The congregation of Living Word Church in Midland, MI, continues to be rocked by scandal after yet another of their church leaders has been convicted of sexual assault charges against a minor—the third one in two years.
Randy Saylor, 73, a former pastor at Living Word, pleaded no contest to 11 sexual assault charges against multiple victims who were all under the age of 13. As a result, he faces a mandatory minimum sentence of at least 10 years in prison.
He’s not alone in his crimes, however. According to ABC12 News:
His son, Brandon Saylor, 46, a church elder, was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison in 2024 for sexually abusing four children.
Former pastor James Randolph, 59, was convicted in August of six counts of criminal sexual conduct involving a child.
The elder Saylor and James Randoph, who is the son-in-law of Mark Barclay, are scheduled to be sentenced on March 19.
The church operates under Mark Barclay Ministries, which is led by Mark Barclay. Barclay is an author, televangelist, and president and founder of Supernatural Ministries Training Institute. He’s also the founder of Righteous Preachers’ Network, which ministers to and coaches hundreds of pastors worldwide.
The ABC report interviewed two former members of the church who served in the nursery, Dan and Dana Stahl, who assert that Barclay used intimidation from the pulpit to conceal and dismiss the accusations, even going so far as to call the victims “liars.”
