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.
Zachary King, pastor of Lexington City Church in Lexington, Kentucky, stands accused of one count of rape first degree, one count of sodomy first degree, one count of unlawful use of electronic means to induce a minor to engage in sexual or other prohibited activities, one count of unlawful transaction with a minor first degree with a victim under 18, one count of rape third degree, one count of sodomy third degree, and one count of sexual abuse first degree.
Lexington City has since closed its doors. This isn’t the first time the church has faced a sex scandal. In 2014, the lead pastor stepped down after admitting to an inappropriate relationship with a female pastor on the staff.
The former pastor of a Lexington megachurch was indicted on Tuesday on seven felony counts.
On Thursday, Attorney General Russell Coleman announced the indictments against former LexCity Church Executive Pastor Zachary King.
According to Coleman’s announcement, an investigation from the Attorney General’s Department of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Special Prosecutions Unit resulted in the indictment of 47-year-old King on seven felony counts by a Fayette County Grand Jury.
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King was first arrested after authorities said he admitted to having sexual contact with an underage girl.
King allegedly admitted to having a sexual relationship with a minor, who was then 15, from January 2023 to April 2024, arrest records show. He reportedly called and messaged her using Snapchat and WhatsApp to arrange meetups and receive explicit pictures of her.
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In July, Lexington City Church announced it would close.
“Due to the continued effects of the financial situation our church inherited several years ago and the impact of the ongoing investigation of a former staff member, we have lost the ability to remain financially viable and fulfill our God-given mission,” the church said in a statement.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen 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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