PCA Teaching Elder Christopher Willett has reached an agreement with prosecutors in his criminal case pending in Copiah County, Mississippi. 

Almost one year ago, Willett was arrested and initially charged with statutory rape, sexual battery, unnatural intercourse, computer luring of a person, and child pornography. At the time of his arrest, he was serving as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Crystal Springs, Mississippi. The church immediately took steps to dissolve its relationship with him. 

In November 2025, Willett was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of statutory rape, sexual battery, and incest. According to the indictment, the criminal activity occurred from September 2020 to December 2021. If found guilty at trial, the charges could have resulted in a maximum sentence of life in prison. 

According to an agreement signed last week, Willett has agreed to plead guilty to statutory rape, sexual battery, and incest. As part of the plea deal, the Copiah County District Attorney’s Office has agreed to recommend that Willett be sentenced to the maximum of 30 years. 

On Monday, March 16, Willett was sentenced to 30 years with five suspended. He will spend 25 years in prison without parole. Upon release, he will have to register as a sex offender and have 5 years of supervised release. 

Willett is currently a member of Grace Presbytery. He was originally arrested on March 11, 2025. At its May 2025 meeting, the presbytery found a strong presumption of guilt against Willett and appointed a prosecutor. The presbytery decided to wait for the criminal case to be resolved before conducting its own trial. In the meantime, the presbytery suspended him from the ministry. 

In accordance with our policy, byFaith reached out to the clerk of Grace Presbytery and provided the opportunity for him to review this article for accuracy.