A second Southern Baptist church in South Carolina has made headlines recently for allowing a registered sex offender to participate in congregational ministry.
Ministry Watch reported Aug. 31 that Brookwood Church in Simpsonville recently disqualified an adult male from serving in any capacity in the church, saying: “The man is a registered sex offender in South Carolina who was convicted in Georgia in 1983 for two offenses: Enticing a child for indecent purposes and child molestation.”
Brookwood Executive Pastor of Strategy J.C. Thompson said the man was “forthcoming” about his criminal history when he began attending the church in 1999, and that “church leaders set boundaries for his participation at the church.”
“Those boundaries included prohibiting him from volunteering in children’s or student ministry areas and requiring ministry leaders working with (him) to be fully informed about his background and committed to following the established parameters,” Thompson said in a statement.
In an email to Baptist News Global, a person connected to the church identified the sex offender in question as Jerry Sidell, a former youth minister at First Christian Church in Jonesboro, Ga., sentenced in 1983 to 10 years in prison on multiple child molestation charges.
Thompson’s description of the church’s boundary-setting process with Sidell was misleading, the email to BNG charged, because the restrictions weren’t imposed until after another Baptist congregation in South Carolina was sued in early August for granting a known sex offender unfettered access to children.
Specifically, the 69-year-old Sidell was convicted of enticing a child under 16 for indecent purposes, child molestation and aggravated child molestation, according to the South Carolina sexual offender registry. Florida’s predator registry says Sidell was convicted on four counts of child molestation in addition to the enticement charge.
ProtestantAccountability.org lists Brookwood Church, First Christian in Jonesboro, Rusty Bucket and PrayBefore.org as institutions with which Sidell has or had connections and lists positions held as youth pastor, musician and worship team member. It also gives his denomination as nondenominational and Baptist.
Sidell founded Rusty Bucket Music in Grey Court, S.C. Its website describes the business as “a worship venue dedicated to providing live contemporary and traditional music in order to spread the gospel, to encourage the broken and to mend the broken-hearted. Come as you are and leave changed by the grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Brookwood had “extensive involvement” with Rusty Bucket, with church staff regularly performing and preaching at the venue, according to the email from the person affiliated with the church. Children frequently were present.
At Pawleys Island Community Church last month, five leaders including Pastor Don Williams, his wife and other ministers were arrested and charged due to knowing of the criminal sexual history of a volunteer and not restricting access.
A class-action lawsuit was filed against the South Carolina church, its school and the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention, claiming a sexual predator was knowingly permitted to volunteer as a maintenance worker at Pawley Island Academy despite his criminal history with minors.
The litigation accuses the church and school of failing to provide a safe environment for the children entrusted to their care.
In Brookwood Church’s case, Thompson said the man they banned from ministry had participated in men’s small groups, played keyboard and served in worship ministry. “‘During his time at Brookwood, to our knowledge he has followed the guidelines that were set for him, and we have received no complaints about his conduct.’”
However, Thomas did not respond when he was asked if the church intended to notify the congregation about the man’s registered sex-offender status and his convictions, and whether it would try to determine if and any members had been abused by him.
“It is the vision of current leadership to build and regularly strengthen our policies of pastoring and protecting children to uphold our values and honor God,” Thompson said in a statement. “As part of that commitment, leadership previously reviewed multiple procedures, including those related to safety and security. As a result, the leadership team made the decision that (the man) will not serve in any capacity at Brookwood Church.”
Tony Wolfe, executive director of the South Carolina Baptist Convention, said he was unfamiliar with the Brookwood Church situation but added it appeared its leadership was handling it thoughtfully and prayerfully, Ministry Watch reported.
“Like many churches, they seem to have lived in the tension of allowing a repentant sinner a meaningful place of service in the church and adopting policies that most fittingly ensure the safety and security of others who attend. I am glad to read of their recent decision to update their practices regarding (the man). While salvation in Christ removes every eternal consequence of sin, temporal consequences often remain, including, at least for convicted sex offenders, the relinquishment of leadership in the local church.”