Southern Baptists face push for public checklist of sex abusers

A blistering report on the Southern Baptist Conference’s mishandling of intercourse 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 the key suggestions in a report released Sunday by Guidepost Solutions, an unbiased agency contracted by the SBC’s Executive Committee after delegates to final yr’s nationwide meeting pressed for an investigation by outsiders.

The proposed database is predicted to be one among a number of suggestions presented to 1000's of delegates attending this yr’s nationwide meeting, scheduled for June 14-15 in Anaheim, California.

“These recommendations will be open to questions, debate and feedback on the assembly ground,” mentioned SBC President Ed Litton.

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

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

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

The movement for an independent investigation was put forward finally 12 months’s national assembly by the Rev. Grant Gaines, senior pastor of Belle Aire Baptist Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Reading the Guidepost report, Gaines stated 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 highway,” Gaines said. “I feel this report offered the information that we would have liked for there to be a groundswell of help to take the appropriate actions.”

Particularly, Gaines mentioned 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 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 known abusers. She was heartened that Guidepost was recommending such a system, but stated questions remain about its implementation.

“What is completely critical is that the local church can not perform as the default or presumed starting place for a survivor to try to receive an investigation of clergy sex abuse,” she said through email. “If the local church is deemed to be a requisite first cease for survivors to pursue action, then many survivors’ voices can be choked of their throats before sound is ever uttered.”

Among the many Guidepost report’s findings was that the Executive Committee stored a secret list of tons of of SBC-affiliated clergy and different personnel recognized as sex abusers. Brown stated the committee, at a special meeting Tuesday, ought to conform to release this checklist.

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

The ultimate selections about recommendations to undergo the Anaheim delegates will be made by the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Activity Force, comprising seven members and two advisors. Its work over the previous 12 months has been an emotional journey, mentioned Pastor Bruce Frank, who led the group.

“We saw patterns and things that were deeply concerning,” he stated. “Our main job was to empower Guidepost to do their job, and so they have achieved a truly outstanding job within the last nine months to take a look at events that occurred over 20 years.”

In the subsequent week or so, the task power will convey forth formal motions in “precise language,” which will probably 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 mentioned the crux of the duty power’s suggestions primarily based on Guidepost’s report could be summarized in two words – prevention and care.

“Our main aim must be stopping sexual abuse,” he mentioned. “And if abuse does happen, how will we take care of survivors in a much better pastoral method? How can we higher communicate to verify (abusers) don’t go from one church to a different?”

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 big household with 48,000 churches. There may be some disagreement on how you can make issues better. But I’m confident that we’ll work via the difficulties.”

Along with sex abuse, the agenda for the assembly in Anaheim contains 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 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 done,” he added. “We’ve gotten the report, however I believe all people in the survivor group that I’ve heard from has said experiences are one thing, but we’ll see if this household of church buildings 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 Specific-Information documenting tons of of circumstances in Southern Baptist church buildings, together with a number of in which alleged perpetrators remained in ministry.

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