Lysa TerKeurst’s ex-husband is Art TerKeurst, her spouse of 29 years and father of her five adult children. She filed for divorce in December 2021, announced it publicly on New Year’s Day 2022, and the settlement that followed left an unusually detailed paper trail.
That paper trail is what separates this story from ordinary celebrity divorce coverage. Between her public statements and the court filings both sides submitted, nearly every fact below traces to a document rather than a source close to the couple.
Who Is Art TerKeurst?
Art TerKeurst is the man who spent nearly three decades married to the founder of Proverbs 31 Ministries, the devotional empire whose revenue topped $8 million in 2020, per MinistryWatch. For most of that marriage he stayed in the background of a very public ministry built partly on their family life.
The background role ended twice. In 2017, Lysa announced she was pursuing divorce over his infidelity with a woman he met online and his substance addictions, then reversed course when the couple restored the marriage and renewed their vows in 2018. In December 2021 she filed again, writing that he had broken those renewed vows through “chosen patterns of behavior that dishonor God and the biblical covenant of marriage.”
The Two-Divorce Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Lysa announces plans to divorce Art, citing infidelity and addiction |
| 2018 | The couple renews their vows after a restoration effort |
| December 2021 | Lysa files for divorce a second time |
| January 1, 2022 | Public announcement: the renewed vows had been broken |
| February 2022 | Art files a response seeking alimony and rescission of their post-nuptial agreement |
| April 2022 | Lysa moves to dismiss; her filing details the affair spending |
| January 2023 | Lysa meets Chaz Adams, her future second husband |
| January 2024 | Lysa remarries in a snowy mountain ceremony |
The dates come from her announcements and the filings reported by The Christian Post and MinistryWatch.
The Court Fight Over Money, Not Fault
By the time lawyers got involved, the question was no longer why the marriage ended but who owed whom. Art’s February 2022 response asked for post-separation support, alimony, and the rescission of the couple’s post-nuptial agreement, arguing he signed it under duress while suicidal and preparing to enter treatment for alcoholism, and that the 2018 vow renewal wiped the agreement away as part of a fresh start. He admitted earlier “illicit sexual behavior” but claimed faithfulness afterward, describing himself as substantially dependent on his wife’s income.
Lysa’s April motion pushed back on every point. Her filing said Art signed the agreement freely, left his treatment program without completing it, and had shown what she called narcissistic and sociopathic tendencies. It also documented where the money went: at least $118,000 of the couple’s funds spent on a woman he met on SugarDaddy.com, including relocating her from Atlanta to Charlotte and one line item lawyers rarely get to type, a “pre-engagement left hand ring.”
The affair spending is why the alimony claim collapsed in the public’s eyes, whatever the settlement’s private terms. Her side argued the couple had kept fully separate finances under the post-nup even after reconciling, and that his infidelity barred support on its own.
Where Art TerKeurst Is Now
Nowhere public, which is itself the finding. Art has given no interviews since the divorce, keeps no public social media presence, and none of the outlets that covered the filings have reported on his life since. Searches about a new wife or remarriage lead only to speculation; nothing on the record confirms either.
Lysa’s side of the ledger is fully public: she met Chaz Adams in January 2023, held the engagement quiet through the fall, and married him in January 2024, announcing it with wedding photos and the caption “I want to invite you in to share a new chapter in my life,” per The Christian Post’s report.
The Lysa TerKeurst ex husband story also became a proxy argument about Christian divorce culture itself. In r/Divorce_Men, the debate runs well past her specific case:
“To be clear, there is a place for boundaries and protecting oneself from genuinely harmful situations. However, it seems that these speakers/influencers have contributed to blurring the lines between truly harmful marriage issues and common marital conflict that may be difficult to work through but doesn’t require ending the marriage.”
– r/Divorce_Men, May 2026 (5 upvotes)
Whatever side of that debate a reader lands on, her own words about the marriage stayed consistent across five years: “It’s brutal and heart crushing to constantly fear the hurtful choices of someone you love.”
FAQ
Who was Lysa TerKeurst’s first husband?
Art TerKeurst was Lysa TerKeurst’s first husband. They were married for 29 years and share five adult children; the marriage ended in divorce after her December 2021 filing.
What happened to Art TerKeurst?
Art TerKeurst has stayed entirely out of public view since the divorce. No credible outlet has reported on his current life, and claims about a new wife or remarriage remain unconfirmed speculation.
Why did Lysa TerKeurst divorce her husband?
Court filings and her own statements cite repeated infidelity, including an affair with a woman met on SugarDaddy.com on which at least $118,000 was spent, after an earlier crisis over unfaithfulness and addiction had ended in renewed vows in 2018.
Who is Lysa TerKeurst’s new husband?
Lysa TerKeurst married Chaz Adams in January 2024, a year after they met. She has kept details about him mostly private beyond the wedding announcement itself.
