Church rejoices as pastor recovers after passing out, hitting head during sermon; ‘It must have been his sugar’

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Tuesday, November 03, 2026

A Georgia congregation rejoiced Tuesday after their pastor was sent home from the hospital just a day after he collapsed and passed out while preaching.

River Road Mission Church in Demorest, Georgia, first revealed in a statement on Facebook just after noon on Sunday that their pastor, Kenneth Taylor, “passed out while preaching” and “hit his head really hard” while calling for prayers.

“He was out for over a minute, unresponsive, and came to just now but still not acting like himself. Ambulance is here at the church now,” the church said.

On Monday, the church noted in an update calling for continued prayer that he was hospitalized overnight so doctors could check his heart because they still weren’t sure what caused him to pass out. On Tuesday, the church declared that “Jesus certainly touched him” as doctor released their pastor and attributed his collapse to “his sugar.”

“We are so thankful and give all the praise to Jesus!! Pastor Kenneth was able to come home yesterday! His heart checked out good, and they said it must have been his sugar that dropped dangerously low, causing him to pass out, go unconscious, and what was causing his heart to be irregular at first,” the church said. “But he is home and doing well now!! He appreciates each and every prayer you all prayed for him; they worked, and Jesus certainly touched him! Thank you all so much for all the love and support you have shown him and Pam the last few days. We love you, Pastor Kenneth!”

According to the church’s website, River Road Mission Church was founded in 1970 by Pastor Taylor’s father, Ed Taylor.

Ed Taylor led the church for 25 years until he died in 1995. In the first four years after Ed Taylor’s death, the church changed pastors twice. They explained that they were praying for a new pastor when Kenneth Taylor answered the call to lead the church his father started on Easter Sunday in 2000.

“After a few years of pastoring at the church his dad built, the church began to grow, and more and more people began to come, so they soon decided it was time to build a new church! So, a couple that went to the church decided to give the church a spot of land which was only a few feet away from the old one,” the church explained. “Soon, they began to build the new church. Now, they have a bigger and much nicer church to worship in. Kenneth is still pastoring the church.”