Michigan youth minister with prior rape conviction sentenced for sexual abuse of minor

MIDLAND (MI)
MLive [Walker MI]

March 19, 2026

By Cole Waterman

A youth minister with Mark Barclay Ministries and son-in-law of the organization’s founder is returning to prison for sexually assaulting a child. It’s a place he has called home on two prior occasions, once for the gang-rape of another minor he preyed upon.

He is the third member of a trinity within the organization to be imprisoned in the last two years for sex crimes, following a father and son duo.

James P. Randolph appeared before Midland County Circuit Judge Michael J. Beale for sentencing on Thursday, March 19, coincidentally his 60^th birthday. A seven-day trial in August ended with jurors convicting Randolph of two counts of first- and four counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Randolph’s father-in-law, televangelist Mark T. Barclay, was not present in the packed courtroom. His namesake ministries and Living Word Church, 2010 N. Stark Road in Midland County’s Lincoln Township, 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.”

Beale sentenced Randolph to two prison terms of 25 to 40 years and four terms of eight to 30 years. Randolph is to serve all six terms concurrently.

“It is such an amazing violation of trust that occurred in these situations that it is astounding,” Beale said.

Prior to the judge imposing sentence, Randolph’s victim, now a woman in her 20s, gave an emotional statement.

She recalled growing up in Living Word, describing the church as her foundation. In this capacity, she met Randolph, whom she described as a youth pastor and spiritual leader who regularly preached from the pulpit.

While still a child, she moved into the Randolph household, having previously had sleepovers with Randolph’s children. She grew close enough to Randolph and his wife to call them Mom and Dad, trusting them completely, she said.

“During that time, I was manipulated and deceived in ways that shaped my reality,” she said. “I was told my biological parents did not love me and did not want me. I was told that it was God’s will for the Randolphs to raise me and that this was a calling placed upon them.

“As a child, I believed what I was told.”

When she was in the sixth grade, Randolph began sexually assaulting her in the middle of the night. The assaults grew more severe over time and lasted until she moved out of the house in 2018.

“I lived in constant fear and confusion,” she said. “I felt isolated and alone, carrying a weight no child should have to bear.”

She did not report the misconduct to authorities until after prosecutors in July 2023 charged another man in the church, elder Brandon S. Saylor, with sexually abusing four children across 10 years. The courage of Saylor’s victims encouraged her to come forward, she said.

“Their strength helped me begin to see I was not alone and that what happened to me was not my fault,” she said. “There is healing in being heard. There is no freedom in silence.”

Randolph sat silently throughout her statement.

The woman said she refuses to allow Randolph to take any more of her peace, joy, or future. She has forgiven him for his crimes against her, she added.

“This forgiveness is not for him. It is for me. I am choosing to move forward. I am strong, I am healing, and I am free.”

Troy-based defense attorney Nicole Blank Becker, who previously led R&B singer R. Kelly’s defense team, asked the judge to impose a fair and proportionate sentence no greater than necessary “rather than making him the poster child for these types of crimes.”

Becker asked Beale to fashion a sentence that took his full character into account.

“Mr. Randolph is, by all accounts outside of this case, a man who has been deeply embedded in this community,” she said. “Someone who gave his time, was relied upon, and was respected by those who knew him.”

Randolph declined to speak when Beale gave him the opportunity. Becker said he plans to appeal his convictions.

The Rev. Barclay issued a statement on his organization’s Facebook page following Randolph’s conviction.

“The recent legal case involving James Randolph has been a very difficult and heartbreaking situation for our church family and community,” Barclay wrote. “We respect the legal process and the verdict returned by the jury.”

Barclay disputed that Randolph was a pastor or head of the organization’s youth, children’s, or nursery ministries. Randolph’s wife — Barclay’s daughter — testified during the trial that her husband’s victim was a liar. She also testified her husband was never officially a youth pastor.

Randolph in a 2023 interview with Michigan State Police investigators asserted he had worked as a minister with youth and children for more than 30 years.

Judge Beale in April 2024 sentenced Brandon Saylor, 46, to five to 15 years in prison on three convictions of second-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim 13 or younger.

Prosecutors in May 2024 charged Saylor’s father, associate pastor Randy L. Saylor, with sex crimes related to his abuse of three female minors. Both Saylors abused at least one of the same victims.

The 73-year-old Randy Saylor in January pleaded no contest to 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. The next month, Judge Beale sentenced Randy Saylor to four terms of 10 to 25 years in prison, along with 10 lesser stints, all of which Saylor is to serve concurrently.

Randy Saylor wept and professed his love for his victims at sentencing, two of whom provided impact statements.

The Saylors are incarcerated in separate prisons, the father at the Charles Egeler Reception and Guidance Center in Jackson and the son at the Muskegon Correctional Facility.

Randolph’s criminal past

Last August’s trial did not mark the first time Randolph was convicted of sex crimes against an underage girl.

Criminal records show a then-17-year-old Randolph in December 1983 was sentenced to two to 10 years in a Michigan reformatory on a conviction of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, stemming from a brawl in Jackson County.

While on parole in October 1984, he and several other men raped a 15-year-old girl in Jackson, resulting in him pleading no contest to third-degree criminal sexual conduct.

A Jackson County judge in October 1985 sentenced Randolph, then 19, to prison. The Michigan Department of Corrections paroled him in 1993 and discharged him from that two years later.

Barclay stood by and supported his son-in-law Randolph throughout his trial. In the wake of Randolph’s conviction, Barclay sent letters to congregants explaining his recent actions and asking for continued support.

He denied knowing Randolph had been previously imprisoned for the rape of a minor and expressed regret over not having supported sexual abuse victims.

“Had we known the truth earlier, James … would never have been permitted to participate in youth ministry in any capacity,” Barclay wrote in a letter to church family and partners.

Randolph was never officially the head of the church’s youth ministries, though he often overstated his role and publicly portrayed himself as a youth pastor, Barclay wrote.

Barclay wrote he stood by Randolph during his trial because he believed he was innocent and to support his daughter and grandchildren.

Barclay has since removed Randolph from all ministry duties. He denied the church financially supported Randolph’s legal defense or paid the $5 million bond he was free on pending trial.

Randolph in January 2025 rejected an offer to plead guilty or no contest to five charges with 15-year maximum penalties.

Living Word Church Members Charged

https://www.mlive.com/news/saginaw-bay-city/2026/03/michigan-youth-minister-with-prior-rape-conviction-sentenced-for-sexual-abuse-of-minor.html