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.
Jim Mustain, the former pastor of Preston Trail Community Church in Frisco, Texas, stands accused of the possession of material depicting the sexual abuse of children.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:
A former North Texas pastor and elementary school volunteer faces charges related to possession of material depicting the sexual abuse of children, officials said. Lewisville police issued arrest warrants for Jim Mustain on April 23, the department said in a statement. He was arrested April 25 in Ashe County, North Carolina.
Mustain, former community pastor at Frisco’s Preston Trail Community Church, was extradited to North Texas. Court records show he was booked into the Denton County Jail on May 14. The 64-year-old faces one count of possession of child pornography and four counts of possession or promotion of lewd material depicting a child. Mustain served at Preston Trail from 2019 to 2023, according to a statement on the church’s website. He wasn’t directly responsible for student or children’s ministries during his time on staff. Law enforcement told church leadership of the allegations against Mustain on April 24. The church immediately hired a third-party law firm to conduct an independent investigation, the statement says.
A pastor who previously served several prominent Baptist churches in Texas, Georgia and Virginia is being held in the Denton County, Texas, jail on a $500,000 bond while facing charges of possession of child pornography.
Denton County public records show Jim Mustain was booked May 14 on one count of possessing more than 50 pieces of child pornography and four counts of possession or promotion of lewd visual materials depicting a child. The arresting division was the Lewisville, Texas, Police Department.
Mustain was not currently on a church staff but previously served on the ministerial staff at Preston Trail Community Church in Frisco, Texas; Valley Ranch Baptist Church in Coppell, Texas; New Life Bible Church in Oklahoma City; Dunwoody Baptist Church in Atlanta; and Shenandoah Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va.
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Mustain also volunteered with student groups for Durham Middle School and Creekside Elementary School in Lewisville Independent School District as recently as the last school year. Lewisville ISD officials said in a letter to parents that there’s no indication any of those students were affected by his alleged crimes, but asked parents to come forward if they have relevant information.
He served as pastor for community and life transformation at Valley Ranch Baptist Church, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship congregation, from 2005 to 2014. After leaving there, he founded his own ministry group called Loving Community, which he described as “being good neighbors by connecting people into relationships and serving the needs of the community.”Loving Community is a partner organization with Mentor America to provide services to school children and senior adults. In 2016, his organization was named Nonprofit of the Year in the Lewisville, Flower Mound and Highland Village communities. Mustain also served on the boards of several other nonprofits and was a frequent officiant at weddings in the community.
From 1999 to 2005, Mustain served as associate pastor of New Life Bible Church in Oklahoma City. From 1993 to 1999, he served as executive pastor at Dunwoody Baptist Church in Atlanta, a congregation that has been affiliated with both CBF and the Southern Baptist Convention. Prior to that, he served as senior associate pastor at Shenandoah Baptist Church in Roanoke, Va., an independent Baptist church.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 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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