The leadership team of Lexington City Church (LexCity) in Lexington, Kentucky, announced July 10 that it will be closing its doors.
LexCity Church / Video screenshot
The church posted a statement on its website. “Through thoughtful prayer and heartfelt tears, the leadership team of Lexington City Church has voted to permanently cease our ministry,” it reads. “Due to the continued effects of the financial situation our church inherited several years ago and the impact of the ongoing investigation of a former staff member, we have lost the ability to remain financially viable and fulfill our God-given mission.”
The investigation refers to alleged actions of the church’s former executive pastor, Zachary King, 47, who admitted to having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl for over a year. Staff members confronted King, and he resigned.
He was arrested July 1, and faces charges of rape, sodomy and sexual abuse of a minor.
King is the second pastor to resign for disqualifying sin in the past decade. In 2014, the church’s Pastor Pete Hise resigned after admitting to an affair with a woman on staff. Then known as Quest Community Church, the congregation boasted at least 5,000 members at the time, according to ABC 36.
In an arrest citation obtained by Lex18, King reportedly told investigators his relationship with the minor started in January 2023 and continued until April 2024. He said they had sex at his home, the victim’s home, and at the church.
Zachary King / Fayette County Detention Center
At his arraignment last week, the judge set King’s bond at $250,000.
In the face of its closure, LexCity leadership is encouraging its displaced congregants to seek community and healing at other local churches. “So, while today ends our chapter, we’re incredibly encouraged by the larger community of Christ followers throughout our city and know that there’s a place within it for everyone who once called LexCity their home.”
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