Faith Live, the Christian ministry and promoter behind the now-canceled Newsboys 2025 Canadian tour, announced it is pulling the plug on the multi-city event, citing a “lack of transparency” surrounding the departure of longtime lead singer Michael Tait.
In a lengthy Facebook post, Faith Live founder Sheena Hennink announced the decision to cancel the tour, initially slated for May 31 through June 16.
According to Hennink, the decision was made “after prayer, wise counsel, planning, financial sacrifice and an unwavering desire to see lives transformed through worship and community,” adding the ministry invested not only resources but their “hearts,” believing the tour could spark a nationwide revival.
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However, Hennink said the abrupt change in the band’s lineup in January created confusion among ticket holders and a lack of clarity that Faith Live was not prepared for. Tait, who’d led the band for 15 years, unexpectedly stepped down earlier this year.
“This is something that we were not informed of in advance,” Hennink said.
“Since that time, additional information regarding the nature of his exit has surfaced. This information has come from sources we consider credible and trustworthy, and while we will not speculate publicly, we can say with confidence that what has come to light has raised serious concerns for us as a faith-based organization.”
She also said that the Newsboys team failed to provide “any meaningful support or artist engagement” to help audiences connect with new frontman Adam Agee.
“The handling of that transition really lacked clarity and transparency, leaving both our team and the general public in a difficult position.”
Hennink said Faith Live was also instructed not to address questions regarding the lineup change, a position she said compromised their integrity with fans. “We believe this is not in the best interest of our ticket holders,” she said.
Faith Live said it faced disproportionate marketing and production burdens, noting that the tour’s promotional efforts had to be quadrupled after the shift in band members. “It quickly became clear that the public didn’t know this new lineup and that the artist they had expected to see was no longer present,” Hennink said.
While she acknowledged that Agee is “undoubtedly talented,” she emphasized that “this was not the individual that audiences had connected with over the years.”
Hennink said Faith Live made repeated efforts to find a path forward but was ultimately left “without the spirit of collaboration we had hoped for.”
“As more and more information came to light, we grew stronger in our conviction to cancel,” she added. “We’ve spent months praying about this change, and if we were making the right choice to move forward after seeking wise counsel and praying earnestly, we believe that this difficult decision reflects our commitment to uphold the values we stand for as a ministry.”
All ticket holders will be contacted within 30 days about compensation, and Faith Live has asked for patience during the process.
Newsboys released their own statement expressing “deep disappointment” and placing the blame on the promoter.
“Unfortunately, despite repeated efforts to hold this tour together, Faith Live has materially breached the agreement and failed to meet core obligations necessary to responsibly execute these events,” the band said.
The band contends it constantly provided updated marketing materials and complete transparency, accusing Faith Live of failing to provide required artist deposits, confirm payments to supporting acts, coordinate technical production with venues, communicate with venue staff, management and tour partners and even admitting it could not refund ticket holders due to prior financial commitments.
Newsboys stated that they had “no access to ticket revenue, no control over ticketing systems, and no legal or financial role in ticket refunds,” urging fans to contact the original ticket outlet or venue or consult their provincial consumer protection office.
“We are heartbroken for our Canadian fans,” the band wrote. “We truly believe in what God is doing across Canada — and we remain committed to returning when the right doors are open and trustworthy partnerships are in place.”
The canceled tour had been billed as part of the band’s “Worldwide Revival” initiative and marked a major North American run following Tait’s exit and Agee’s promotion to lead vocalist.
In a social media post in January, Tait said his decision came after “prayerful reflection” and a sense of clarity. In a recent interview with The Christian Post, however, Agee said the former DC Talk singer told the band “he was going to focus on himself” and stepped down just days before the start of the tour.
“I know that he left, and he just gave us a few reasons why he was stepping down, and he just said he’s going to focus on himself,” Agee shared. “Other than that, I don’t really know because we didn’t really discuss it further. Hopefully, he’ll make some kind of a statement soon, but that, again, is just up to him. We wish it had happened a little bit sooner, but there’s nothing we can do about that, and I think we’ve tried to make the most out of it, and we wish him all the best moving forward.”
Agee added that when Tait announced his departure in January ahead of the group’s “Worldwide Revival Nights” tour, he and the remaining members — Jeff Frankenstein, Duncan Phillips and Jody Davis questioned whether the group should continue.
“We all came back and had the same thought: God’s not done with Newsboys just yet,” Agee said. “It was tough at first trying to figure out what we wanted to do. But it has been so cool to see these crowds just say how excited they are that Newsboys are continuing on and how they’ve been fans since the beginning, and they’re just going to continue to be fans. And so it’s been really sweet.”
