MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — Bernard Kenerson felt abandoned.
For years, the 68-year-old worshipped at Solid Rock Church in The Market Common in South Carolina alongside pastor John-Paul Miller and his wife, Mica Miller — earning a leadership post in October that gave him more access to the charismatic preacher.
Kenerson has since left Solid Rock, troubled not only by Mica Miller’s April 27 suicide but John-Paul’s demeanor in the days that followed. He also wonders about Solid Rock Ministry’s $5.59 million real estate portfolio and the inner workings of the church that, even as an elder, he says were kept from him.
“Your only option, if there was a problem — especially a problem with him (John-Paul) — the only option you had was to leave, and to leave quietly,” Kenerson said last week in a lengthy sit-down interview with NewsNation affiliate WBTW’s Edward Moody.
Nothing was off limits during the conversation, including Kenerson’s status as a registered sex offender, and, for the first time, insight into John-Paul Miller’s private reaction in learning of Mica Miller’s death, the state of Solid Rock’s congregation and whether he thinks the church can survive.
Mica Miller’s body was found at Lumber River State Park in Robeson County after she called 911, and the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office ruled her death a suicide.
John-Paul Miller faces no charges and was in Charleston at the time of her death, authorities said. However, his alleged abuse of Mica Miller — which included putting GPS trackers on her car, slashing her tires and leaking an explicit photo of her online — has Mica Miller’s family considering a wrongful death lawsuit.
Kenerson, who resigned from Solid Rock on May 4, counts himself among those who think that Mica Miller’s suicide was not because of mental illness as John-Paul Miller said in a sermon after her death.
“This isn’t some attack from the enemy, attack from Satan, attack from just some people that got mad and left the church,” Kenerson said. “I’ll just say it. I believe it’s the judgment of God coming down.”
Church elder recalls learning of Mica Miller’s death
Kenerson said he got a phone call from John-Paul Miller’s assistant at about 11:15 p.m. the night she died.
“She sounded sad, distraught, and told me that she was on the way to JP’s house, and that I had to get a message ready for Sunday morning,” Kenerson said. “I remember one of the first things I said was: ‘This is bad. This is really bad,’ and then I just sat down to concentrate on a message.”
Less than 10 minutes later, he received a text message saying that John-Paul Miller planned to take the pulpit on Sunday morning.
“I didn’t think it was a good idea,” Kenerson said. “I wasn’t necessarily surprised.”
Why church elder left Solid Rock church
Three days after that sermon, Kenerson was attending an elder’s meeting during which Solid Rock’s leaders were urged to stand by John-Paul Miller and weather the turmoil born out of Mica Miller’s death.
Charles Randall, John-Paul Miller’s spiritual advisor and “overseer” of the church, was a key figure in that meeting.
“He was like, ‘we’ll get through this and be stronger than we were,'” Kenerson said, describing him as “protective” of John-Paul Miller and the church.
As reports of John-Paul Miller’s alleged abusive behavior began to circulate in the media, Kenerson said he was “appalled.”
“Just stuff that’s come out that he’s admitted to, I mean for somebody that’s not even a Christian, those things are appalling and shouldn’t happen,” he said. “And for somebody that’s a Christian even more so, and for some who’s a pastor, even more so. He wasn’t the man that I thought he was.”
Kenerson said John-Paul Miller kept a thick notebook documenting all of Mica Miller’s health issues and would page through it at times. That, Kenerson said, was part of his manipulation in controlling the narrative around his wife.
“The biggest hurt I experience is Mica’s death,” Kenerson said. “Whatever it turns out, I don’t know whatever happened with that, I’m looking forward to the full investigation and us getting to the truth about that.”
As recently as a “month ago,” Kenerson said Solid Rock’s two services would draw nearly 700 people. These days, according to Kenerson, it’s about less than 50.
Solid Rock’s silence on Mica Miller questions
WBTW has reached out multiple times to John-Paul Miller, an attorney representing him and Solid Rock. They have yet to respond to requests for comment.
Kenerson said he wasn’t surprised by the ministry’s decision to close ranks but doesn’t think it will sustain it.
“It seems like them, but it’s like, ‘wake up,'” Kenerson said.
He also offered details for the first time about Solid Rock’s decision to buy a small airplane — saying those talks began months ago. Solid Rock Ministries registered its Cirrus SR-22 with the FAA on May 9.
“The plane was going to serve the purpose of him going around and talking at different churches,” he said.
Kenerson’s status as a registered sex offender
Kenerson was convicted of indecent acts with another in March 1991 when he was in the Army. Under South Carolina law, he’s been eligible to be released from the registry since 2021, but he said he has had difficulty gathering all the necessary paperwork.
WBTW was unable to confirm through the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division which tier Kenerson fell under, but the conviction places him as a Class II offender.
He’s required to register biannually until he is removed from the list.
“There’s nothing illegal about a sex offender to be involved with a church,” he said. “You’ve just got to make sure you’re not involved in a situation where you’re involved with children. If I’m in a public place where there’s children, I have no stipulation on my registry where I can’t be in a public place where there’s children.”
Kenerson’s future as a church member
Kenerson said his experiences at Solid Rock were an “eye-opener” and that they could keep him from ever going back to a church.
“I’ll stand on the fact that I was there doing what the Lord led me to do and I was concentrating on the word,” he said. “It’s going to be hard for me to get involved with another church after this experience.”