The son-in-law of televangelist Mark Barclay was convicted on Friday of sexually assaulting a girl for about six years. James Randolph, a former church leader at Living Word Church in Midland, Michigan, now potentially faces life in prison.
Living Word Church was founded by Barclay, whose TV ministry reaches millions of viewers each week.
Following two and a half hours of deliberations, Randolph was found guilty of all six counts he faced. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, according to court records.
First-degree involves penetration and is a life offense, according to the Michigan Penal Code, while second-degree is limited to touching and punishable for up to 15 years in prison.
Randolph, 59, rejected a plea deal in January that carried a lower sentence, The Roys Report (TRR) previously reported.
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After the trial, Randolph had his $500,000 bond revoked. The judge ordered Randolph to be held in jail until his sentencing in November, according to court records.
Randolph’s convictions stem from a woman’s testimony that Randolph sexually assaulted her, starting when she was in sixth grade, while he was her youth pastor.
Barclay downplays conviction
Barclay contests that Randolph worked as a youth pastor at Living Word.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Barclay said that Randolph “was not the pastor of Living Word Church, nor was he ever the head of our youth, children’s, or nursery ministries.”
Barclay also downplayed his son-in-law’s conviction, arguing that the criminal conduct “in question did not occur on church grounds or during church functions.”
“The recent legal case involving James Randolph has been a very difficult and heartbreaking situation for our church family and community,” Barclay noted. “We respect the legal process and the verdict returned by the jury.”
He added that, “We recognize that this situation has caused real pain for many.”
But in 2023, Randolph told the Michigan state police that he had been involved with youth ministry at the church for 30 years, MLive Michigan reported.
Josh Barclay, Mark’s son and the associate pastor at the church, also doubled down on Randolph’s minimal role at the church, although he did admit Randolph had some oversight over the youth.
“(Mark) Barclay nor have any of us stated James Randolph was not a youth ministry leader, simply he was never the one in charge nor has he ever been a pastor like many of you like to call him,” the associate pastor said, according to Midland Daily News.
In March 2024, Josh Barclay called Randolph “one of our ministers on staff,” TRR reported.
Josh Barclay preached at Living Word during the Sunday morning service following the conviction, while his father preached elsewhere.
“(Mark Barclay) didn’t want to cancel his meetings and rob from the people that were going to receive from him today,” Josh said. “He really wanted to be here this morning just to be with the church family with everything going on.”
Victim had to relive trauma over and over
During Randolph’s seven-day trial, Midland County Assistant Prosecutor Courtney Driscoll stated that Randolph had assaulted a girl who attended Living Word Church, according to MLive Michigan.
The victim, who is now in her late 20s, testified both last week and a preliminary hearing last year that she first moved into Randolph’s house in 2012.
In sixth grade, she started waking up in the middle of the night to find Randolph touching her. She testified that these incidents grew in frequency and severity over time.
She said that Randolph’s misconduct continued into her teen years until she moved out in 2018. She never reported the abuse because of Randolph’s sway over her as her pastor.
“James was a minister,” she said during the trial, according to MLive. “He was my youth pastor. I grew-up with him in children’s church. And my parents, you know, they trusted him. My entire community of people was within the church. And I felt like nobody was going to believe me if I told anyone.”
Prosecutor Driscoll reminded the jury that Randolph has a history behind bars, including previously served time for assault and rape. Driscoll suggested that Randolph was only able to work at the church because he was married to Barclay’s daughter, Dawn.
“How the hell could he be the head of youth ministries for 30 years?” Driscoll asked. “We have heard more than six hours of (the victim) testifying to what James Randolph did to her as a little girl. She’s had to relive this trauma over and over again.”
Defense attorney Nicole Blank Becker contended that the victim changed her testimony multiple times and was not credible. For instance, Blank Becker asserted that the victim changed her story on how many times Randolph had forcefully penetrated her and assaulted her.
She told jurors the prosecution didn’t come close to reaching their burden of proof, but the jury decided otherwise.
Midland County Prosecutor J. Dee Brooks said he is grateful to the jury for bringing justice for the woman.
“The emotional harms caused by the defendant’s action, unfortunately, will last a very long time,” Brooks said, according to MLive. “We are very thankful for the victim and other witnesses for standing up to the pressure and difficulties they had to endure for the past two years, and for remaining strong in their support of victims of child sexual abuse.”
Multiple leaders facing charges at Living Word
Randolph previously spent time in prison for the gang-rape of a 15-year-old girl in the 1980s, TRR previously reported. He also isn’t the only leader at Living Word to face sexual assault charges.
Randy Saylor, associate pastor at the church, was charged with sex offenses for one case in May 2024 and then another in June 2024.
Saylor, 72, faces a total of 15 charges of second-degree criminal sexual conduct for the two cases. During a preliminary examination, two victims testified that Saylor gave them massages that turned into sexual assaults.
Saylor’s trial is slated to start later this month.
Saylor’s son, Brandon, was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for sexual assault crimes in April 2024. Brandon served as a church elder and volunteer at Living Word.
In light of the charges, several former church members have contended that Living Word has a cult-like atmosphere, reported WJRT-TV Ch. 12, the ABC affiliate for Flint, Michigan.
Josh Barclay combatted this assertion, saying some depart “grateful” from the church, while others leave “disgruntled because things didn’t go the way they hoped.”
“We understand that not everyone will agree with our Bible-based convictions,” he said. “However, to label the many who worship here as part of a ‘cult’ is both saddening and disrespectful.”
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
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17 Responses
Cult? Yes! Living Word Church and Mark T. Barclay Ministries–categorically fit into the definition of a cult.
CEO Rev. Prophet Mark T. Barclay has taught at least three major heresies on the Trinity and the Person of Jesus Christ.
Mark T. Barclay has taught that God is made of of parts and not actual divine Persons. He even goes on to teach, God like his son Josh(body, soul, spirit).
(Jesus the command giver, the missing red letters by mark t Barclay, etc)
Barclay has also taught in the past that God has changed.
These are major false teaching which have been condemned by the Christian church across time and space.
So yes, without disrespecting the unchangeable truth–Living Word and Mark T Barclay Ministries are both outside authentic Christianity and a cult.
Seems to be a Family Cult Business.Very disturbing!
Even if he taught absolutely everything you or I believe to be true, Mark Barclay and his family church would still be a cult. When are evangelicals going to figure out it’s not what you believe that makes you faithful? It’s what you DO and HOW you do it that makes you faithful. I believe it is a horrendous error to assume that just because someone agrees with your theology, that makes them Christian, but I witness it over and over again among evangelicals.
Mark Barclay (or any cult leader) suddenly getting “right theology” will not change the spots on this leopard’s back.
Mark T. Barclay’s legacy is major heresies and child sexual abuse of multiple child from his church. These hideous things are the fruit of his ministry.
“When are evangelicals going to figure out it’s not what you believe that makes you faithful? It’s what you DO and HOW you do it that makes you faithful.”
From my experience in the Seventies, NEVER.
I remember all the Christian Cult Watch groups and ministries back then. Every last one of them defined “Cult” entirely by Theology and Doctrine, not repeat NOT by abusive controlling behavior towards their pewpeons. While the Christian Anti-Cult Crusaders were parsing Theology letter-by-letter, Koinonia House Christian Fellowship of Whittier were abusing and messing up my head. But their Theology/Ideology was Pure, so they got the “Not-a-Cult” blessing.
Didn’t hurt that the groups that got the Not-a-Cult blessing (and weaponized it for use on their rebellious pewpeons) were the exact same Theology as the Christianese Cult-sniffers: Rapture Ready Fundagelical.
With all respect Barney, and in NO way diminishing the utter horror of this incident—or the disgusting stench of religious pretending (hypocrisy) that Jesus hates, I think Jesus / the Bible would not make a dichotomy here between right thinking and right living. “Watch your life and doctrine closely.” – 1 Timothy 4:16 – BOTH are utterly essential. Right living ADORNS the doctrine about God (Titus 2:10). Wrong living makes people run from Jesus as if hell itself were after them –
It’s usually the same pattern, the false doctrine is the root and the sin, usually sexual, is the fruit.
Matthew 7:16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.
Linda, you are right! I love this quote:
“An error in the doctrine of God will have inevitable consequences in the sphere of action, of moral behaviour, of the polity of the Church, and of basic culture and social organization. A change in the doctrine of the Trinity in either of these directions cannot help but have political consequences.” Joseph P. Farrell
Kenneth, would you please be able to link me to some website or video that documents Mark Barclay teaching these trinitarian heresies? It would be very helpful to me. Thanks in advance!
Sure Justin! I have an old blog on Mark T. Barclay’s theology, but I have videos with Mark T Barclay’s own words too.
I will give video link first because it’s the quickest way to hear, and see his false teachings in Barclay’s own words:
https://youtu.be/SD1CKjdbHhI?si=O1FbxZJvLsa9SoCW
My blog has documented quotes from Church Father’s(up to 400 AD) in relation to Barclay’s theology.
My old blog:
https://wp.me/p1yvKl-f0
https://thetheologyofmarktbarclay.wordpress.com/
Let me try again. Here are some links:
https://youtu.be/SD1CKjdbHhI?si=XJ5AZUdxMQ5Ue5Fr
https://thetheologyofmarktbarclay.wordpress.com/
Mark Barclay’s public statement is an effort of damage control.He is trying to minimize Randolph’s role in the church. Here’s is lying. Here is Randolph speaking about what he mostly does….oversee youth!
https://youtube.com/shorts/EeRX0X8n3jk?si=P_uwkBOzd7GDn9sV
I note how many “Christians” will stand by their favorite ear-tickling narcissist leaders no matter what. Things happen like this that would kill most secular organizations, and the people keep coming and throwing their Mammon in the buckets. It is like they do not care if their own kids or grandkids get abused, the show must go on! It is disgusting beyond words. “Churches” become things that are worse than what the pagans will dare tolerate. Either Satan is the god being ultimately worshipped here, or people have redefined character to mean something 180 degrees opposite to what Jesus stated. No wonder I call these mega churches as total cesspools, for from a truly biblical standpoint that is exactly what they are.
It has taken me 40 years to get here, but I now believe that the Evangelical Church, at least the public face of it, is a bottomless cesspool of corruption. My parents tried to tell me that very thing as a teenage girl, and I didn’t believe them. I fell, and I fell hard for the “Jesus is Lord” schtick of what was known as the “Jesus Generation.” Billy Graham even wrote a book about it. So much for the generation that was supposed to love Jesus with purity and passion.
I digress. Whether it’s the scandal of Michael Tait or another heart-rending story of ongoing sexual abuse from church leadership as documented here, most people don’t seem to care much, or even remember their youthful ideals. Many simply refuse to believe anything is wrong. We’ve applauded the ascendancy of the megachurch and told ourselves that if it’s big, it must be blessed. I wonder if Keith Green saw this coming.
God bless you for thinking this corner of the church can be restored. You have a level of faith that I do not.
What I’ve learned over the last 35 years: …. Listen to Christian radio …. do your own studying …. do the work that you do ……. and stay out of religious buildings.
It’s bad enough to have one predator on staff, but three predators (including Mark Barclay’s son-in-law) – and all of them arrested close behind each other? Sounds like Living Word is the charismatic version of First Baptist Church of Hammond, IN as far as being a magnet for sexual predators.