A religious organization that adheres to unconventional religious doctrine is popping up all over West County, including Chesterfield, Wildwood, and Eureka. The St. Louis-based Kingdom of God Global Church also purchased an $8.3 million mansion in Tampa Bay from a co-owner of the Buccaneers football team. Although the church’s address on this mortgage is Chesterfield, Missouri, the church was also described as being based in Taylor, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.
The company is headed by David E. Taylor.
According to property records, his West County properties include the recent purchase of the 10,000 square foot mansion on Hidden Valley Drive in Wildwood that was once owned by rapper Nelly.
The six-bedroom, seven-bathroom home on 12 acres was built in 1998. Unfinished, it sat vacant until it went on the market last year. It sold for considerably less than the asking price and is now valued at $1.87 million.
Other church-owned properties in Wildwood include a house on Babler Park Court, one on Wooded Fork Drive, and another on Hickory Run Lane.
The organization also owns several properties in Chesterfield, including a five-bedroom, nine-bathroom home on Timpaige Drive. With two pools and a media center, this home is currently valued at around $2.1 million.
The church also held additional acquisitions on Hager Lane in Chesterfield and a property on Wildhorse Meadows Drive which was sold earlier this year.
The Riverside Time reported earlier this month that a local project manager with Creative Design and Build in Maryland Heights, hired to do work on the home on Timpaige Drive, contacted the city with concerns about the property. The project manager reportedly said: “We told them we had to get permits, [and] they basically threw us off the property. They didn’t want the inspectors passing.”
Justin Wyse, director of planning in Chesterfield, confirmed that someone had called the city and raised concerns about the property. Because the city contracts with St. Louis County for building permit review, issuance, and inspection services, this information was passed on to the county.
“I understand that a site visit was conducted and county inspectors found nothing externally that would indicate a violation,” Wyse said. “We continue to coordinate with the county to ensure that the proper permits are sought for the work and that use of the structure complies with zoning requirements.”
Maureen McNeill, administrator of neighboring Arrowhead Estates, said there had recently been problems with the septic system at the house on Timpaige Drive. The property sat vacant for several years, she said, and although the new owners cleaned it out, they did not update the septic tank. She said she had also heard that a number of people lived there, with a series of beds lined up against the wall.
So far, no activity has been reported on the Hidden Valley Drive property in Wildwood. City Administrator Steve Cross said the city was not aware of any violations and had not received any complaints or calls to police.
According to her website, Taylor has been in global ministry for 26 years. His church provides a number of services, including outreach to those in need, disaster relief and community counseling, as well as miraculous healing ministry and dream interpretation. In 2017, he was honored by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for his volunteer service to the country. Part of the online nomination letter states, “You have been an inspiration to many, and we would like to celebrate the positive impact you are having in improving our communities and the world.”
However, a sample of Facebook posts about Taylor range from a “savior of disease and mental illness” to a “fake teacher swindling money and ruining lives.”
In a book written by Taylor, he claims to teach readers how to “meet Christ face to face in person” and “experience multiple appearances from him throughout life.” He makes a number of claims, including that he has the power to predict the future, such as the big heroin bust in Indiana in 2014 and the 2017 Super Bowl sex trafficking bust in Houston. He even claims to have predicted the unification of North Korea and South Korea after his visit to South Korea in 2013.
In 2017, Taylor was looking for a home for his ministry – Joshua Media Ministries International – and thought he had a deal to buy the former Jamestown Mall property in North County. His plan at the time was to create a religious complex with a shrine, theater, offices, convention center, arena, and hotel. He sued after former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger allowed the Port Authority to take control of the mall.
[Reporter’s note: Kingdom of God Global Church was contacted for comment; however, there was no answer at the phone number listed online for the ministry.]
