Denomination Cancels Sex Offender’s Leadership Appointment
Pastor's 2008 child rape conviction surfaced publicly, prompting resignation and a bishop's admission of vetting failures.
The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International has canceled the planned appointment of a Missouri pastor to a state leadership role after learning of his 2008 conviction for child rape.
First Baptist Church of St. Louis, photo via Google Maps / Insert of Timothy Price, photo from FB via Roys Report
Timothy D. Price III, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of St. Louis, was set to be installed as Missouri state overseer during a “Night of Elevation” service.
Public scrutiny intensified after social media accounts highlighted Price’s criminal record, which includes a 2008 guilty plea to second-degree rape involving a 12-year-old girl in Baltimore, Maryland. Price, who was 31 at the time and serving as a music director at a local church, was sentenced to seven years in prison and remains listed on the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Sex Offender Registry.
Advocacy groups first raised questions online, asking First Baptist Church of St. Louis about Price’s background and his ongoing access to children. In response, a spokesperson for the St. Louis congregation defended the pastor.
“Dr. Price does not hide his past, served his sentence, remains compliant and has lived without reoffending,” a church representative wrote. “Safeguarding is essential, but mockery, speculation and distorted facts are not biblical accountability.”
The church argued that an online search should not determine whether someone has demonstrated genuine repentance, noting that court-appointed evaluations found the incident was isolated and that Price posed no ongoing threat. The church also said Price was not serving as a pastor at the time of the offense and claimed he was unaware of the victim’s age until informed by law enforcement.
At his 2008 sentencing hearing, Price expressed regret to the victim’s family, saying he prayed for them daily and was committed to making wiser choices, according to Roys Report. Circuit Judge Robert B. Kershaw sharply criticized the statement, saying hoping to make “wiser decisions” failed to grasp the gravity and nature of the crime.
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During his 2008 sentencing hearing, Price expressed regret to the victim’s family, stating he prayed for them daily and was committed to making wiser choices. Circuit Judge Robert B. Kershaw sharply criticized the statement, noting that hoping to make “wiser decisions” failed to grasp the gravity and nature of the crime.
In his ministry since then, Price has often framed his past through sermons emphasizing restoration, grace and survival, describing his conviction as a “storm” or “bad decisions” without directly addressing the victim or the details of the crime.
After national media coverage of the planned installation, Presiding Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III confronted Price directly.
“It has come to the attention of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International that Dr. Timothy D. Price III, a pastor within our Fellowship who was slated for appointment as Missouri State Director, was convicted of a sexual offense in 2008 and was a registered sex offender before he became affiliated with this Fellowship,” Walker said in a statement to Roys Report.
Price resigned as Missouri state director, and the fellowship accepted his resignation effective immediately.
Walker said he took full responsibility for the oversight, acknowledging that the fellowship failed to conduct adequate background vetting before making the appointment. He emphasized that while redemption in Christ is a core doctrine, it does not remove earthly consequences or exempt leaders from accountability. Walker confirmed that Price will not be permitted to hold any jurisdictional or auxiliary leadership position within the fellowship.
The denomination announced immediate measures to strengthen background screening and vetting for leadership positions at the state, regional and international levels. It also said it would implement ongoing accountability reviews for people in positions of trust.
The fellowship has severed its administrative ties with Price. The organization said it has no jurisdiction over First Baptist Church of St. Louis. Because local congregations within the fellowship operate autonomously, decisions about Price’s continued tenure as senior pastor remain entirely with the St. Louis congregation.
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