Prominent Detroit pastor accused of sexual assault claims innocence

A well-known Detroit pastor has been charged with sexually abusing a minor in Farmington Hills. The incident allegedly occurred in December.

The Rev. Kenneth Flowers, 63, pastor of Greater New Mount Moriah Baptist Church in Detroit, was arraigned Friday in Farmington Hills District Court on charges of sexual abuse by force and sexual assault with intent to commit sexual penetration. According to court records, Flowers remained silent and a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. He was released on $25,000 bail. That means he doesn’t have to post cash or bail, but will owe the court $25,000 if he fails to appear for further proceedings in the case.

The maximum penalty for sexual abuse is 15 years in prison and the maximum penalty for sexual assault is 10 years.

When I reached Flowers on Monday evening, his only comment was: “I deny all of these allegations and that is all I have to say.”

Maurice Davis, who is listed in court records as Flowers’ attorney, did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

According to police and court records, Flowers committed the alleged assault on December 20, 2023, and was arrested the same day. Court records and a source familiar with the case indicate the suspect was a 17-year-old male who lived in Flowers’ Farmington Hills neighborhood.

The Oakland County District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the case, and few other details were available in public records Monday. More information about the allegations against Flowers will come to light at a scheduled preliminary hearing on Aug. 7, unless Flowers decides to waive trial. At a preliminary hearing, prosecutors typically present their strongest evidence, sometimes including witness testimony, against someone accused of a crime. If a judge decides there is enough evidence to go to trial, the case is sent to district court, where a judge or jury will hear testimony, review evidence and reach a verdict.

Flowers has been pastor of Greater New Mount Moriah since 1995, where he replaced the legendary Reverend Benjamin Hooks, the longtime executive director of the NAACP. The church’s website says it has 1,000 members, and Flowers is described as “a civic and social activist on human rights issues” with an international reputation.

He is so highly regarded that Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan appointed him to the city’s Ethics Board in 2019. However, he did not last long in office because he was deemed ineligible after it was discovered that he lived in Farmington Hills.

Flowers was known for his advocacy for leaders of other faiths, and his church’s website states that he was the “first pastor ever at Greater New Mt. Moriah to grant women permission to preach and ordain them as deacons.”

The church’s website also states that Flowers’ gala, which marked his 25th anniversary as a minister of the gospel, “was featured in Jet Magazine and was attended by Mrs. Coretta Scott King, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Reverend Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks, Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick. Noted TV/radio personality Tavis Smiley paid tribute to his friend in a video.”

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit Judge Damon Keith once said of Flowers, according to the Michigan Chronicle, “My job as a federal judge is to understand people, and when I saw him and talked to him, I knew immediately that we have a Christian superstar in our ranks. That’s wonderful. He succeeded Ben Hooks, and they had to select (a new pastor), someone with the potential to carry on the tradition of Ben Hooks, and I’m very proud of him. He’s involved in the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, the Black Pastors of Detroit, and I’m just so proud.

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