A former Southern Baptist pastor in Ohio has pleaded guilty to four charges involving child sex abuse. Silas Shelton of Blanchester Community Ministries in Blanchester, Ohio, offered the guilty plea in exchange for prosecutors dropping charges of rape, gross sexual imposition, and arson.
Editor’s note: This article refers to reports of child sex crimes that some readers might find triggering and/or disturbing.
Shelton initially faced 12 charges. He was arrested in October of last year after being accused of of incidents of sexual abuse that occurred as early as 2019. Investigators said that Shelton began sexually assaulting a member of his congregation who was 14 or 15 years old.
RELATED: Pastor, a School Employee, Charged With Possessing AI-Generated Child Sex Abuse Material
Authorities said that the abuse continued until a few months prior to Shelton’s arrest, and investigators indicated that the victim felt trapped in a relationship with Shelton due to Shelton’s spiritual authority as a pastor.
In addition to his sex abuse charges, Shelton was initially hit with two charges of arson, which stemmed from an incident that occurred in July 2025. Shelton was accused of setting fire to a home and an SUV.
Those charges have been dropped as part of his plea arrangement.
Shelton previously made waves in the community in 2023, when he spoke out at a local school district meeting about the sale of the “Heartstopper” series of books at the district’s Scholastic Book Fair. The books prominently feature gay characters.
“I tell you, I got sick reading that stuff,” Shelton said at the time. He also referenced the “health risks of being gay.”
RELATED: Florida Pastor Charged With Child Molestation Involving 4 Victims, Held Without Bond
Blanchester Community Ministries does not appear to be in operation anymore, and it has been removed from the directory of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC).
