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Back when Tony Evans was a boy growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, it wasn't always clear that his dad would succeed in his fathering role. "Our family was in disarray, and we were on our way to becoming another statistic," he remembers. "My father was a decent man, but all I remember growing up was the conflict. There was always conflict in the house. It was not a happy place to go home to.

"But when my dad came to faith, that totally transformed him."

Dr. Evans was around 12 years old then, and he'll never forget that day when his father, who was a fisherman working out of Baltimore Harbor, came home a changed man.

"We didn't know this man who came home. He brought this new faith with him, and my mother resisted it," remembers Evans. "She didn't like him already, and this new thing made it even worse. But she would see him get up late at night and pray for his family, and eventually he led her to faith, and we children followed.

"When my father came to faith, he started taking us all to church," Evans says, "and that revolutionized the family. That's when I realized the importance of faith for the family, because the family is critical to the future. We've tried to do that with our family, too—family and faith connected."

That philosophy is evident in Dr. Evans's marriage. Lois Evans also has a doctorate and is senior vice president of The Urban Alternative, Tony's national teaching ministry.

Though none of the Evans children were pushed toward ministry, three chose that path. Daughter Chrystal, the oldest, is an accountant and full–time mom who directs one of the church's choirs. Priscilla, the second daughter, followed her father to Dallas Theological Seminary and now writes books and speaks to groups across America. Anthony, the elder son, found his ministry in music. Jonathan, the youngest, is a student at Baylor University.

"Our parents never pressured us into anything," Anthony says. "My dad would once in a while mention 'seminary,' and then he'd laugh. He knew that once I got my college degree, I wasn't interested in going to school anymore. I think that's actually a great testimony about my parents—they never tried to make us go into ministry, but we went in that direction because we've watched them lead the lives they live."

Dr. Evans takes none of the credit for his children's decisions. He leaves such things in God's hands. But he admits his kids had plenty of exposure to ministry opportunities at Oak Cliff, where active involvement isn't only encouraged, it's required. "We knew the possibility [of going into ministry] was there because they were so involved with church. Church was everything. They were always around it."

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