The Popular pastor of a Bronx church was charged with rape Friday for repeatedly having sex with a girl from his flock - starting when she was 12, prosecutors said.

Michael Clare, the 38-year-old married leader of the Harvest Worship Center in Wakefield, allegedly impregnated the girl, who is now 15, court documents said.

Authorities learned of the abuse in June, when the girl told her parents and police that Clare had sexually preyed on her for years. DNA evidence implicated Clare, prosecutors said.

Clare was arrested June 14 on second-degree rape charges, but the grand jury yesterday upped the charges to first-degree rape.

"He betrayed everyone's trust," seethed one congregant who identified herself only as Kimberly. "What he's accused of doing is sick."

The chrome-domed man of God bills himself on his MySpace page as a "man of great integrity" who is "a paragon, a model of excellence and ideal example of living and preaching the Gospel of Christ."

The website features videos of Clare preaching and pictures of him posing along and with his family.

"Dr. Clare is a devoted father and husband and has a compassion for people from all walks of life," his site boasts.

Clare also is the principal of Harvest Prep, a school run out of the tiny storefront church. "I trusted my kids with him," Kimberly said. "A lot of people did."

Born in Jamaica, Clare began preaching when he was 11, and became a pastor at 26, according to his MySpace page.

"Teacher, Organizer, Visionary - some of the words which only begin to describe the character of this humble servant of God," the site says.

Clare was being held last night in lieu of $50,000 bond.

He faces up to 25 years in state prison if convicted of first-degree rape.