Southern Baptists face push for public checklist of sex abusers

A blistering report on the Southern Baptist Convention’s mishandling of sex abuse allegations is elevating the prospect that the denomination, for the primary time, will create a publicly accessible database of pastors and different church personnel known 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 independent firm contracted by the SBC’s Govt Committee after delegates to last yr’s national assembly pressed for an investigation by outsiders.

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

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

He expressed hope that the surprising findings within the Guidepost report will bring “lasting change” to the SBC, America’s largest Protestant denomination. It has been dropping membership steadily lately, while being wracked by inside 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 again, with resistance, stonewalling, and even outright hostility from some throughout the EC.”

“Our investigation revealed that, for a few years, a couple of senior EC leaders, along with outdoors counsel, largely controlled the EC’s response to those experiences of abuse ... and have been singularly focused on avoiding legal responsibility,” the report said.

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

Studying the Guidepost report, Gaines said 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 in the road,” Gaines said. “I believe this report supplied the data that we wanted for there to be a groundswell of support to take the proper actions.”

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

“I feel 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 urgent the SBC since 2006 to create a publicly accessible database of recognized abusers. She was heartened that Guidepost was recommending such a system, but stated questions stay about its implementation.

“What is completely vital is that the native church can not function because the default or presumed starting place for a survivor to attempt to receive an investigation of clergy sex abuse,” she mentioned through e mail. “If the native church is deemed to be a requisite first cease for survivors to pursue motion, then many survivors’ voices shall be choked of their throats before sound is ever uttered.”

Among the Guidepost report’s findings was that the Executive Committee saved a secret record of a whole bunch of SBC-affiliated clergy and different personnel identified as sex abusers. Brown mentioned the committee, at a particular meeting Tuesday, should agree to release this list.

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

The ultimate decisions about recommendations to undergo the Anaheim delegates will be made by the SBC’s Sexual Abuse Process Pressure, comprising seven members and two advisors. Its work over the past yr has been an emotional journey, mentioned Pastor Bruce Frank, who led the group.

“We saw patterns and things that had been deeply regarding,” he mentioned. “Our primary job was to empower Guidepost to do their job, and so they have executed a truly exceptional job in the final 9 months to look at events that occurred over 20 years.”

Within the subsequent week or so, the duty power will deliver forth formal motions in “precise language,” which shall be made public and introduced 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 task force’s suggestions based on Guidepost’s report could be summarized in two words – prevention and care.

“Our main aim ought to be preventing sexual abuse,” he stated. “And if abuse does occur, how will we look after survivors in a a lot better pastoral way? How can we better communicate 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 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 family with 48,000 church buildings. There could be some disagreement on the right way to make things better. But I’m assured that we’ll work by 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 the main contenders is Bart Barber, a pastor from Farmersville, Texas, who expressed dismay at the mean-spirited behaviors attributed to some SBC officers within the Guidepost report.

If elected, Barber mentioned 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 achieved,” he added. “We’ve gotten the report, but I feel everybody within the survivor group that I’ve heard from has mentioned stories are one factor, however we’ll see if this family of churches has the braveness and resolve to take action.”

The sex abuse scandal was thrust into the highlight 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, including several by which alleged perpetrators remained in ministry.

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