JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A black preacher once popular in preaching circuits of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) pleaded guilty May 21 to molesting a 15-year-old girl and sending lewd text messages to another at his former church. Darrell Gilyard, former pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., faces three years in prison in a plea bargain. His official sentencing is June 11. After he is released from prison, he will serve three years’ probation and be required to register as a sex offender.
Gilyard, 47, was arrested Jan. 14, 2008, on charges of lewd and lascivious conduct after a church member told police she found inappropriate text messages from Gilyard on her daughter’s cell phone. Another girl recorded alleged sexual conduct with Gilyard in her diary. Gilyard resigned the large, predominantly black congregation after 15 years. Before that, Gilyard was mentored by a number of high-profile leaders in the SBC who promoted him as America’s next great black preacher. Gilyard’s relationship with SBC leaders soured in 1991 when he resigned under pressure after admitting to several adulterous affairs with women he was counseling while pastor of a multiracial SBC church in Richardson, Texas. (TAB)
Share with others: