Southern Baptists face push for public list of intercourse abusers

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

The creation of an “Offender Data System” was one of many key suggestions in a report released Sunday by Guidepost Solutions, an impartial firm contracted by the SBC’s Government Committee after delegates to last year’s nationwide assembly pressed for an investigation by outsiders.

The proposed database is predicted to be one among several suggestions introduced to thousands of delegates attending this year’s nationwide meeting, scheduled for June 14-15 in Anaheim, California.

“Those suggestions will be open to questions, debate and comments on the assembly flooring,” stated SBC President Ed Litton.

He expressed hope that the stunning findings in the Guidepost report will bring “lasting change” to the SBC, America’s largest Protestant denomination. It has been losing membership steadily in recent years, while being wracked by inner 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 again, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some throughout the EC.”

“Our investigation revealed that, for many years, just a few senior EC leaders, along with outdoors counsel, largely managed the EC’s response to those reviews of abuse ... and have been singularly targeted on avoiding liability,” the report said.

The movement for an independent 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 mentioned 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 within the street,” Gaines mentioned. “I think this report supplied the information that we wanted for there to be a groundswell of assist to take the correct actions.”

Specifically, Gaines said he helps the proposal to create a system that alerts communities to recognized offenders.

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

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

“What is totally critical is that the native church can't operate as the default or presumed beginning place for a survivor to try to acquire an investigation of clergy sex abuse,” she said via e-mail. “If the local church is deemed to be a requisite first cease for survivors to pursue action, then many survivors’ voices will likely be choked of their throats before sound is ever uttered.”

Among the Guidepost report’s findings was that the Govt Committee saved a secret list of hundreds of SBC-affiliated clergy and other personnel recognized as intercourse abusers. Brown stated the committee, at a particular assembly Tuesday, should conform to launch this listing.

“I urge you to make public everything of your list of pastors & ministers accused of sexual abuse, in no matter kind it’s been stored for lo these a few years,” Brown tweeted. “Post. It. Now.”

The final choices about suggestions to undergo the Anaheim delegates will be made by the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Task Pressure, comprising seven members and two advisors. Its work over the past year has been an emotional journey, stated Pastor Bruce Frank, who led the group.

“We noticed patterns and things that were deeply concerning,” he stated. “Our principal job was to empower Guidepost to do their job, and they have carried out a really remarkable job within the final 9 months to have a look at occasions that occurred over 20 years.”

In the subsequent week or so, the task power will convey forth formal motions in “precise language,” which will likely be made public and presented to the delegates in Anaheim for a vote, stated Frank, lead pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church in Arden, North Carolina.

Frank stated the crux of the task force’s suggestions primarily based on Guidepost’s report will be summarized in two phrases – prevention and care.

“Our primary purpose should be preventing sexual abuse,” he stated. “And if abuse does happen, how will we look after survivors in a a lot better pastoral manner? How can we better communicate 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 who is fair-minded will take a look at what’s in that report and demand that issues be better,” Frank said. “SBC is a giant family with 48,000 churches. There might be some disagreement on tips on how to make issues higher. However I’m assured that we’ll work by way of the difficulties.”

Along with intercourse abuse, the agenda for the assembly in Anaheim consists of election of a brand new SBC president to succeed Litton.

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

If elected, Barber said 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 finished,” he added. “We’ve gotten the report, however I believe all people within the survivor group that I’ve heard from has said experiences are one thing, however we’ll see if this household of churches has the courage and resolve to take action.”

The intercourse abuse scandal was thrust into the highlight in 2019 by a landmark report from the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-Information documenting hundreds of instances in Southern Baptist church buildings, together with a number of during which alleged perpetrators remained in ministry.

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