A former Christian school teacher and youth volunteer at an embattled Arkansas Southern Baptist church has been charged with sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy she met in the church’s youth group.

The development is the latest in a months-long, sex abuse and cover-up scandal at Immanuel Baptist Church (IBC) in Little Rock, Arkansas. Just last month, IBC’s longtime lead pastor, Steven Smith, resigned due to the controversy.

The latest allegations involve Reagan Gray, 26, who volunteered as a youth worship leader at IBC. Gray also was a teacher at Little Rock Christian Academy.

The Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office arrested Gray on April 17 on one count of first-degree sexual assault. Gray, who pleaded not guilty, posted $20,000 bond the same day. 

According to a probable cause arrest affidavit, Gray pursued a romantic relationship in 2020 with a 15-year-old she had met through the IBC youth group. Gray, then 23, “received (the victim’s) phone number from a group chat for the church’s music program,” the affidavit stated. 

Gray then “sent nude images of herself to (the victim) on a daily basis and would expect and request sexually explicit images” of him, the affidavit states. The victim said he “probably” sent nude images to her but did not recall. Gray reportedly sent photos via Snapchat, which automatically deletes photos after a few minutes.

Gray also had “highly inappropriate romantic text” conversations with the minor, which the boy’s parents discovered in August 2020, as previously reported by The Roys Report (TRR). 

The arrest affidavit states that the sexual relationship between Gray and the teenage boy resumed in the fall of 2020, when they began to “engage in sexual contact” in Gray’s vehicle and at Gray’s apartment. “Gray would perform oral sex on the victim (and he) would digitally penetrate Gray’s vagina,” the affidavit states. 

The victim stated to authorities that Gray “would verbally request penial/vaginal intercourse.” But the two abstained from this for him “to stay pure,” stated the victim in the affidavit. 

Authorities charged Gray with sexually assaulting the victim repeatedly between Sept. 1, 2020, and May 31, 2021. The victim told investigators that five to 10 incidents of sexual contact occurred. 

IBC Lead Pastor Steven Smith suspended Gray from her duties in summer 2020 and “required (her) to undergo counseling,” according to an email Smith sent to the congregation last year. However, Gray resumed her youth leadership role months later, according to a letter from IBC Deacon David Choate.

In a statement that Smith issued in January, he said that Gray returning to her leadership role “never should have happened.” Smith added: “It was wrong, and I apologize to those we hurt by allowing it to happen.” 

Starting in November, several deacons called for the resignation of Smith due to his alleged mishandling of Gray’s case and sex abuse involving former IBC Assistant Director of Children’s Ministry Patrick Miller.

According to a report in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Smith stated in a March 27 email to members that the tension within the church “has been very real and very public in recent months.” He concluded, “At present, we do not see this abating, but only increasing.”

TRR reached out to an IBC spokesman for comment on the latest development involving Gray but did not receive a response. 

Last September, following revelations that IBC leaders mishandled the disclosure of abuse, IBC Discipleship Content Director Courtney Reissig, who is also a Christian author, resigned from her position. In an interview, she told TRR that her reaction today is one of “relief and grief.” 

“I feel relief that the truth is coming out, but I feel grief because it didn’t have to be this way,” said Reissig, whose role involved writing student ministry curriculum. “My prayer has been that justice would be served and the truth would come to light. I think the arrest is a step in that direction.” 

Church cover-up ‘allowed abuse to fester’

The church’s recent upheaval has centered on a lack of disclosure by Smith and church leaders of multiple incidents of child sex abuse, including a criminal case dating back nearly a decade. 

IBC Assistant Director of Children’s Ministry Patrick Miller reportedly fondled and sexually abused multiple elementary-age girls during his tenure at IBC from 2014—2016. Miller allegedly would groom them through games of “hide and seek” where they would be locked in darkened rooms at the church.

Parents informed IBC staff of Miller’s alleged abuse in March 2016. However, Smith did not disclose any details to church members until last December, when Miller’s criminal record became public. 

Several deacons, including Choate, subsequently raised the situation with Gray as another example of lack of disclosure. Smith reportedly withheld details of Gray’s misconduct from the congregation for years, putting youth at risk.

“Dr. Smith’s intentional failure to tell the full truth helped to temporarily hide his own mistakes in handling the situation in 2020,” stated Choate in the letter to elders. “But it also critically denied parents of exposed teenage boys the opportunity to talk to their children and learn if they too had been victims.” 

In December, Smith and church leaders reportedly required that a committee of deacons investigating abuse sign an extensive non-disclosure agreement. And, in February, IBC leaders required all deacons to sign a “loyalty pledge,” prompting the resignation of eight longtime deacons. 

Former IBC staff member Reissig, who interacted with Gray in her role, said many churches are “ill-equipped” to respond to abuse incidents and leaders often “quickly shift to self-preservation.” 

“What happened at Immanuel is a symptom of a larger problem both within the SBC, and more broadly in evangelicalism,” said Reissig. “At a minimum, we need better training of our leaders about mandatory reporting laws and requirements.

She urged churches to “root out a culture that allows abuse to fester and stay hidden” and instead embrace accountability, transparency, and “caring for the survivors.”

Christa Brown, a prominent abuse survivor and advocate, told TRR she has seen this pattern of “trying to handle things quietly in-house” often in Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) churches.

“The Southern Baptist sexual abuse crisis is as much about the countless complicit enablers like Steven Smith as it is about the abusers,” said Brown. “And so long as there are little to no consequences for the enablers and cover-uppers, the predators will persist.”

At the SBC Annual Meeting, set for June 9-12 in Indianapolis, churches’ response to abuse is expected to be a significant focus of resolutions and impact the selection of the denomination’s next president. 

In a recent statement to local media, IBC interim executive pastor Mark Carter stated that the church’s Caring Well Team has been informed about the case involving Gray. They would “assess the situation and determine what action steps will be taken,” he said. 

“We are grieved over this situation, hurting for the young man affected, and praying for all involved,” said Carter.

A review hearing for Gray’s case at the Little Rock District Court is set for June 17.

Freelance journalist Josh Shepherd writes on faith, culture, and public policy for several media outlets. He and his family live in the Washington, D.C. area.