Barry Spears
Introduction
Barry L. Spears, 54, is a former pastor of SonRise Baptist Church in Columbia, South Carolina, who was arrested with his wife Jeri Spears in September 2026 after investigators concluded that more than $200,000 in church money had been spent on personal expenses . Richland County deputies opened a report in June 2025 alleging that Spears had been accepting donations through the church’s nonprofit status and using parishioners’ donations to pay personal bills . He was removed from the pulpit in May 2026, and the congregation has since rebranded as Hilltop Baptist .
Background Information
Spears led SonRise Baptist Church, a Richland County congregation, where he and his wife Jeri B. Spears, known as DeeDee, were the only individuals on the church accounts during the period under review and had complete control of the church finances, according to a statement the church issued after the arrests . The church also operated Hammer Down Ministries, and investigators said funding received for that ministry was routed into SonRise Baptist Church accounts and converted for personal use . ChurchLeaders reported that the alleged misappropriation goes as far back as 2018 and included a motorcycle, payments on a BMW, auto insurance, personal credit card payments, and IRS bills for a pest control company Spears previously owned .
The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation
The case began on June 9, 2025, when Richland County deputies were called about a pastor misusing his church’s collection funds, with the report stating that Spears had been accepting donations through the church’s nonprofit status and using parishioners’ donations to pay personal bills . A three-year financial review by local CPA firm The Hobbs Group found what the church described as “a lack of institutional control concerning church finances, no accountability, no checks and balances to guard against fraud, and found numerous unauthorized expenditures paid from church funds” . Local and federal authorities, including the U.S. Secret Service, then became involved, leading to the arrests .
On September 29, 2026, Barry and Jeri Spears turned themselves in and were booked at the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center . Barry Spears was charged with first-degree violations of the South Carolina Computer Crime Act, forgery of $10,000 or more, and breach of trust with fraudulent intent, while Jeri Spears was charged with obtaining goods under false pretenses of $10,000 or more . Investigators say the money went to personal items including BMW payments and the purchase of a motorcycle, though the Spearses are presumed innocent unless proven guilty .
Public Reaction and Consequences
The congregation acted before prosecutors did: a June 2 Facebook post from the church said Spears had been removed both as pastor and as a member of the church, and the congregation later rebranded as Hilltop Baptist . The church’s post-arrest statement acknowledged that the review had uncovered unauthorized spending and that the couple had controlled the finances alone, a striking admission of governance failure for a congregation now trying to rebuild under a new name . Local coverage in Columbia and in church-media outlets kept the case prominent, with ChurchLeaders noting the case involved donations meant for ministry work being spent on luxury personal purchases . Both Spearses were released on personal recognizance bonds following their bookings .
Current Status
Barry Spears faces three charges — first-degree Computer Crime Act violations, forgery, and breach of trust with fraudulent intent — and Jeri Spears faces one charge of obtaining goods under false pretenses; both cases are pending and no trial outcome has been reported . Both were released on personal recognizance bonds after turning themselves in on September 29, 2026 . The charges are accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Impact on Their Career/Life
Spears’s ministerial career in Columbia is over: he was removed as pastor in May 2026, expelled from the membership, and his former church now operates under a different name without him . The felony-grade fraud and breach-of-trust charges, alongside the church’s public account of years of unchecked spending, leave his standing in South Carolina Baptist circles permanently damaged even before any verdict . For the congregation, the case became a lesson in financial controls, documented in its own statement about the missing checks and balances that let the alleged scheme run for years .