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By Roxana Hegeman

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The pastor of the church whose leaders include the suspect in the BTK serial killings talked to Dennis Rader in jail Wednesday and told him he will continue to be a part of the congregation.

"We are not going to cut him off. I could tell that he was relieved," Michael Clark, pastor of Christ Lutheran Church in Wichita, told The Associated Press. "He is still a part of the body of Christ _ and that is something some people will have a hard time hearing."

Clark declined to disclose more details of his 45-minute conversation with Rader, citing confidentiality as his pastor. They spoke a day after Rader was formally charged with 10 counts of first-degree murder in the serial killings that have haunted Wichita for the past three decades.

"His demeanor seemed to be OK," Clark said. "He seems to be handling things as well as he can."

For now, Rader remains president of the church council _ although he will eventually have to relinquish some church leadership positions, Clark said.

Since the BTK killer's first slayings in 1974, investigators have searched for the man who gave himself the "Bind, Torture, Kill" nickname and taunted police with letters and packages sent to media outlets. BTK had been wanted for eight killings for years, but when authorities announced Rader's arrest Saturday they alleged he also had committed two other murders, the latest in 1991.

The case has shaken Clark's church since Friday, when detectives arrived with a search warrant and informed the pastor of Rader's arrest in connection with the BTK killings.

Clark was so dumbfounded he asked detectives to repeat their information three times. He gave police a list of 10 to 15 people, including Rader, who had access to the church computer.

Rader used the computer at least once, when he printed out a council agenda in late January, Clark said. The pastor said he had to show Rader how to put the disk into the computer and use it.

A diskette authorities say was sent by the BTK killer to a television station apparently contained an electronic imprint that identified the church computer, Clark said.

Clark also said that he learned from Rader's family later that police had taken a DNA sample from Rader's daughter, but he did not know any other details. He stressed that the daughter did not turn her father in as a local media outlet had reported.

The Rader family, which has been in seclusion, may be ready to make a public statement in a week or so, he said.

For now, the pastor wants to focus on helping his congregation through these "dark times."

Although he looked haggard as he prepared for Wednesday evening church services, Clark said, "This will be a source of power and strength in our congregation. ... I don't think we have to be victims _ I think we can come out stronger."

A preliminary hearing has been set for March 15 for Rader, who appears unlikely to face the death penalty.

Rader has yet to be charged with a slaying that occurred since Kansas restored capital punishment in 1994. Additionally, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled the state's death penalty law unconstitutional in December over a provision on how juries weigh evidence for and against execution.

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