Jackson youth pastor arrested for rape

JACKSON, Tennessee – A youth pastor from Jackson has been arrested on rape charges.

According to Madison County Jail booking information, 39-year-old Ryan McElrath was booked into the jail at approximately 5:48 p.m. Tuesday.

According to the Jackson Police Department’s online resource, Police To Citizen, McElrath was arrested at a residence on Willow Green Drive and charged with sexual battery by an authority figure, rape of a minor and rape of a minor by an authority figure – rape by force.

In a social media post made by Fellowship Bible Church before his arrest — which is no longer accessible — McElrath is described as a “high school pastor.” As of this report, the church also has several videos on its website featuring McElrath as the keynote speaker.

McElrath also hosted a religion-related podcast with episodes running from October 2021 to November 2023. The podcast’s description states: “Here at Fellowship Bible Church in Jackson, Tennessee, we are launching our first-ever family podcast where we create space for families to have great conversations with their kids while having fun!”

We asked Fellowship Bible Church for a statement, who told us the following:

Ryan McElrath is no longer employed by Fellowship as a result of a criminal complaint filed on June 11. Within hours of the allegations becoming known, the case was investigated, Ryan admitted to the violation, and was terminated. The Church immediately assisted the victim in reporting the allegations to local law enforcement and notified parents and students. The Church is cooperating fully with local authorities and is engaging an outside agency to review Church policies and procedures and provide guidance on how to continue to care for the victim and the Church. Our priority continues to be the privacy and well-being of the victim, his family, our students, and their parents.

“As a church, we are absolutely devastated by this. And as a father, I share God’s outrage and sorrow when innocents are harmed. We are acting in cooperation with law enforcement to care for the victim and his family.” Eugene Brandt, senior pastor of the Fellowship

Records available online suggest that McElrath has since been released from custody on bail.

We have contacted Jackson Police Department for further details but have not been able to provide them with any additional information.

We are also working to determine when McElrath can appear in court on these charges.

Stay tuned to us on air and online, we will update you as more information becomes available.

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