The pastor of a Kentucky megachurch was arrested Monday for rape and sexual abuse of a minor, according to a press release from the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office.
Zachary King, 47, served as the executive pastor at LexCity Church in Lexington, Kentucky, the Attorney General’s Office said. He resigned from the church, after being confronted by church staff regarding allegations that he had an inappropriate relationship with a minor, according to an arrest citation obtained by Lex 18 News and other news sites.
According to LinkedIn, King previously served as a campus pastor at Metropolitan Baptist Church (The MET) in Houston and as a youth pastor and Central Team Leader at Lifechurch.tv, developing and training youth staff.
The Roys Report (TRR) reached out to LexCity Church for comment and further information but did not hear back prior to publication.
King is facing six charges, including first and third-degree rape, first and third-degree sodomy, first-degree sexual abuse, and the unlawful use of electronics to engage in sexual acts with a minor, according to Lexington jail records.
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King reportedly told police in an interview that he had a sexual relationship with a minor for the last year and a half. He assaulted the then-15-year-old minor, starting in January 2023 and continuing until April 2024, the arrest citation reportedly stated. King said he assaulted the victim at the minor’s home, at King’s residence, and at LexCity Church, Lex 18 News reported.
Additionally, King reportedly used Snapchat and WhatsApp to arrange meetups with the minor and to send and receive sexually explicit images, the arrest citation reportedly stated. King was arraigned in Fayette County on Tuesday afternoon and will next appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Friday. His bond is set at $250,00.
King preached at LexCity Church as recently as Palm Sunday, according to a video on the church’s YouTube page.
This isn’t the first time LexCity Church has made headlines for controversy. Previously known as Quest Community Church, the church relaunched and rebranded to its current name in 2018, according to an Instagram post on its account.
In 2014, the lead and founding pastor of Quest, Peter Hise, discontinued his public ministry after publicly admitting to an extra-marital affair, according to ABC 36.
Hise reportedly said he had an affair with another one of the church’s pastors. Their relationship crossed many boundaries but stopped short of sexual intercourse,
ABC 36 reported.
Because Hise was in a pastoral position of authority over the pastor, many survivor advocates would classify the “affair” as clergy sexual abuse.
At that time, the church had about 5,000 members, ABC 36 added. Currently, the church has more than 4,000 followers on its Facebook page and 3,900 on its Instagram. The church said it seeks to “actively steward our church culture in a way to draw others to join us on a life-changing journey with Christ,” according to its website.
*UPDATE: This article has been updated to include King’s prior employment at The MET and Lifechurch.tv.
Freelance journalist Liz Lykins writes for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.
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6 Responses
Wouldn’t be a trip, if we went one week without megachurch scandal.
I know any size of church has them as well, it just seems like the megachurch is currently imploding.
The megachurch definitely seems to be imploding. And people in the church, all churches, need to be accountable. This, though, why do PASTORS do this kind of stuff??? I just can’t for the life of me understand this and how it keeps happening. Might it have been happening all along but just no one to expose until the last few years? Thank you again for this reporting. It’s just so heartbreaking but we have to expose what is happening in secret.
This stuff has always been there, aka the Catholic priests moved around forever, centuries, until it was finally revealed with a Spotlight. not that long ago Why is this happening? We are not supposed to be ignorant of the Devil’s schemes. His most successful one, going back to the priests in Israel, choosing his children, malignant narcissists them all, and send them into the priesthood. The Devil always looks to corrupt whatever God has created. This includes absolutely everything from sex, to temple service, to power dynamics. Welcome to spiritual reality.
As a primary researcher in the study of Adult Clergy Sexual Abuse, I would for sure categorize what happened to the Associate Pastor as abuse. The power differential between the senior pastor and anyone under him would make sexual activity not consensual. In my research I have seen subordinate staff and ministers targeted by a senior leaders. It is more common than we think.
I live in Lexington, Kentucky and am somewhat familar with Lex City Church. I have a friend who attends Lex City with her family. They love that church. Lex City also hosts various Christian concerts such as the Newsboys at a discounted price. When Lex City was Quest Community Church. They used to have conversion therapy at Quest Community Church. Before the church rebranded as Lex City Church and supposedly started becoming more progressive. I am opposed to conversion therapy. I am also a follower of Christ who attends a large church in Lexington, Kentucky. Having also been a member of FBCW in Woodstock, Georgia when Johnny Hunt was the pastor. I am partially shocked that this keeps happening. But at the same time. I am not shocked at all.
There is and always will be a spiritual war between evil and good till Jesus returns to take us home 🙏🙏❤️❤️