According to FOX13 Memphis, Greater Middle Baptist Church named Dr. Sheralyne Brevard as its incoming pastor-elect last month, and now several women have come forward alleging grooming, sexual misconduct, online deception, and misconduct involving a minor connected to Brevard. A police report has been filed concerning the allegations, though the filing of that report does not by itself establish that a crime occurred, and the allegations have not been established in court.
The claims, first detailed by FOX13 Memphis, include an account from Dr. Tonya Lyons, who alleges Brevard deceived her into an online relationship with someone Lyons believed was a man. Lyons said she had known the person from church more than a decade earlier, and that she and others referred to that person as Minister Lynn. According to Lyons, the online relationship lasted months before she grew suspicious of her contact's true identity.
How One Woman Says She Uncovered the Deception
Lyons said Minister Lynn had claimed the man in the online relationship was her cousin. Lyons told FOX13 that an employee of hers suggested running a Google image search on photos from the account, which led the employee to contact the actual person whose photographs had been used. Lyons said she ultimately shared her account publicly after learning of another woman's experience with Brevard.
That other woman alleged that Brevard groomed her and engaged in sexual misconduct against her when she was a teenager, and separately alleged solicitation of a minor by Brevard, according to FOX13's reporting. Community members have since raised concerns about Brevard's church appointment amid the allegations.
Church Board Says It Is Awaiting Confirmation
As reported by FOX13 Memphis, the Greater Middle Baptist Church board acknowledged the allegations but said it had not received confirmation of a conviction or criminal charge connected to them and was awaiting that information before taking further action. The board said it was seeking additional information before deciding whether to act. FOX13 contacted church leadership before the police report was filed and later requested an updated statement from the board after the filing, but the board did not provide an additional response in that reporting.
FOX13 Memphis reported, as noted by FOX13 Memphis, that it reached out to Brevard for comment Wednesday afternoon but did not receive a response by the time of publication. Separately, Brevard had previously thanked church members for praying and voting during the selection process.
Background on the Pastor Search
Per a report from Greater Middle Baptist Church, the church's senior pastor vacancy announcement, posted on its website, said the congregation was accepting candidate applications through March 31, 2026. The announcement stated that candidates were required to consent to reference checks, an education and credential verification, a criminal-history background check, a drug test, and a credit and financial-history check. The posting does not indicate which of those checks were completed for Brevard or what their results were.
