Arkansas pastor apologizes for not telling congregation ex-church employee accused of child abuse

By Leonardo Blair, Senior Reporter Friday, December 15, 2023

Steven W. Smith, pastor of the more than century-old Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, apologized to his congregation Sunday for not disclosing that a former church official charged with guiding children had been credibly accused of abusing minors at the church while their parents were busy with worship.

The revelation was made hours after the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette published an article about the previously undisclosed allegations against the former church official, Patrick Stephen Miller. Miller served as Immanuel Baptist Church's assistant director of children's ministry until he left the job in January 2016, a year before Smith became pastor of the congregation, the publication reported.

Miller, now 37, was accused of taking a child into a dark closet in 2015 and abusing her. He allegedly sat her on his lap, placed his hands down her pants and beneath her shirt, and sexually assaulted her, the Democrat-Gazette added. He was not arrested until December 2018. In January 2019 he was charged with second-degree sexual assault, a felony, but he only pleaded guilty to misdemeanor harassment in January 2022, which happens when a defendant "strikes, shoves, kicks, or otherwise touches a person, subjects that person to offensive physical contact or attempts or threatens to do so."

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Immanuel reportedly first learned of the allegation in March 2016. Church officials reportedly called the state child abuse hotline and their insurance company, but they did not inform the congregation, according to police records. In 2018, after the child highlighted more details of the allegations, the child abuse hotline was informed again, and the police started an investigation.

"I wish we would have told you about these crimes sooner," Smith said, according to a recording of his remarks cited by the Democrat-Gazette.

"We recognize the importance of treating abuse behavior seriously. We intend to honor Christ in the way we care for anyone who's experienced past abuse," Smith added. "If you have knowledge of any inappropriate behavior with children at Immanuel or anywhere else, please call the abuse hotline of the Little Rock Police Department."

For his crime, Miller received a one-year suspended sentence and wasn't required to register as a sex offender court records show.

In 2022, after learning that Miller was seeking to permanently seal his criminal record, a second child came forward alleging that Miller had abused her, too, but the congregation was not informed.

Joseph Gates, a father of three girls and Sunday School teacher at Immanuel Baptist Church and an attorney representing both of Miller’s accusers, objected to Miller’s motion to seal his criminal record on behalf of his clients on Nov. 9.

"During Sunday night and Wednesday night services, he routinely played 'hide and seek' with his class. This would include Defendant Miller hiding in a darkened and locked closet with one of the students. During these 'hiding' sessions in a darkened and locked closet, Defendant Miller would tickle, grope, and molest the young adolescents he was charged to teach," Gates stated noting that it is likely that Miller will reoffend.

On Monday, Courtney Reissig, another former employee of Immanuel Baptist Church who resigned in September revealed in a statement on Facebook that she resigned over a separate incident of abuse involving a female adult and a male minor that was not disclosed by church leaders.

“In September 2023 I resigned from my role at Immanuel Baptist Church. At the time, I wanted to do it quietly and not cause any harm to the church that I loved. But in light of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette news articles from Sunday and Monday, and the increasing attention to what is happening there, I want to be clear that I am no longer on staff at Immanuel,” she explained.

“Our family began attending Immanuel in September 2019 and I came on staff as Discipleship Content Director in October 2021. Despite my daily and weekly interactions with Doug Pigg and Steven Smith, they never disclosed to me the circumstances of the abuse disclosure from 2022 from the second victim of Patrick Stephen Miller. I was not told of the abuse by him that led to a criminal prosecution, which occurred before my time on staff,” she added.

“As someone on ministry staff, I was not informed about this instance of abuse. My resignation was over other mishandling of situations that were equally troubling. I only found out about these two victims of Patrick Stephen Miller after my resignation and departure. But had I known, I would have stood with these victims. And I stand with them now. The truth must come to light,” she said. “The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord. I believed it every day I served there and believe it now. He will preserve his people.”