DECEMBER 7, 2020 BY BARRY DUKE
BACK in 2016 Minneapolis pastor Robert McKenzie leader of Word of Faith Ministries, used YouTube to encourage his followers to embark on a ten-day biblical fast.
The Daniel Diet, he suggested, would ‘disciple one’s flesh’ and draw people closer to God.
But four years later, McKenzie – possibly off the broccoli and beans – had a “perverted thought”, one that landed him in jail last month for allegedly molesting a 17-year-old girl.
According to The Christian Post, the flashy preacher (above) is free on bail until his trial on December 16, when he will face two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct.
Each count of third-degree criminal sexual conduct against him carries a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, a $30,000 fine, as well as conditional release.
A criminal complaint says the teenager told police that she was in her bathroom in May when the 49-year-old McKenzie “touched her sexually.” She protested and grabbed his hands in an effort to get him to stop. He touched her again on November 8, in the kitchen of her home.
McKenzie reportedly “acknowledged the assault during a conversation” with the teenager.
The criminal complaint says:
He admitted to touching victim inappropriately and said, ‘I had a perverted thought.’
McKenzie and his wife, Tayonna McKenzie, have six children. According to the church’s website, they started their Word of Faith in the living room of their home seven years ago.
Their website says:
Here at WOFM you don’t just join a church, you join a family. The members here are faithful, they are welcoming, and they are continually growing and increasing as they are taught the word of God. Pastor Robert and First Lady McKenzie always have their arms open to embrace the people at Word of Faith Ministries.
Pastor Robert McKenzie is truly an anointed teacher, breaking down the word in the simplest of terms, even a child can understand. He preaches with revelation, assuring people come to know Christ on a personal level. It is Pastor McKenzie’s heart desire that people win in life, having God’s best for their lives.
Just two weeks before his arrest, McKenzie explained in a sermon how he found help in God during a period when his marriage was “on the rocks.”
When things are tough, don’t panic. Ask God for the strategy. I remember when my marriage was on the rocks. I sought God about the direction and man did He guide me. He gave me instructions. And the instructions that He gave … it didn’t change my wife, it changed me.
And because I’ve changed, glory to God, it gave the environment for Him to change my wife because she began to see Christ in me, the hope of Glory. She went from seeing the bald head harsh man to seeing this gentle, kind, serving man of God.