Former Calexico pastor charged

A 67-year-old Fullerton man who served as a head pastor at several Southern California churches, including the Calexico United Methodist Church, faces 11 child molestation charges for victimizing seven children ranging in age from 5 to 15 years old.

John Rodgers McFarland was arrested on Thursday and is being charged with seven felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14, and four felony counts of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor between the ages of 14 and 15, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office reported.

Prosecutors allege the molestations for the current offenses occurred between 2003 and 2017.

McFarland is currently being held on $2 million bail at the Orange County Jail. He faces a maximum sentence of 179 years to life if convicted on all counts, a press release stated.

McFarland has been the head pastor at Orangethorpe United Methodist Church in Fullerton since 2016. He also served as a volunteer chaplain for the Fountain Valley Police Department and Fountain Valley Fire Department, the Orange County DA’s Office reported.

McFarland was a pastor at Surf City Church in Huntington Beach between 2011 and 2016, and served as senior pastor at Fountain Valley United Methodist Church for 26 years from 1988 to 2016.

He served as a youth pastor at the San Dieguito Methodist Church in Encinitas from 1978 to 1981 and attended Christian Youth Camps during his ministry there. McFarland’s first appointment as senior pastor was at Calexico United Methodist Church in Calexico, where he served from 1981 to 1988.

He was scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.