Southern Baptists face push for public listing of sex 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 the key suggestions in a report released Sunday by Guidepost Options, an unbiased firm contracted by the SBC’s Executive Committee after delegates to last yr’s national assembly pressed for an investigation by outsiders.

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

“Those suggestions will be open to questions, debate and feedback on the meeting flooring,” said SBC President Ed Litton.

He expressed hope that the stunning findings within the Guidepost report will deliver “lasting change” to the SBC, America’s largest Protestant denomination. It has been shedding membership steadily in recent times, 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 again, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some within the EC.”

“Our investigation revealed that, for a few years, a number of senior EC leaders, along with exterior counsel, largely managed the EC’s response to those experiences of abuse ... and were singularly centered on avoiding legal responsibility,” the report said.

The movement for an independent investigation was put ahead ultimately yr’s national 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 in the street,” Gaines said. “I think this report provided the information that we would have liked for there to be a groundswell of assist to take the best actions.”

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

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

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 recognized abusers. She was heartened that Guidepost was recommending such a system, however said questions stay about its implementation.

“What is completely critical is that the native church cannot operate as the default or presumed starting place for a survivor to try to get hold of an investigation of clergy sex abuse,” she mentioned through email. “If the local church is deemed to be a requisite first stop for survivors to pursue action, then many survivors’ voices will be choked in their throats before sound is ever uttered.”

Among the Guidepost report’s findings was that the Govt Committee kept a secret record of tons of of SBC-affiliated clergy and different personnel recognized as intercourse abusers. Brown mentioned the committee, at a particular assembly Tuesday, ought to comply with launch this checklist.

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

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

“We saw patterns and things that have been deeply regarding,” he stated. “Our major job was to empower Guidepost to do their job, they usually have accomplished a truly exceptional job in the last 9 months to look at occasions that occurred over 20 years.”

Within the subsequent week or so, the duty force will bring forth formal motions in “exact language,” which will probably 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 said the crux of the duty force’s suggestions based on Guidepost’s report will be summarized in two words – prevention and care.

“Our primary goal must be preventing sexual abuse,” he said. “And if abuse does occur, how will we look after survivors in a a lot better pastoral method? How can we higher talk to make sure (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 mentioned. “SBC is a big family with 48,000 churches. There is likely to be some disagreement on how you can make issues better. But I’m confident that we’ll work via the difficulties.”

In addition to sex abuse, the agenda for the meeting 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 at 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 crusing into uncharted waters.”

“The work’s not completed,” he added. “We’ve gotten the report, but I feel all people in the survivor neighborhood that I’ve heard from has mentioned experiences are one thing, however we’ll see if this household of church buildings 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 Express-News documenting a whole bunch of instances in Southern Baptist churches, including a number of in which alleged perpetrators remained in ministry.

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