The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Sergio Guardia, pastor of Nuevo Amanecer — a Spanish ministry at Thomas Road Baptist Church in Lynchburg, Virginia, and director of Hispanic Ministries for the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia, stands accused of stalking a woman and breaking into her home.
The Biblical Reporter reports:
A pastor previously employed with the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia (SBCV) is facing multiple charges, including stalking.
Sergio Guardia was arrested on Nov. 10 with a stalking charge and a separate count of breaking and entering an occupied house to commit a misdemeanor. Another count of the latter was added the next day, according to court records.
A hearing has been set for Feb. 7.
An online search for Guardia lists among the results that he was the director of Hispanic Ministries for the SBCV, working among both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking churches. When the link is clicked, however, a missing page response appears. SBC Workspace lists him serving as campus pastor of Thomas Road en Español-Lynchburg from November 2013 to August 2019.
Guardia also was an occasional columnist for BP en Español, Baptist Press’ Spanish-language website.
Baptist Press left multiple messages for the Lynchburg Police Department for further comment, with none being received by press time.
“Sergio Guardia is no longer employed by the SBC of Virginia,” a convention representative said last week. “He resigned in November. We have been made aware that he is dealing with legal matters, and because of the legalities involved we have no further comment.”
Bruce Gerencser, 66, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 45 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Thomas Road Baptist Church – isn’t that the late Jerry Falwell’s church? Yikes.
He has the glowering look of Donald Trump in the world’s most famous mugshots.