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Tag: Living Word Church Midland

Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor Randy Saylor Accused of Sex Crimes Against Children

Bruce Gerencser 1 Comment
randy saylor

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.

Randy Saylor, an associate pastor at Living Word International Church in Midland, Michigan, stands accused of numerous sex crimes against children.

The Midland Daily News reports:

Additional testimony from an alleged criminal sexual conduct victim Monday led to nine felony charges being added to Living Word Church Associate Pastor Randy Saylor’s list of crimes.

Originally charged with two counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, Saylor, 71, is now charged with four first-degree counts of CSC with a relative and two charges of CSC with victims under 13 and a defendant over 17.

Saylor is also charged with four counts of second-degree CSC with a relative and one count of second-degree CSC with a child under 13 and a defendant over 17. All of the listed charges pertain to one victim who was between 11 and 15 at the time of the alleged assaults. First-degree CSC involves penetration and second-degree CSC is touching.

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Saylor remains free on a $50,000 cash surety bond, but Driscoll asked for it be amended to no contact with minors. Midland County District Court Judge Michael Carpenter granted the request.

Saylor also had a probable cause hearing before Judge Carpenter Monday, involving another two children. He is charged with two counts of second-degree CSC with a child under 13 and with a defendant over 17 along with one count of second-degree CSC with a relative.

Two other people affiliated with Living Word have been arrested for sex crimes, including Saylor’s son:

Saylor is the second pastor and the third person involved with the church to be charged with such crimes. Randy Saylor’s son, Brandon Saylor, a church volunteer, admitted to sexually assaulting four children under the age of 13 for a decade and was sentenced in April to five to 15 years in prison for three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Living Word Church Rev. James Randolph, 58, was arrested Nov. 28 and is charged with seven felonies for crimes that allegedly occurred in 2011. He is charged with two counts of first-degree CSC involving a relationship; one count of second-degree CSC with a child under 13 while Randolph was older than 17; two counts of second-degree CSC involving a relationship; one count of second-degree CSC or subsequent offense; and one count of accosting children for immoral purposes.

Randolph remains out of jail on a $5 million surety bond. He is set for a Cobbs hearing on Aug. 27. A Cobbs hearing is closed to the public and the judge uses at-hand information to let the defendant know their likely sentence. The defendant can enter a plea at that time or at a plea hearing.

Living Word Church Administrator William Bailey said Living Word International Church is deeply saddened and concerned about the CSC charges involving its ministers.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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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Update: Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Volunteer Brandon Saylor Sentenced to 5-15 Years for Sexual Misconduct with Children

Bruce Gerencser 3 Comments
brandon saylor

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.

Earlier this year, Brandon Saylor, a volunteer at Living Word Church in Midland, Michigan, pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with three children under 13. Living Word is operated by Mark Barclay Ministries.

Our Midland reports:

A Midland man pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with three children under 13, admitting he did it for his own sexual gratification between 2010 and 2023.

A Midland man pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with three children under 13, admitting he did it for his own sexual gratification between 2010 and 2023.

Prior to accepting Saylor’s plea, Midland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Beale told Saylor he was placing a minimum sentence of 60 months in prison and up to 15 years before asking him if he still wanted to plead to the crimes.

Saylor admitted to the judge he touched the children’s genitals while they were either clothed or unclothed, in all three cases. One of the victims was 5 years old when the first sexual conduct occurred. Saylor also said he was guilty of touching a fourth child’s genitals, who wasn’t among those he was charged for.

Midland County Assistant Prosecutor Courtney Driscoll said she was satisfied with Saylor’s admission of guilt, adding that he admitted responsibility for three of the highest charges. The crimes occurred when the victims were under 13 and Saylor was older than 17. Saylor is required to wear a lifetime GPS tether upon his prison release.

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According to a Freedom of Information Act request, two other victims came forward with complaints from about 20 years ago. Driscoll said charges were not levied against Saylor in these cases because the statue of limitations had expired.

Midland County Sheriff Myron Greene said the investigation of Saylor in the present cases stemmed from a delayed report. The sheriff said the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services referred the report to his office.

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Saylor is the second person associated with Living Word Church to be charged with sex crimes. The Rev. James Randolph, 57, was arrested Nov. 28 and is charged with seven felonies. His charges are two counts of first-degree CSC involving a relationship; one second-degree CSC with a child under 13 while Randolph was older than 17; two counts of second-degree CSC involving a relationship; second-degree CSC or subsequent offense; and one count accosting children for immoral purposes for crimes allegedly occurring in 2011.

Recently, Saylor was sentenced to five-fifteen years in prison for his crimes.

ABC-12 reports:

A Midland man who was a Living Word Church volunteer will spend five to 15 years in prison for criminal sexual conduct.

Midland County Circuit Court Judge Michael Beale sentenced Brandon Saylor for sex crimes between 2010 and 2023.

Saylor took a plea deal on Jan. 5.

He pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with three children under the age of 13. Six of the charges were dismissed.

He was originally charged with six counts of criminal sexual conduct and three counts of accosting children for immoral purposes.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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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Black Collar Crime: Evangelical Pastor James Randolph Accused of Sexual Assault

Bruce Gerencser 0 Comments
pastor james randolph

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.

James Randolph, a pastor at Living Word [International] Church in Midland, Michigan, stands accused of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a relationship, four counts of second-degree CSC, and one count of accosting children for immoral purposes. Living Word is operated by Mark Barclay Ministries. Randolph is Barclay’s son-in-law.

Our Midland reports:

Living Word International Church minister Rev. James Randolph was arrested and charged Tuesday with first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a relationship, four counts of second-degree CSC and one count of accosting children for immoral purposes for crimes allegedly occurring in 2011.

Randolph is charged with seven felony counts and is out of jail on a $500,000 cash bond. His second-degree CSC charges include one allegedly with a person under 13-years-old and two involving a relationship. Randolph was arraigned on the charges in Midland County District Court Tuesday afternoon and is set for a probable cause hearing at 1 p.m. Dec. 7.

Randolph is the son-in-law of Mark Barclay of Mark Barclay Ministries which operates Living Word Church. He has been placed on administrative leave from the church. 

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Randolph is the second person associated with the church to face arrest this year. In July, church volunteer Brandon Saylor, 44, was charged with six counts of criminal sexual conduct and three counts of accosting children for immoral purposes for crimes allegedly occurring in 2010, according to court records. He is being held in the Gladwin County Jail on a $500,000 cash/surety bond. 

Saylor’s charges include four counts of second-degree CSC with three victims under 13, two counts of CSC with relationship, and three counts of accosting children for immoral purposes.

Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 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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Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.

You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.