Southern Baptists face push for public record of intercourse abusers

A blistering report on the Southern Baptist Conference’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 different church personnel identified to be abusers.

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

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

“Those recommendations might be open to questions, debate and feedback on the assembly flooring,” stated SBC President Ed Litton.

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

The Guidepost report mentioned 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 inside the EC.”

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

The motion for an independent investigation was put forward eventually year’s nationwide assembly by the Rev. Grant Gaines, senior pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Studying the Guidepost report, Gaines mentioned he was struck by repeated examples of a callous disregard for survivors, in addition to leaders prioritizing safety of the SBC from liability over abuse prevention.

“We’re at a fork within the road,” Gaines said. “I feel this report provided the data that we wanted for there to be a groundswell of support to take the suitable actions.”

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

“I feel that’s one of the first things we should always 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 pressing the SBC since 2006 to create a publicly accessible database of recognized abusers. She was heartened that Guidepost was recommending such a system, but mentioned questions remain about its implementation.

“What is totally vital is that the native church can not perform because the default or presumed starting place for a survivor to try to get hold of an investigation of clergy intercourse abuse,” she mentioned through e mail. “If the local church is deemed to be a requisite first cease for survivors to pursue action, then many survivors’ voices shall be choked in their throats before sound is ever uttered.”

Among the Guidepost report’s findings was that the Executive Committee kept a secret checklist of hundreds of SBC-affiliated clergy and other personnel recognized as intercourse abusers. Brown mentioned the committee, at a special assembly Tuesday, should conform to release this listing.

“I urge you to make public the whole lot of your record of pastors & ministers accused of sexual abuse, in whatever form it’s been saved for lo these a few years,” Brown tweeted. “Publish. It. Now.”

The final choices about suggestions to submit to the Anaheim delegates can be made by the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Activity Drive, comprising seven members and two advisors. Its work over the previous year has been an emotional journey, said Pastor Bruce Frank, who led the group.

“We noticed patterns and issues that had been deeply regarding,” he mentioned. “Our principal job was to empower Guidepost to do their job, and they have finished a very exceptional job within the last nine months to look at events that occurred over 20 years.”

In the subsequent week or so, the task power will bring forth formal motions in “exact language,” which can be made public and offered to the delegates in Anaheim for a vote, said Frank, lead pastor of Biltmore Baptist Church in Arden, North Carolina.

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

“Our essential purpose should be preventing sexual abuse,” he stated. “And if abuse does occur, how do we look after survivors in a much better pastoral approach? How can we better talk to ensure (abusers) don’t go from one church to a different?”

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

“Any one who is fair-minded will look at what’s in that report and demand that issues be better,” Frank stated. “SBC is a big household with 48,000 church buildings. There might be some disagreement on the right way to make issues higher. But I’m confident that we’ll work through the difficulties.”

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

One of many main contenders is Bart Barber, a pastor from Farmersville, Texas, who expressed dismay at 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 knowledge to know what to do.... We’re sailing into uncharted waters.”

“The work’s not accomplished,” he added. “We’ve gotten the report, however I feel everybody within the survivor community that I’ve heard from has said stories are one thing, however we’ll see if this household of churches has the courage and resolve to take motion.”

The sex abuse scandal was thrust into the spotlight in 2019 by a landmark report from the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News documenting hundreds of circumstances in Southern Baptist church buildings, together with a number of wherein alleged perpetrators remained in ministry.

___

Associated Press faith protection receives assist via the AP’s collaboration with The Dialog US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content material.