Pastor of Megachurch Found Dead in Hotel Room

Pastor Zachary Tims Jr. was found dead in his hotel room on Friday by hotel employees. He heads an 8000-member ministry called New Destiny Christian Center near Orlando, Florida. He was 42.

He was visiting New York and was scheduled to go to Texas next. When he was found, the doors were locked from the inside and there was no obvious physical trauma to the body. He had an envelope of a white powdery substance in his pants, presumed to be some sort of drug. The autopsy was inconclusive, but we'll have to wait some weeks before anyone knows the results of toxicology.

Rev. Tims is no stranger to controversy. He has had drug problems in his past, but most notably from before he became a born-again Christian and before he started to minister. The public story as to why he no longer took drugs is, to me, dubious. It seemed it was an instant miracle from God and that he was then immediately called into the ministry and got two college degrees. Those who knew him and attended his services say that his method of ministry is different and appealed to young people.

As we all know, there is no instant cure for drug addiction. So, if it is true that he tried to kick it by himself and never got any help for it from a professional facility or counselor, it's unlikely he ever actually quit drugs, or if he did that it lasted very long. So, the fact that he may have had drugs on him or in his system is not too surprising to me. I do find it a little odd that if he was in that room alone and was already taking drugs while in there...that an envelope of more drugs was found in his pants. Why would he need to continue to hide the envelope if he was alone in the room and didn't expect to be disturbed? After all, the hotel staff had to find him. Not a friend, family member, church member, or colleague.

However, the drug thing wasn't an issue in his pastoral life, as it was something that he claimed was in the past and if it wasn't he seemed to have hidden it well until now. But, a controversy that occurred while he was in the ministry business was one all too common with megachurch pastors. He was married, but had an affair.

His affair was with a stripper and when it became public he and his wife, Riva, whom he had four children with, divorced in 2009. However, despite that he seems to have kept in close contact with his family, as Riva is on the record for saying that shortly before he died in New York he was vacationing with them in Puerto Rico.

This sort of controversy, the drugs and the cheating, is not new at all to the megachurch pastors of the United States. And it will not end with this man. Quite personally, I think that these megachurches are scams and so are most of the personal stories they try to sell people to prove that their god is real. It's so rampant that I'm surprised anyone wants anything to do with a megachurch.

But, that's beside the point. I'm sad for his friends, his family, his colleagues, and all those who knew him personally and who are mourning his loss. Whether he was a scam artist or not, he will be missed by many people and it's always tragic when a person dies so unexpectedly, with suspicious circumstances but no real answers.

I hope that the toxicology report can shed some light on the cause of death, since the autopsy could not. Even if it isn't what they want to hear, at least they'll have an answer.