Rick Ousley withdraws from speaking circuit

Rick Ousley withdraws from speaking circuit

BIRMINGHAM — Alabama Baptist evangelist Rick Ousley, founding pastor of The Church at Brook Hills, Birmingham, has withdrawn, at least temporarily, from his evangelistic ministry.

The move came as a mutual agreement between Ousley and the board of directors for Quixotic Ministries earlier this month after he admitted to having an extramarital affair.

“I have sinned a great sin, and I have brought shame to my Lord and my family and the family of faith,” Ousley told The Alabama Baptist March 23.

“I know my heart is right with God, with my wife and with my children. I pray it can be right with the people who know us,” he said. “All I know to do right now is take the highest road I know, to confess and forsake the sin, and to cling to God and my family.”

The affair was made public by the woman, Donna Jones of Katy, Texas, and was reported in the March 23 issue of The Birmingham News. She claims her relationship with Ousley began in 1981, after he and his first wife divorced, and has resurfaced at least twice in recent years.

Ousley wrote in a statement March 22: “In the fall of 2005, I committed a moral and spiritual indiscretion with a woman not my wife. That woman has decided to make this public. I have acknowledged my sin to God, my wife, my family and to my ministry team. We are all now attempting to deal with this as God leads. I ask for your prayers during this difficult time.”

Ousley was senior pastor of Brook Hills for 15 years and saw the church grow from 37 members to more than 4,000 in worship attendance. He retired from the church in 2005 amid a serious health issue that required him to undergo two brain surgeries.

He continued preaching and serving through Quixotic Ministries, which he founded in 2005. A well-known and sought-after evangelist, Ousley has spoken in numerous Alabama Baptist settings.

His speaking engagements and all ministry-related activities have been suspended for 90 to 120 days. The Quixotic board of directors will then re-evaluate the situation.

Ousley has also stepped down as chaplain for Samford University’s football team and will not speak at this summer’s Student Life conferences, which he has done annually since 1994.