Southern Baptists face push for public listing of intercourse abusers

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

The creation of an “Offender Data System” was one of the key suggestions in a report launched Sunday by Guidepost Solutions, an independent firm contracted by the SBC’s Govt Committee after delegates to final year’s nationwide meeting pressed for an investigation by outsiders.

The proposed database is expected to be one of a number of suggestions presented to thousands of delegates attending this yr’s nationwide assembly, scheduled for June 14-15 in Anaheim, California.

“Those suggestions can be open to questions, debate and comments on the assembly floor,” mentioned SBC President Ed Litton.

He expressed hope that the surprising findings within the Guidepost report will deliver “lasting change” to the SBC, America’s largest Protestant denomination. It has been dropping membership steadily in recent times, while being wracked by inner divisions over race and gender roles.

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

“Our investigation revealed that, for a few years, a couple of senior EC leaders, together with outdoors counsel, largely controlled the EC’s response to these stories of abuse ... and have been singularly targeted on avoiding liability,” the report said.

The motion for an independent investigation was put ahead at last yr’s national 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, as well as leaders prioritizing safety of the SBC from legal responsibility over abuse prevention.

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

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

“I think that’s one of many first things we should always do,” he mentioned.

Lawyer and author 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 identified abusers. She was heartened that Guidepost was recommending such a system, however stated questions remain about its implementation.

“What is completely crucial is that the local church can't function as the default or presumed starting place for a survivor to try to obtain an investigation of clergy intercourse abuse,” she stated via e mail. “If the native church is deemed to be a requisite first stop for survivors to pursue motion, then many survivors’ voices will be choked of their throats before sound is ever uttered.”

Among the many Guidepost report’s findings was that the Government Committee kept a secret checklist of a whole lot of SBC-affiliated clergy and other personnel identified as sex abusers. Brown stated the committee, at a particular assembly Tuesday, should conform to launch this checklist.

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

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

“We saw patterns and things that were deeply regarding,” he mentioned. “Our principal job was to empower Guidepost to do their job, they usually have accomplished a truly outstanding job in the final 9 months to take a look at events that occurred over 20 years.”

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

Frank mentioned the crux of the task force’s recommendations based on Guidepost’s report can be summarized in two phrases – prevention and care.

“Our essential goal must be stopping sexual abuse,” he said. “And if abuse does occur, how can we take care of survivors in a a lot better pastoral manner? How can we higher communicate to verify (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 issues be higher,” Frank mentioned. “SBC is a giant household with 48,000 church buildings. There could be some disagreement on tips on how to make things higher. But I’m confident that we’ll work by way of the difficulties.”

In addition to intercourse abuse, the agenda for the assembly in Anaheim contains 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 officials within 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 carried out,” he added. “We’ve gotten the report, but I think all people in the survivor group that I’ve heard from has stated experiences are one factor, however we’ll see if this household of churches has the braveness 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 Categorical-Information documenting a whole bunch of circumstances in Southern Baptist churches, including several by which alleged perpetrators remained in ministry.

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