JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The former pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church was sentenced Thursday to three years in prison on charges that allege he inappropriately touched one underage member of his congregation and sent explicit text messages to another.

Darrell Gilyard pleaded guilty last month to one count of lewd molestation and one count of lewd conduct.

Gilyard agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a sentence of three years in prison and three years of sex-offender probation. If Gilyard had been convicted in a trial, he could have faced 15 years on each count.

Gilyard resigned from Shiloh last year. The church had no comment about the sentencing.

Judge Michael Weatherby formally sentenced Gilyard in a brief hearing that began just before noon -- nearly three hours after it was scheduled. He did not speak during the hearing and would not answer any questions has he was led from the courtroom in handcuffs.

"It is justice because he is being held accountable for his inappropriate relationships with these two and will have to serve a significant amount of time of prison, followed by sex-offender probation," Assistant State Attorney Alan Mizrahi said.