A former pastor at Iglesia Bautista Thomas Road—the megachurch founded by Jerry Falwell, Sr., and associated with Liberty University—has been convicted of burglarizing and stalking a former parishioner. 

The victim, a single mother, told El Informe Roys (TRR), she reported the pastor’s behavior to the church eight years ago. Despite this, the pastor was on staff at the time of his arrest in 2023, according to multiple sources.

Last Wednesday, Sergio Guardia, former pastor of the Spanish-language campus of Iglesia Bautista Thomas Road in Lynchburg, Virginia, and  a former employee of SBC Virginia, was convicted of two felony counts of burglary, registros de la corte show. He also was convicted of one count of stalking, a first-degree misdemeanor.

The convictions stem from an incident in November 2023, when Guardia fue detenido for breaking and entering the home of Marie Columna of Lynchburg. Columna had been away on travel with family when the break-in occurred. But a neighbor reportedly called police after seeing a man trespassing two nights in a row.

The charges against Guardia carry a penalty of two to 10 years in prison and a fine of $7,500, at the discretion of the court. 

The Lynchburg Circuit Court has set a pre-sentencing hearing for Guardia’s case for August 20.

Columna told El Informe Roys (TRR) that Guardia had been her pastor for six years at Thomas Road Baptist Church (TRBC). 

Como informado previamente por TRR, TRBC has a long history with Liberty University. And according to Liberty’s articles of incorporation, the TRBC trustees can remove trustees at Liberty, should they determine the school is veering from its mission.

Columna said Guardia began harassing and stalking her in late 2013, which she reported to TRCB in 2017. Yet, according to a screenshot of his now-deleted LinkedIn account published by The Wartburg Watch, Guardia was on staff in 2023. Similarly, Facebook posts by a TRCB pastor indicate Guardia was on staff in 2022 and 2023.

TRR repeatedly reached out to TRBC to confirm when Guardia was employed at the church but did not receive a response. 

She left his church, but alleges the stalking had only begun

Columna alleges that Guardia, who is married, began stalking her in 2013. Within about a year of what she called his “controlling” interactions with her, Columna said she stopped attending Thomas Road Baptist Church.

In 2017, Columna said she told Pastor Pablo Claros, an associate of Guardia at the Thomas Road Hispanic ministry, about Guardia’s alleged “harassment, coercion, and assault.”

She said she “heard nothing for a year.” But in 2019, Claros replied, saying Guardia was under “church discipline,” she said.

TRR reached out to Claros for comment but did not receive a response.

Months later, Guardia accepted a full-time posición as Director of Hispanic Ministries at SBC Virginia. His role, which he held until his arrest for burglary, involved mobilizing Hispanic ministries within Southern Baptist churches across Virginia.

Brandon Pickett, communications director at SBC Virginia, confirmed to TRR that Guardia was on staff at the organization from September 2019 through November 2023. 

“When (SBC Virgina) received word of his arrest, his employment was ended,” Pickett told TRR. In December 2023, an SBC spokesperson told ABC13 that Guardia had “resigned.”  

Guardia’s bio (archived here) was still posted Thursday morning on an SBC Virginia website but removed hours later after our inquiry.

According to Columna, Guardia left TRBC in 2019 but returned to the church in a pastoral role in late 2022 and was on-staff at the time of his arrest.

In a May 2022 Facebook post, TRBC Executive Pastor Matt Willmington has a picture of Guardia and another man at a graduation ceremony. Willmington expresses he’s “proud” of Guardia and the man and “Glad they’re on Team Thomas Road Baptist Church.”

Willmington also names Guardia in a February 2023 post with pictures of the Hispanic congregation.

After Guardia’s arrest, Columna said she spoke with Willmington and “told him everything that had happened the past 10 years with Sergio.” Columna noted that she was on speakerphone and others were listening in.

“But helping me was not the point of the call at all,” Columna said. “Matt made sure I knew that they were supporting Sergio.”

En un correo electrónico a TRR, Willmington confirmed this phone call about what he called “a sad situation,” but described it differently.

“I asked if she needed any support from the church,” he wrote. “I did not say we would be ignoring the situation, but that we would deal with it biblically.”

Willmington added: “I did let her know that Sergio was a friend of mine, and it broke my heart. But I also told her I care more about God’s Word and his church.”  

‘I felt so validated’

Columna, who testified against Guardia in court last week, said she saw former TRBC Pastor Pablo Claros at Guardia’s trial, supporting Guardia.

“It was confusing to me,” Columna said.

Yet, when she heard the jury find Guardia guilty, “I felt so validated in what I’ve experienced, what I’ve said, and what I saw,” Columna told TRR. “For so long, he has called me a liar and gaslit me constantly.” 

Columna added that she’s endured everything, including the lengthy court process, to ensure her and her children’s safety, as well as the safety of others Guardia may have victimized.

“I want them to see that he has been held accountable in this situation,” said Columna. “It could give them the confidence to tell someone and even reach out to law enforcement.”

*Esta historia ha sido actualizada.

Josh Shepherd is production editor at The Roys Report and a journalist who escribe sobre fe, cultura y políticas públicas para varios medios outlets. He and his family live in central Florida.