A man arrested in a prostitution and solicitation sting had recently started his new job as senior pastor at Faith Lutheran Church in Bentonville, according to jail records, the church’s website and his website.
A brief statement from the church said Robert Joseph Burnham has resigned.
“We are saddened to hear of the charges brought against Robert Burnham,” the statement said. “Clearly we do not condone this type of action.”
Burnham, 36, was cited in connection with sexual solicitation and loitering, both misdemeanors. He is identified as Joe Burnham on his website and the church website. He was booked under the name Robert Burnham.
AT A GLANCE
Sexual Solicitation
A person commits the offense of sexual solicitation if he or she:
• Offers to pay a fee to a person to engage in sexual activity with him or her or another person
• Solicits or requests a person to engage in sexual activity with him or her in return for a fee
Source: Arkansas Code
He and six others were caught in a sting operation at a Bentonville hotel Wednesday night and Thursday morning, according to a news release from the Bentonville Police Department.
By Friday, Burnham’s website, Twitter page and the church’s website had been closed to the public.
However, the previously public versions of those websites were stored by Google, where they were still accessible Friday.
“Believing there’s something more to life, I seek to look at the world from unique angles, see what could be instead of what is, and live as if I already am where I will someday be,” he wrote on his website. “I do it as a husband, a father, a pastor, and a student.”
According to his website, Burnham has been the pastor at Faith Lutheran since November.
He has a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from Concordia Seminary, and was working toward a doctorate from George Fox University, according to his website.
According to his wife’s website, they moved to Bentonville from Denver at the end of November.
His website mentions attending St. John’s Lutheran Church in Denver, and his LinkedIn page stated that he was a pastoral assistant at St. John’s.
Michael Eckelkamp, the senior pastor at St. John’s, did not respond to voicemail and e-mail messages sent Friday afternoon.
Mike Ingersoll, a member of the local church’s board of directors, said Burnham had been there about a month. Ingersoll declined to answer further questions, referring to the prepared statement.
Burnham’s past experience included a stint as a professor at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Tshwayne, South Africa, according to his LinkedIn page. He had also been pastor or assistant pastor at other Lutheran churches, according to the page.
Two messages left on Burnham’s church voicemail Friday afternoon were not returned, nor was an e-mail message to his wife.