s Faith-Based Initiative, which was his first formal act of office. Dr. Evans seeks to train churches, schools and volunteers in this philosophy, as well as in the functional practicalities, through the National Church Adopt-a-School Initiative which is a ministry underneath the umbrella of The Urban Alternative.

MINISTRY AND IMPACT

Dr. Evans has served as the senior pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship for over 40 years, witnessing its growth from ten people in 1976 to now over 10,000 congregants with over 100 ministries.

Dr. Evans also serves as president of The Urban Alternative, a national ministry that seeks to restore hope and transform lives through the proclamation and the application of the Word of God. His daily radio broadcast, The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans, can also be heard as a podcast and on the Tony Evans App. Dr. Evans launched the Tony Evans Training Center in 2017, an online learning platform providing quality seminary-style courses for a fraction of the cost to any person in any place. The goal is to increase Bible literacy not only in lay people but also in those Christian leaders who cannot afford nor find the time for formal ongoing education.

Dr. Evans has authored over 150 books, booklets and Bible studies including his legacy work, Oneness Embraced, as well as his vision work, The Kingdom Agenda. Some of his most popular books include Kingdom Man, Kingdom Woman, Prayers for Victory in Spiritual Warfare and The Power of God’s Names.

Dr. Evans was married to Lois, his wife and ministry partner of over 50 years until Lois transitioned to glory in late 2019. They are the proud parents of four, grandparents of thirteen and great-grandparents of four. In November, 2023, Dr. Tony and Carla Evans got married.

HONORS

Dr. Evans has received many honors, including the Father of the Year award voted by the Dallas Father of the Year Committee and the Marian Pfister Anschutz Award for “dedication to protecting, encouraging, and strengthening the American family” from the Family Research Center.

Other honors include…

“Student of the Year”, Carver Bible College (1972)
“Outstanding Achievement Award” from Dallas Theological Seminary (1976)
Listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges
Listed in Outstanding Young Men of America
Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship named in the Top 50 of America’s Most Influential Churches in 2006
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Eastern College in St. Davids, Pennsylvania
Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Dallas Baptist University in Dallas, Texas
Named one of the 12 Most Effective Preachers in the English-Speaking World by Baylor University

PREMIERE SPEAKERS BUREAU

Find Dr. Evans on Premiere Speakers Bureau.

DR. CARLA EVANS

Dr. Carla Evans, a dedicated educator with a BA from Michigan State and an MA from Cambridge College in early childhood education, is a passionate advocate for pastors’ wives, widows and children. With a decade of experience as an Advancement Officer at Carver College and leadership in numerous church ministries, she focuses on the spiritual growth of people in her church and spheres of influence. As a certified John Maxwell Life Coach, she empowers individuals to navigate life’s challenges. Carla’s two-decade role as an educator aligns with her goal to support young children, and she continues to work in ministry to help women and widows heal, learn, serve and discover the unshakable confidence found only in the Lord Jesus Christ. Recognized in American Teacher Magazine and honored by former Governor Jennifer Granholm, Carla exemplifies unwavering dedication to ministry, education and the spiritual growth of her community. Carla is married to Dr. Tony Evans, Senior Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship and President of the Urban Alternative.

Carla Evans Publicity Package

Our Thanks for Your Donation

The Urban Alternative

To achieve our goal of transforming lives, we use a variety of strategies, approaches and resources for reaching and equipping as many people as possible. The primary programs of TUA are summarized below.

Broadcast Media

Millions of individuals experience The Alternative with Dr. Tony Evans through the daily radio broadcast playing on over 2,000 radio outlets and in over 130 countries. The broadcast can also be seen on several television networks, and is viewable online at tonyevans.org. You can also listen or view the daily broadcast by downloading the Tony Evans app for free in the app store. Over 60,000,000 message downloads/streams occur each year.

Leadership Training

The TETC programming includes coursework for non-student attendees. Pastors, Christian leaders and Christian laity, both local and at a distance, can seek out The Kingdom Agenda Certificate for personal, spiritual and professional development. Some courses are valued for CEU credit as well as viable in transferring for college credit with our partner school(s).

The Tony Evans Training Center (TETC) facilitates educational programming that embodies the ministry philosophy of Dr. Tony Evans as expressed through the kingdom agenda. The training courses focus on leadership development and discipleship in the following five tracks:

Kingdom Agenda Pastors

The Kingdom Agenda Pastors (KAP) provides a viable network for like-minded pastors who embrace the kingdom agenda philosophy. Pastors have the opportunity to go deeper with Dr. Tony Evans as they are given greater biblical knowledge, practical applications and resources to impact individuals, families, churches and communities. KAP welcomes senior and associate pastors of all churches. KAP also offers an annual Summit held each year in Dallas with intensive seminars, workshops and resources.

Pastors' Wives Ministry

Pastors’ Wives Ministry, founded by Dr. Lois Evans, provides counsel, encouragement and spiritual resources for pastors’ wives as they serve with their husbands in the ministry. A primary focus of the ministry is the KAP Summit that offers senior pastors’ wives a safe place to reflect, renew and relax along with training in personal development, spiritual growth and care for their emotional and physical well-being.

Community & Cultural Influence

A Kingdom Strategy is a three-pronged KINGDOM AGENDA STRATEGY for kingdom minded pastors to adopt and implement across racial lines in every community. These are pastors who are developing kingdom disciples leading the way in impact, unity and societal transformation by equipping them to build families and infiltrate the culture in order to reflect and transfer kingdom values.

Kindness In The Culture is a new initiative by Dr. Tony Evans which is spreading an atmosphere of hope across our nation. Replace hurtful speech with helpful speech. Choose honor over hate. Basically, DO what God says: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good, (Rom. 12:21). We aim to create a collective ripple reaching further than we ever could on our own.

Tony Evans Films ushers in positive life change through compelling video-shorts, animation and feature-length films. We seek to build kingdom disciples through the power of story. We use a variety of platforms for viewer consumption and have over 35,000,000 digital views. We also merge video-shorts and film with relevant Bible study materials to bring people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and to strengthen the body of Christ worldwide.

Resource Development

We are fostering lifelong learning partnerships with the people we serve by providing a variety of published materials. Dr. Evans has published more than 150 unique titles based on over 40 years of preaching. He also holds the honor of writing and publishing the first full-Bible commentary and study Bible by an African American, released in 2019.

Dr. Tony Evans

& The Urban Alternative

The Story

Dr. Lois Evans

In 1986, Tony was invited to preach at the National Religious Broadcasters annual conference.

More about Dr. Tony Evans

Our Thanks for Your Donation

The Urban Alternative

Broadcast Media

Leadership Training

Kingdom Agenda Pastors

Pastors' Wives Ministry

Community & Cultural Influence

Resource Development

Dr. Tony Evans

Dr. Lois Evans

Bible Study Resources

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