Married youth pastor, former Compassion International volunteer recorded woman as she showered: police
Daniel Kellan Mayfield, a married youth pastor at First Baptist Gowensville in Landrum, South Carolina, who states on his LinkedIn profile that he's also an event coordinator for global Christian humanitarian aid agency Compassion International, has been fired from his role at the church after admitting to secretly recording a woman, who is not his wife, from her bathroom window as she showered.
“On May 27th, 2023, First Baptist Gowensville leadership was made aware of an incident of moral misconduct perpetrated by one of our staff members. Proper authorities were notified immediately, and the employee was terminated from his role,” the church announced in a statement on its website. “Due to the nature of the investigation, FBC Gowensville refers all questions to the law enforcement authorities involved. We remain dedicated to providing a safe worship environment and will be ever vigilant in protecting all persons involved in any of our events.”
An incident report cited by Fox Carolina said the woman was showering at her mother’s house in Greenwood on Saturday when she observed a light outside the bathroom window. When she checked to see what was happening, she saw Mayfield, 35, standing alone in the backyard.
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The woman and her sister told police that they confronted Mayfield about what he was doing in the backyard, and he denied it at first. He eventually confessed to recording the woman while she was showering and gave her his phone so she could view the video.
Mayfield also admitted what he did to police after they were called in and he was taken to the Greenwood County Detention Center and charged with voyeurism.
An official at the Greenwood County Sheriff’s Office told The Christian Post on Thursday that Mayfield was released but she could not provide any further details on the case because it is still an active investigation.
According to the Law Office of James R. Snell Jr., “voyeurism is a serious criminal offense that, while similar to the act of illegally recording someone, is classified as a sex crime in South Carolina.”
“An individual is guilty of voyeurism when they knowingly view, photograph, record, film, or otherwise produce digital content of another person engaging in sexually explicit activities without their knowledge and consent,” Snell’s office adds.
The crime is classified as a misdemeanor or felony under South Carolina's Code of Laws.
A first offense is treated as a misdemeanor punishable by a maximum fine of $500 and up to three years in prison. A second offense, however, is a felony under the law and is punishable by a maximum fine of $5,000 and up to five years in prison.
Mayfield’s LinkedIn page says he has been working with Compassion International since November 2013. His profile on First Baptist Gowensville’s website also states that he works at Compassion International as an event director.
Tim Glenn, global public relations director for Compassion International, told The Christian Post via email that the organization is aware of the allegations against Mayfield and that he lists Compassion as his employer on his LinkedIn profile. “However, Mr. Mayfield has never been directly employed by Compassion International,” he said.
“He was employed by a company that Compassion contracted for marketing events, from 2013-2014,” Glenn added. “He has also served as a volunteer at some Compassion marketing events until 2016. Though he applied for a position with Compassion, he was never hired. As a ministry with child protection at the very core of our mission, we are obviously distraught over these accusations against a former volunteer, and pray for justice and peace for the alleged victims in this matter.”
The company Compassion contracted with for mobile events that Mayfield worked for is called Brewco Marketing Group.
Brewco Marketing Group did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CP on Friday.
Mayfield became First Baptist Gowensville’s youth pastor in May 2016 after graduating from North Greenville University with a degree in journalism. Prior to that, he worked with several youth-focused ministries, including Student Life in Birmingham, Alabama, and Child Evangelism Fellowship in Spartanburg, according to the church’s website.
Kent Smith, an associate pastor at First Baptist Gowensville, who only started working at the church in June 2022, confirmed that the same day the church learned of the allegations against Mayfield, the church made the decision to cut all ties with him.
“We all got called in a meeting and it was right then and there we decided the firing,” Smith told CP.
Smith said the allegations against the former youth pastor who has no children with his wife was a “shock” to the church community.
“I don’t know him as well as everyone else that has been here for years but that’s it. [Shock]. When you know somebody for years like that, that’s the reaction people have,” Smith said.
When asked to describe what Mayfield was like on the job, Smith said he presented himself “like a youth pastor” but declined giving any “personality profile.” He said the youth in the church are still processing the arrest and the church is ministering to Mayfield’s family while adjusting to life without him in their community.
“He handled a lot of [the work] on our website so we are picking up a lot of logistical pieces like that now,” Smith said. “We’re learning how to work it.”
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