MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Rev. Juan D. McFarland is described as a man of "passion, prayer and purpose" in a three-paragraph summary on the website of the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church. The site concludes by saying such an overview "does not begin to tell his story." 
 
 Members of the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, Nathan Williams, left, James Long, center, and Montgomery attorney, Julian McPhillips, right, speak to the press at the Montgomery County Courthouse on... (Associated Press) 
 
 This Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014 photo shows the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala. Montgomery attorney, Julian McPhillips announced that he filed a lawsuit Tuesday against longtime pastor... (Associated Press) 
 
 The sun and clouds are reflected off a glass on the entrance of the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church where a portrait of pastor Juan D. McFarland hangs on the wall on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014, in Montgomery,... (Associated Press) 
 
 Montgomery attorney, Julian McPhillips, left, speaks to the press on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014, in Montgomery, Ala. McPhillips announced that he filed a lawsuit Tuesday against longtime pastor Juan D. McFarland.The... (Associated Press) 
 
 Montgomery attorney, Julian McPhillips speaks to the press at the Montgomery County Courthouse on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2014, in Montgomery, Ala. McPhillips announced that he filed a lawsuit Tuesday against... (Associated Press) 
 
 Parishioners realized just how true that was in recent weeks, when McFarland dropped the bombshells: He had had affairs with several women in the parish — inside the church — but neglected to tell them he had AIDS. 
 
 "It was surprise, shock, but I think the leadership team did not react wanting to get him out. We wanted to get him help," said James Long, vice chairman of the board of trustees. 
 
 McFarland refused — and in a later sermon dropped another bombshell: He had been abusing drugs. 
 
 That was enough. The deacons voted 80-1 to fire him on Oct. 5, but McFarland refused to leave, going so far as to change the building's locks and the numbers of the church's bank account before returning to the pulpit on Oct. 12, Long said. 
 
 On Tuesday, the first business day following his last appearance, the deacons announced that they had filed a lawsuit to force McFarland out. 
 
 In contrast to the website's glowing portrayal of McFarland, the suit accuses him of "debauchery, sinfulness, hedonism, sexual misconduct, dishonesty, thievery and rejection of the Ten Commandments." 
 
 McFarland, 47, has not been charged with any wrongdoing. Knowingly spreading a sexually transmitted disease is a misdemeanor in Alabama punishable by up to a year in jail. 
 
 The lawsuit asks a judge to block him from serving as minister and give them control of the church complex, its bank accounts and a Mercedes Benz furnished for the pastor's use. 
 
 "We are just trying to minister to the flock and get the church back in order," Long said. 
 
 McFarland remained unfazed by the news. 
 
 "I will command the pulpit from this day forward," he said in a brief telephone interview Tuesday. He declined further comment, saying he and his attorney needed more time to review the suit. He would not disclose his attorney's name. 
 
 In a related development, Wells Fargo Bank filed court papers on Tuesday saying that because McFarland sought to change control of the church's bank account, it can't determine who has the rightful claim to $56,211 in the account. It sent the court a check for the full amount and asked to be relieved of responsibility. 
 
 Nathan Williams, chairman of the board of deacons, said the church normally has about 170 members show up each Sunday. 
 
 Only about 50 heard McFarland's most recent sermon. Williams and other church leaders said they went elsewhere to avoid any confrontation. 
 
 In the sermon, McFarland recounted stories from the books of Matthew and Luke about Jesus healing people. 
 
 "Sometimes the worst times in our lives is when we have a midnight situation — and we are in a midnight situation," he said. "When you pray, you've got to forgive. You can't go down on your knees hating somebody, or wishing something bad will happen to somebody." 
 
 An attorney for the church leaders said the sermons need to end. "He needs to get the message that he needs to be gone," attorney Julian McPhillips said. 
 
 Court records show McFarland had two marriages end in divorce after wives filed suit to end the unions. Neither complaint mentioned allegations of adultery or other wrongdoing. 
 
 Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1919. McFarland became pastor in 1990, and the church built a new complex near Alabama State University in 1993. 
 
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 Associated Press Photographer Brynn Anderson contributed to this report. ||||| An Alabama minister who shocked his congregation by confessing he had sex with church members while afflicted with AIDS is now being sued. The congregation of Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Montgomery voted 80-1 on Oct. 5 to dismiss Rev. Juan Demetrius McFarland as pastor, but he refused to give up the pulpit and presided over services Sunday. Deacons who tried to oust him filed a lawsuit on Tuesday asking the court to order McFarland to vacate the church, citing his "debauchery, sinfulness, hedonism, sexual misconduct, thievery and rejection of the Ten Commandments." 
 
 The deacons' lawyer, Kenneth Shinbaum, said they feel threatened by a McFarland supporter, Marc Anthony Peacock, who allegedly vowed to enforce "castle law" if they showed up again. "Most of the membership is scared to go to church right now," Shinbaum said. "They don't want someone to shoot them." Peacock told NBC News the allegation was "incorrect" and declined to comment further. 
 
 In a series of Sunday sermons, McFarland reportedly admitted to a series of misdeeds, including using drugs, misappropriating church funds and adulterous affairs on church property while he had full-blown AIDS. He confirmed the disclosures to NBC affiliate WSFA but has not spoken publicly about the scandal. McFarland did not respond to numerous requests for comment and it's not clear if he has an attorney. 
 
 The deacons claim McFarland changed the locks on the church and switched the bank accounts to his name. Nevertheless, there were about 50 people in the pews when he delivered a sermon on healing on Sunday. Shinbaum said that it appears many of those in attendance were outsiders, but McFarland "does have a few supporters." 
 
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– Despite a vote to oust him, pastor Juan McFarland has refused to leave his church in Montgomery, Ala.; now, deacons are suing to fire him. McFarland admitted he'd had affairs with parishioners on church property—without telling them he has AIDS, the AP reports. At that point, "we wanted to get him help," says a church official. But he refused, and next he acknowledged drug abuse, finally prompting the deacons' 80-1 vote to remove him on Oct. 5. Instead of leaving, he changed the Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church's locks and its bank account number. Yesterday, the deacons announced a lawsuit against him asking a judge to force him out; it points to "debauchery, sinfulness, hedonism, sexual misconduct, dishonesty, thievery, and rejection of the Ten Commandments." "I will command the pulpit from this day forward," says McFarland, 47. He hasn't been charged with a crime, though the knowing spread of an STD is a misdemeanor in the state. Meanwhile, deacons are concerned for their safety, their lawyer says. A backer of McFarland, one Marc Anthony Peacock, allegedly said that if the deacons return to the church, they'll face "castle law," NBC News reports; Peacock denies the claim. But "most of the membership is scared to go to church right now," says the lawyer. "They don't want someone to shoot them." Some 50 people attended McFarland's Sunday sermon; normally, about 170 people attend on Sundays, says the chairman of the board of deacons.