ST. LOUIS, Mo. — A planned denominational promotion involving a St. Louis pastor has been halted after his past criminal conviction and status as a registered sex offender became the subject of public scrutiny.
Timothy D. Price III, senior pastor of First Baptist Church City of St. Louis, had been scheduled for installation as Missouri State Overseer of the Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship on September 16, 2026.
According to The Christian Post, the denomination subsequently stopped the elevation after learning of Price’s 2008 conviction involving a 12-year-old girl.
WHAT THE PUBLIC RECORD SHOWS
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s Sex Offender Registry currently lists Timothy D. Price as a compliant Tier 3 registrant.
The registry identifies a second-degree rape conviction, with the offense occurring in Baltimore, Maryland, and identifies the victim as a female age 12–13.
He was 31 at the time and had been serving as a music director at a Baltimore-area church.
Contemporary Maryland reporting states that Price pleaded guilty to second-degree rape in May 2008.
He was subsequently sentenced to prison.
The issue resurfaced nearly two decades later when Price’s planned elevation to a statewide denominational leadership position became public.
THE DENOMINATION’S RESPONSE
International Presiding Bishop Joseph Warren Walker III said the fellowship was not aware of Price’s conviction and registration status when he was appointed.
According to the fellowship’s statement reported by The Christian Post, Price resigned from his denominational leadership positions, and the resignation was accepted immediately.
Walker also said Price would not be permitted to serve in jurisdictional or auxiliary positions within the fellowship.
Walker additionally announced that the denomination would strengthen its vetting and background-screening procedures for leaders.
BUT THERE IS SPECULATION OVER WHAT LEADERS KNEW
First Baptist Church of St. Louis reportedly disputed the denomination’s account, saying a regional bishop had been informed of Price’s conviction before his appointment.
Walker, however, continued to maintain that he personally had not been informed.
The regional bishop identified in the report has not respond back to questions.
The question is no longer simply whether Price’s past was documented.
The public record establishes that it was.
The larger question is who knew what, when they knew it, and what screening procedures were used before someone with this history was considered for a position of increased authority and trust.
A person may complete a sentence and seek to rebuild a life but Child safety must never depend solely on whether someone has served their sentence.
Organizations entrusted with children, families and vulnerable people also have a responsibility to conduct meaningful background checks and make informed decisions about positions of authority.
The question isn’t whether people can change.
The question is whether organizations have a responsibility to know who they are placing in positions of trust.
