The Black Collar Crime Series relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact Bruce Gerencser. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
James McMillan, the former pastor of several Southern Baptist churches, stands accused of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16. McMillan previously pastored Slaughterville Baptist Church in Lexington, Oklahoma — renamed Cornerstone Baptist Church — and First Baptist Church in Konawa, Oklahoma.
Cleveland County deputies arrested a former pastor accused of lewd or indecent acts to a child under 16, and investigators say there could be more victims.
James McMillan was arrested Tuesday afternoon, and court documents show that there are multiple Department of Human Services and law enforcement cases where he is listed as a sexual abuse suspect dating back to 2003.
His former church members told KOCO 5 that it was about time he was arrested.
“Wasn’t surprised about this, but just sad that there were other victims,” said Lonnie Holland, a former team chairman, treasurer, and youth leader at Slaughterville Baptist Church.
The court documents state that McMillan was traveling with an underage victim on Highway 39 near 120th Avenue Southeast in Cleveland County when they got stuck in traffic. The victim claimed McMillan unzipped his pants and began touching himself in front of the victim.
The Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said McMillan was a former pastor at numerous churches but is not currently employed as one.
In 2014, KOCO 5 interviewed McMillan when he was the pastor at First Baptist Church of Konawa. At that time, he claimed his First Amendment rights were being violated for not being allowed to pray before a high school game.
“This man needs to be locked up in prison where he can’t have any more victims,” Holland said. “He needs to be held accountable for what he has done.”
Holland said he was at Slaughterville Baptist Church when McMillan became the lead pastor around 2018.
“None of the girls felt comfortable with him,” Holland said.
He told KOCO 5 that he heard of allegations against McMillan.
“I knew by what I was hearing that he wasn’t qualified to be a pastor in any way, shape or form,” Holland said, adding that he tried to get McMillan removed. “They voted to keep him. So, at that point, within a week I was gone.”
The Slaughterville church has since been renamed, and church officials told KOCO 5 that they are under new leadership.
Holland said he never contacted law enforcement because he didn’t have evidence of a previous crime. He told KOCO 5, though, that he brought his concerns to the Oklahoma Baptist Conference.
“Told him what I found and basically was told that we were going to get to the bottom of this,” Holland said. “Nothing came of that, as far as I know.”
The Oklahoma Baptist Conference did not return KOCO 5’s calls for comment.
McMillan was arrested again for allegedly sending a nude photo of himself to a 14-year-old girl.
James McMillan, the former pastor of Slaughterville Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Konawa in Oklahoma, who was arrested last month after he was accused of lewd or indecent acts with a child younger than 16, was arrested again on Monday for allegedly sending a nude photo of himself to a 14-year-old girl.
McMillan’s most recent arrest stems from an incident that happened in March 2023, KFOR reported. He is no longer pastoring at any church.
Citing court documents, the 14-year-old’s father said his daughter told him about the photo McMillan sent her and he reported him to local police. It wasn’t until he reached out to an Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics officer in October that he saw any action on the case.
“My daughter had come to me and let me know that she had received a nude picture from a grown man,” the victim’s father recalled.
He explained that his daughter and McMillan’s son had previously attended school together, and his daughter believes McMillan likely used his son’s Snapchat account to look up her name because of her security settings. She eventually accepted a friend request from McMillan.
According to court documents, a friend of the teenage victim alleged that McMillan was a pedophile when she learned of his friend request. The victim countered the allegation, saying that she would screenshot any communication that crossed the line and report it to police.
McMillan soon sent the victim an unsolicited photo of himself flexing in a mirror, to which she responded something to the effect of “trying to get them gains.”
The former pastor then allegedly asked if she might “want to see more” and sent her his nude photo before she could respond.
“He just sent the fully nude picture,” the victim’s father said. “There was no request or anything like that for it.”
When McMillan later learned she was 14, he blocked her on Snapchat, which erased their messaging history. The teenager had the screenshot, however.
“He’s clearly proven that he has a problem with this and won’t, you know, won’t stop,” the victim’s father said. “He’s somebody that’s truly a danger to our society.”
Court documents cited by KOCO News 5 show that the former pastor has been listed as a sexual abuse suspect in multiple Department of Human Services and law enforcement cases dating back to 2003.
In the charges leveled against him in late November, McMillan allegedly unzipped his pants and touched himself in front of an underage minor while driving down a Cleveland County highway. His bond after his arrest on Monday was set at $450,000.
Bruce Gerencser, 67, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 46 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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