UPDATE: Click HERE for the TV News Report.
Pastor Darrell L. Gilyard, pastor of the Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida has been accused of sending sexually explicit text messages to the teenage daughter of one of his church members. The incident is still under investigation.
Story is here.
Darrell L. Gilyard has released a statement that says he is going to take an indefinite, paid, administrative leave from the church while the issue is being investigated. Here is his statement.
His statement, which is actually a letter to the Board of Trustees, is TELLING the board that he will take a PAID leave of absence.
I would like the church leaders to release a statement saying..."AHEM...we'll decide pastor whether you are on paid or unpaid leave....and we've decided its to be UNPAID until we determine what has happened."
But of course the mortgage payment on Darrell Gilyard's home must be huge...since he lives in Queen's Harbour, a very exclusive gated community, and his house is worth almost 1 million dollars.
Long-time members at First Baptist Church will remember Darrel Gilyard as he preached several times in the 1980's at FBC Jax, before he moved to Texas to pastor. He allegedly had illicit relationships with women in his church there in Texas before he came to Jacksonville. Jerry Vines has also preached in his church in the past year.
14 comments:
If you know anything about the allegations in Dallas-which are many and disgusting -and this man felt he was still qualified for the ministry, you wouldn't be surprised to hear this news...It was only a matter of time...now on to a new city where few know his past to start all over again. That's how the game is played.
That story is amazing! I thought Darrell was through when he admitted having affairs with numerous women in is church years ago. Seems like he has been resurrected...
I can remember sitting in an audience and hearing Adrian Rogers praise Darrell and then introduce him as "the next Billy Graham."
Seems like we can all be deceived.
I agree - anyone who knew those allegations in Dallas was shocked when Jerry Vines went to preach at Gilyard's church soon after his retirement...
I'll make my prediction: Gilyard will claim that someone from his church stole his phone and sent the text messages without his knowledge....maybe Al Sharpton will come on the scene....and the church will rally around him, the trustees will give him a raise, and one of their prominent members will donate some land to the Gilyards for them to build an even larger house on!!
What SHOULD happen: light is exposed on the allegations during his time in Texas, and members eyes are opened to things they should have been told about years ago.
I was one of his prey back in 1991 when my story came out they began the Dallas investigation. He sat before Dr. Vines, Paige Patterson and some others and laughed evily at them and said "you can't touch me", as he leaned back in a chair with all of the evidence and testimony laid out before him. This told to me by Dr. Vines himself during the investigation. Gilyard had no remorse and was full of pride, as he continues to be. He never apologized to me but continued to try to let me know he got away. He lost his church and his wife at that time but no real punishment was given and many of his victims felt this day would never come. As he has gone on to Pastor this mega church and live in Queens Harbour. The Lord has perfect timing and maybe this is His time to stop Gilyard (I cannot call him Pastor). Pray for all of the victims and pray that there will not be anymore. I have prayed for this for years but had to leave it in God's hands.
I'm extremely interested in the information you guys are providing regarding this situation. Could you please call me at 904-338-1609 or email me at jim.schoettler@jacksonville.com. You can remain anonymous and I'll make sure you know why I'm interested.
Thanks,
Jim
Tried this once, but I don't think it went through.
I'm extremely interested in the info you guys are talking about. Please call me at 904-338-1609 or email me at jim.schoettler@jacksonville.com. I'll make sure you remain anonymous and will explain my interest further.
Thanks,
Jim
Jim - we've been told by our pastor and the faithful members of FBC Jacksonville that anonymous emails are worthless and should be thrown into the garbage. So we would call but we know it won't be of any use to you, like anonymous emails to our pastor are of no use to him.
We should not be so quick to judge a "man". If he is guilty God will be his judge, but we better be careful, because if God called him, scripture says, "Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm". Other men of the Bible sinned and God chastened them but still used them for His purpose. I was a former member and moved from Jax. but I still respect Pastor Gilyard. The devil is busy and the Word says pray for our leaders and that includes him also. Folk we need to pray not gossip and demean his character, the press will do that. One thing for sure only he and God know the truth and God will deal with this. Pray!
There is no gossip about what happened in Dallas. He had an ongoing affair with four women in his church and it was proved true on every hand. Obviously, his current church either never checked on his past or didn't care. I would tend to think the latter... His days as the darling of Southern Baptists were done when the allegations proved true in Dallas.
Were the allegations in Dallas ever reported in the media?
anon 11:22 - like Mac Brunson, Darrell Gilyard is a very, very gifted preacher and speaker. He is likable and claims to be "God's Man" and thus, is "anointed" making ANYTHING he does, beyond questioning by anybody. (Except for the trustees he hand picked and God...who neither the trustees or God somehow don't seem to "take care of it" until the press gets a hold of it.) This stuff happens with ANY pastor who is not held accountable by his congregation. Trinity left it up to God to deal with child molestor Bob Gray too. But only AFTER he had molested kids for over 60 years and only AFTER the press got ahold of it.
And they all defend each other. They have to. They all have the real dirt on each other. Living in million dollar mansions in gated communities off the generousity of the congregations they are fleecing. Sickening!
I've known of the allegations against Gilyard from his days in Texas, and have assumed that everyone in Jacksonville knew of them but had forgiven him. I can see forgiving him, but I don't see how he would be fit to be a pastor of a mega church.
Here is the story from the Houston Chronicle, July 15, 1991:
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DALLAS - Several women who said the pastor of a Richardson church made sexual advances toward them have detailed the incidents that reportedly prompted the minister to resign.
Darrell Gilyard, considered by many to be a rising star within the mostly white Southern Baptist Convention, resigned last week from the 800-member Victory Baptist Church.
Although Gilyard, who is black, did not mention his reasons for leaving his church, a longtime supporter and friend, Dr. Paige Patterson, said Gilyard admitted having several adulterous affairs with women he was counseling.
In a copyright story in Sunday editions of The Dallas Morning News, one woman said Gilyard had had sex with her in the pastor's study. Another said she received lewd phone calls and, most recently, a woman said he raped her.
The women who talked to the newspaper asked to remain anonymous.
Gilyard told The Associated Press on Sunday that he had been advised not to comment on the allegations.
``The toughest thing for me to do right now is not to comment,'' Gilyard said. ``There are some things I want to say.''
Gilyard, 29, was a frequent guest on Jerry Falwell's weekly evangelical television program. Wednesday's resignation was the fourth time in four years Gilyard had been pressured to walk away from a congregation, The News reported.
Victory Baptist, though not officially affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, embraced the principles of the group and looked to the organization and its largest church, First Baptist, for support.
Patterson, president of Criswell College, located in the First Baptist complex, was Gilyard's former teacher and mentor.
Patterson said he knew of the allegations of sexual misconduct, which began as long as four years ago when Gilyard was removed as assistant pastor of Concord Missionary Baptist Church in Oak Cliff. But he said he didn't believe those allegations.
``I was unwilling to call anyone guilty until I had demonstratable evidence that these allegations were true,'' Patterson said.
One woman said the pastor, who has been married since 1985, began asking her to lunch and she accepted. The woman said the minister followed up with late-night phone calls asking her to meet him at her garage, where her husband wouldn't see them. She said she refused.
``I was afraid to tell anybody,'' she said. ``I knew what he said about friends of mine, how he spread rumors about them and told me (their) secrets.''
She said the calls persisted for three or four months, until finally she told him to stop.
``He would go and preach every Sunday against adultery and premarital sex and fornication,'' she said, ``and then afterwards, he'd call and beg me to meet him at a hotel.''
Another woman, a student at Criswell College in 1988 when Gilyard preached at the school, said Gilyard was arrogant outside church.
To annonymous -As I posted earlier, I was a victim of his illness. I assure you these are not allegations. I do pray for him, that he will get help, humble himself before the Lord instead of blatantly mocking Him in the pulpit by continuing to prey on women and girls in his private time. I will pray that there will be an end to this and that there will be no more victims!! The problem is everyone wants to say nothing and brush it under the rug (leave of absence, step down from the pulpit) there are no real consequences and he feels more invincible and gets more bold (explicit text message) and he continues to ruin lives.
I was only 18 when I had my issue with him. I to respected and trusted him...Dr. Vines told me this is why the Bible talks about not looking to man because men can fall. This is one man's sin and has nothing to do with "the church" unless we sit back and do nothing (example Trinity, Ted Haggart). It's not judgement, it is accountability. He is not repentant, remorseful, he won't even admit the truth, God cannot change him or use him that way - but Satan can ruin lives through him. Think of this poor young girl, and the others, how are they supposed to trust a minister again? What is they turn from God? I agree we need to pray, but pray that God can make something good come from this.
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