A leader at televangelist Mark Barclay’s central Michigan church has been convicted of sex crimes — the third such conviction in the past two years.
Randy Saylor, the former associate pastor at Living Word International Church in Midland, Michigan, pleaded no contest to 11 criminal sexual conduct counts on Jan. 22 in Midland County Circuit Court.
Saylor, 73, accepted the convictions without expressly admitting guilt for the crimes. Charges included four counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct with a relation and seven counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim 13 or younger, according to court records.
Four other counts were dismissed. His crimes happened around March 2018, The Roys Report (TRR) previously reported.
Barclay, who founded Living Word Church in 1981, has remained silent about the latest conviction. On the day of Saylor’s conviction, Barclay posted a video on social media where he preached about living in God’s abundant grace. The TV ministry reaches millions of viewers each week.
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TRR reached out to Barclay and Living Word for comment but did not hear back prior to publication.
Sentenced the same day as another Living Word leader
Saylor’s sentencing is scheduled for March 19, according to court records. He faces between 10 years to life in prison, according to Midland Daily News. A Midland County Circuit judge revoked Saylor’s $50,000 bond, so he will return to jail until he’s sentenced. March 19 is also the date another former Living Word Church leader, James Randolph, Barclay’s son-in-law, will be sentenced.
Randolph was convicted in August of sexually assaulting a girl over a period of about six years. Barclay downplayed his son-in-law’s crimes at the time of conviction, arguing that the criminal conduct “did not occur on church grounds or during church functions,” TRR reported.
Saylor was arrested in May 2024, just months after his son, church elder Brandon Saylor, was sentenced to five to 15 years in prison for sexual assault crimes.
The younger Saylor pleaded guilty to three counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with three children under 13, TRR reported. He sexually abused multiple children across 10 years, according to MLive News.
Saylor avoids civil liability
Prosecutor Courtney Driscoll objected to Randy Saylor’s plea of no contest, hoping instead for a guilty plea, according to Midland Daily News.
Driscoll was able to get the court to require Saylor to sign a waiver. The waiver stated that Saylor didn’t plead no contest to claim innocence, but only to avoid any civil liability.
Driscoll told WJRT-TV, Ch. 12 that the victims feel “pretty good” about Saylor spending at least 10 years in prison. Driscoll has served as the prosecutor in all three cases involving Living Word church leaders.
“These are very tough cases all around,” she said. “There is always that balance of trying to hold these types of perpetrators accountable to the fullest extent of the law and also weighing what is in the best interest of the victims.”
Living Word Church describes itself as “a worldwide gospel ministry with a prophetic voice in end times alerting God’s people with God’s Word of righteousness through every available means in every available place.”
Liz Lykins is a correspondent covering religion news for The Roys Report, WORLD Magazine, and other publications.
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4 Responses
Who would continue to attend this church? Especially families with children?
They are primed to believe the head pastors claims that the church was not involved in these cases.
As a side note, it’s interesting that the headline and first paragraph refers to this as “Mark Barclay’s church.” We don’t see the name of the church until paragraph two. How may times do we do this in our own conversations? Do we refer to our local churches as “Pastor Smith’s church” or “Pastor John’s church?” Are these organizations the church of Christ or are they the church of men?
I had Mark Barclay as a bible teacher at a bible college in San Diego CA. I found him “odd” and “slippery” projecting himself into every topic…not Christ.
Then, his newsletter, to us former students, asked for money to buy him an airplane with the same line as others with jets or prop-planes.
I also noted recently that the “university” that gave him all of his degrees has but 1 person on staff. And, his deflections on 3 church leaders with sexual sins was shamefully dismissive. I didn’t trust him then, I certainly don’t trust him now. As a retired, but still, ordained minister, I would NEVER share a pulpit with Barclay.