Dr. Steven Smith is the lead pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas. IBC is a member of the conservative Southern Baptist Conference and the author of several books. He is also accused of an organizational cover-up, not even informing the congregation why Patrick Andrew Miller left his job at IBC.
The church did the right thing when they first learned of the allegations. That was before Smith became lead pastor. However, when the investigation began, he failed to inform the congregation. He also failed to inform them of the substance of the investigation and the allegations. He argued that telling the congregation would interfere with the investigation, though the opposite is true. Information about an investigation often encourages other victims to come forward since they no longer feel alone.
Moreover, when the second accuser came forward, she claims she was met with disbelief. Darrel Gilyard was once a pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church. So was Mark Aderholt. and recently a woman who volunteered was accused of sending nude images of herself to a 15-year-old boy. The boy’s family did not want to pursue a criminal case and she was reinstated as a volunteer without informing the congregation. Miller’s father is a deacon, meanwhile families of victims are excluded from discussions.
This all allowed Miller to get a similar position at another Baptist church in Oklahoma.
- Arkansas Democrat Gazette: Immanuel Baptist official quit over pastor’s actions
- Church Leaders: SBC Pastor Discloses Years-Old Child Abuse Allegations Against a Former Church Staffer
- Baptist News General: More details emerging of Little Rock church’s abuse problem
January 10, 2024
January 10, 2024