Court Ousts Alabama Pastor Who Admitted Drug Use, Sex with Church Members

Carrie Dedrick | Updated: Oct 22, 2014

Court Ousts Alabama Pastor Who Admitted Drug Use, Sex with Church Members

An Alabama pastor who recently admitted to his congregation wrongdoing as a church leader has been ousted from the church by a court order. 

Rev. Juan D. McFarland of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church admitted to his congregation that he had used cocaine, misused church funds and slept with church members while not informing them he had AIDS. Though the church voted 80-2 to remove McFarland from the ministry, the pastor refused to leave. 

The court has now intervened, ordering McFarland to leave his position and banning him from church property. The pastor will also lose access to church banks accounts and must return a Mercedes-Benz owned by Shiloh Missionary Baptist.

Shiloh’s missionary president said that church members were beginning to forgive McFarland’s when the court got involved. "It was extremely reluctantly that we took the action that we did, but we have to look [out] for the spiritual welfare of the members of Shiloh Missionary Baptist in moving forward," he said. 

McFarland’s final hearing will be held Dec. 1. 

Publication date: October 22, 2014



Court Ousts Alabama Pastor Who Admitted Drug Use, Sex with Church Members