Southern Baptists face push for public checklist of intercourse abusers

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

The creation of an “Offender Information System” was one of the key suggestions in a report released Sunday by Guidepost Solutions, an independent agency 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 anticipated to be one among several recommendations offered to 1000's of delegates attending this yr’s nationwide assembly, scheduled for June 14-15 in Anaheim, California.

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

He expressed hope that the stunning findings within the Guidepost report will bring “lasting change” to the SBC, America’s largest Protestant denomination. It has been dropping membership steadily in recent years, whereas 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 Govt 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 many years, a few senior EC leaders, along with outside counsel, largely controlled the EC’s response to those experiences of abuse ... and were singularly targeted on avoiding liability,” the report said.

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

“We’re at a fork within the highway,” Gaines stated. “I feel this report offered the knowledge that we needed for there to be a groundswell of assist to take the appropriate actions.”

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

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

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 identified abusers. She was heartened that Guidepost was recommending such a system, but stated questions remain about its implementation.

“What is totally vital is that the native church cannot perform as the default or presumed beginning place for a survivor to try to acquire an investigation of clergy sex abuse,” she said by way of e mail. “If the native church is deemed to be a requisite first cease for survivors to pursue action, then many survivors’ voices will be choked of their throats earlier than sound is ever uttered.”

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

“I urge you to make public the whole lot of your checklist of pastors & ministers accused of sexual abuse, in no matter form it’s been kept for lo these a few years,” Brown tweeted. “Post. It. Now.”

The final decisions about recommendations to submit to the Anaheim delegates will probably be made by the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Job Power, comprising seven members and two advisors. Its work over the previous 12 months has been an emotional journey, stated Pastor Bruce Frank, who led the group.

“We noticed patterns and issues that were deeply regarding,” he stated. “Our essential job was to empower Guidepost to do their job, and they have executed a truly remarkable job within the last nine months to look at events that occurred over 20 years.”

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

Frank said the crux of the duty power’s suggestions based on Guidepost’s report can be summarized in two words – prevention and care.

“Our foremost purpose must be stopping sexual abuse,” he stated. “And if abuse does occur, how will we take care of survivors in a much better pastoral manner? How can we better communicate to ensure (abusers) don’t go from one church to another?”

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

“Any person who is fair-minded will take a 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 could be some disagreement on easy methods to make issues higher. But I’m assured that we’ll work through the difficulties.”

Along with sex abuse, the agenda for the assembly in Anaheim includes election of a 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 in the Guidepost report.

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

“The work’s not performed,” he added. “We’ve gotten the report, however I think everybody in the survivor community that I’ve heard from has mentioned experiences are one factor, but we’ll see if this household of church buildings 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 Categorical-News documenting hundreds of instances in Southern Baptist churches, including a number of wherein alleged perpetrators remained in ministry.

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