Southern Baptists face push for public listing of intercourse abusers

A blistering report on the Southern Baptist Convention’s mishandling of intercourse abuse allegations is elevating the prospect that the denomination, for the primary time, will create a publicly accessible database of pastors and different church personnel known to be abusers.

The creation of an “Offender Info System” was one of many key suggestions in a report released Sunday by Guidepost Solutions, an independent agency contracted by the SBC’s Executive Committee after delegates to last year’s national assembly pressed for an investigation by outsiders.

The proposed database is expected to be considered one of a number of suggestions introduced to hundreds of delegates attending this year’s nationwide meeting, scheduled for June 14-15 in Anaheim, California.

“Those recommendations shall be open to questions, debate and feedback on the meeting floor,” said SBC President Ed Litton.

He expressed hope that the shocking findings in the Guidepost report will deliver “lasting change” to the SBC, America’s largest Protestant denomination. It has been losing membership steadily lately, whereas being wracked by inside divisions over race and gender roles.

The Guidepost report said survivors of abuse by SBC clergy repeatedly shared allegations with the Government Committee, “only to be met, time and time once more, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some inside the EC.”

“Our investigation revealed that, for a few years, just a few senior EC leaders, together with outside counsel, largely controlled the EC’s response to those reports of abuse ... and were singularly targeted on avoiding legal responsibility,” the report mentioned.

The movement for an impartial investigation was put ahead eventually yr’s nationwide assembly by the Rev. Grant Gaines, senior pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Reading the Guidepost report, Gaines said he was struck by repeated examples of a callous disregard for survivors, in addition to leaders prioritizing protection of the SBC from legal responsibility over abuse prevention.

“We’re at a fork in the street,” Gaines mentioned. “I believe this report provided the knowledge that we would have liked for there to be a groundswell of support to take the best actions.”

Particularly, Gaines mentioned he helps the proposal to create a system that alerts communities to identified offenders.

“I feel that’s one of many first issues we should do,” he mentioned.

Lawyer and writer Christa Brown, who says she was sexually abused as a teen by the youth minister at her SBC church, has been pressing the SBC since 2006 to create a publicly accessible database of known abusers. She was heartened that Guidepost was recommending such a system, however said questions remain about its implementation.

“What is completely critical is that the local church cannot operate as the default or presumed beginning place for a survivor to try to acquire an investigation of clergy sex abuse,” she stated by way of electronic mail. “If the native church is deemed to be a requisite first stop for survivors to pursue action, then many survivors’ voices might be choked in their throats earlier than sound is ever uttered.”

Among the Guidepost report’s findings was that the Government Committee stored a secret listing of hundreds of SBC-affiliated clergy and different personnel recognized as intercourse abusers. Brown stated the committee, at a special assembly Tuesday, should comply with release this record.

“I urge you to make public the whole thing of your listing of pastors & ministers accused of sexual abuse, in no matter kind it’s been stored for lo these many years,” Brown tweeted. “Publish. It. Now.”

The ultimate selections about recommendations to undergo the Anaheim delegates will probably be made by the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Job Pressure, comprising seven members and two advisors. Its work over the past yr has been an emotional journey, said Pastor Bruce Frank, who led the group.

“We noticed patterns and issues that were deeply concerning,” he said. “Our main job was to empower Guidepost to do their job, and they have accomplished a very exceptional job within the final 9 months to look at occasions that occurred over 20 years.”

In the subsequent week or so, the duty drive will carry forth formal motions in “precise language,” which might be made public and presented to the delegates in Anaheim for a vote, mentioned Frank, lead pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church in Arden, North Carolina.

Frank stated the crux of the duty drive’s suggestions based on Guidepost’s report could be summarized in two phrases – prevention and care.

“Our fundamental goal should be preventing sexual abuse,” he mentioned. “And if abuse does happen, how can we look after survivors in a much better pastoral way? How can we higher talk to make sure (abusers) don’t go from one church to another?”

His hope is that this report serves as “a catalyst for change.”

“Any one that is fair-minded will take a look at what’s in that report and demand that things be better,” Frank stated. “SBC is a giant household with 48,000 church buildings. There might be some disagreement on find out how to make issues better. However I’m assured that we’ll work through the difficulties.”

In addition to intercourse abuse, the agenda for the meeting in Anaheim includes election of a new SBC president to succeed Litton.

One of many leading contenders is Bart Barber, a pastor from Farmersville, Texas, who expressed dismay on the mean-spirited behaviors attributed to some SBC officers within the Guidepost report.

If elected, Barber stated in a broadcast interview Monday, “I’m praying that God will give me the wisdom to know what to do.... We’re sailing into uncharted waters.”

“The work’s not completed,” he added. “We’ve gotten the report, however I think all people within the survivor community that I’ve heard from has mentioned reviews are one thing, but we’ll see if this household of churches has the courage and resolve to take action.”

The sex abuse scandal was thrust into the highlight in 2019 by a landmark report from the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Categorical-Information documenting tons of of cases in Southern Baptist church buildings, together with a number of wherein alleged perpetrators remained in ministry.

___

Associated Press faith protection receives help by the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely liable for this content.