It is a small country church that called as pastor a man they believed was God's choice for them. The members are good, salt-of-the-earth folks. Unsophisticated by intent, perhaps even naïve in their innocence, they believed the “man of God” they interviewed would not be untruthful.
But, he was. He was not only a liar, he was also a child molester convicted as such in a neighboring state. The truth finally emerged when a church member received a call from a member of his previous church to alert them to the fact that the pastor was not all he pretended to be. Or rather, that he was more.
This true story didn't happen in Virginia, fortunately, but it could have. Perhaps something very much like it has happened.
The practice of the Roman Catholic Church of moving predator priests from parish to parish while buying the silence of offended parties has, fortunately, been exposed. The duplicity of church leaders has brought a predictable and deserved level of scorn.
Unfortunately, other denominations have been judged guilty by association. The Richmond Times-Dispatch reported on Feb. 24, “The victims' advocates who dogged the Roman Catholic Church over sex abuse by its clergy have turned their attention to the Southern Baptists. The Chicago-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests is accusing America's largest Protestant denomination of also failing to root out molesters.”
Obviously, Roman Catholic clergy are not the only ones who have sexual predators in their ranks. Perhaps the continued insistence on the celibacy of priests figures into the mix somehow, but by no means are other denominations—even ours—unaffected. In the Times-Dispatch article, the case of a Virginia Baptist pastor convicted of taking indecent liberties with a teenager was reported.
As Baptists, we do not have a hierarchical or centralized church structure that appoints clergy to places of service. This means that unlike Catholics, there is no organizational involvement in moving sexual predators from one place where abuses have occurred to another place where they are offered a fresh start in the spirit of redemption.
Also unlike Catholics, the autonomy of Baptist churches enables them to call whomsoever they will as a pastor or staff member. Akin to the Roman Catholic hierarchy, however, Baptist churches believe in redemption—and, they can become guilty of turning a blind eye to abusive sexual predators.
Although there is every reason to believe that the numbers of sexual predators in our ranks are very small, the truth is there is no way of knowing because in some cases churches think they are doing what is best for the pastor, for their church and for the kingdom by not exposing the offense. They trust that the repentance the pastor has demonstrated is genuine and they let them resign and ride off into the sunset—right into another pulpit of an unsuspecting church.
Unlike almost all other professions, pastors and church staff members are vulnerable to a mere accusation of indiscretion. Even if they prove false, rumors are often sufficient to end the fruitful and effective ministry of a committed servant of God. For this reason, laypersons have been understandably protective. Wishing to protect their staff from false accusations and their church from negative publicity, it is no wonder that church leaders have, on occasion, opted to do nothing.
But if they allow a sexual predator to move to another field of service, our churches are guilty of doing exactly what the Roman Catholic hierarchy has done.
While our autonomy is one of our greatest strengths, it can also be one of our biggest problems. Aside from the legal system, there is no way to regulate what happens in a Baptist church. The association or the BGAV can withdraw fellowship from a church, but should the church suffer for what a pastor or staff member has done? We can hope that the church will self regulate according to the teachings of the Bible, but sometimes right and wrong are not absolutely clear.
For example, in the case where a pastor resigns as the result of an accusation of child sexual abuse but maintains his innocence, are church leaders duty bound to pass along that information to a pastor search committee with whom he may interview? If they do, are they opening themselves to a slander suit? Are they bound by law to notify the authorities? If he is innocent, will such a call end his career? Is such a person innocent until proven guilty?
So what is a church to do? How can it protect itself and others? First, when calling a pastor or staff member, don't be naïve. Just because a potential candidate is outgoing, can quote scripture and speaks the language of Zion doesn't mean he or she is genuine. Pastor search committees want to believe that each one whose résumé they have is honest and spiritually sincere. Almost all are. Occasionally, however, résumés contain blatant lies, glaring omissions and intentional misrepresentations about achievements, education and/or personal matters. Check out your top candidate thoroughly. Check to see if schools listed are accredited. Call the schools listed to make sure the degrees have, indeed, been earned.
Call all references, but don't stop there. It is human nature to list references we are sure will say nice things about us. When calling references, go three-deep. That is, ask the references for names of people who know the candidate. Call them and ask them for additional names. By doing this, a search committee gets beyond the layer of close friends who say positive things.
Do a background check to see if any record of criminal offense or sex abuse exists. It is advisable to also do a financial background check because financial difficulties sometimes lead to moral compromises. The empowering leaders team of the Virginia Baptist Mission Board offers a service that checks the backgrounds of pastor or church staff candidates. For information, call Jim Vaught at (800) 255-2428.
Second, in addition to exercising care when calling a pastor or staff member, think ahead about what you would do if an accusation of abuse were leveled at the pastor or a staff member of your church. Keep in mind that an accusation does not make it fact, but also bear in mind the responsibility your church has to be a sanctuary—a safe place—for all its members. It is a good idea to have a policy that in cases of sexual abuse involving children and teens that child protective services will be called. Stand by your pastor or staff member throughout the process. If he or she is innocent, your support will desperately be needed. If he or she is guilty, your support of a different kind will be needed even if it becomes difficult for you to provide it. Make sure that Jim Vaught (mentioned above) knows of the guilt so that person's résumé will not be sent to another church.
Third, develop policies that make sense to protect everyone concerned. Most churches now insist that no child or teen be alone in the presence of only one adult. This may seem extreme, but these are strange times in which we live. Call Diane Smith of the emerging leaders team (800) 255-2428 for help in establishing policies.
Finally, never recommend a person guilty of any kind of sexual abuse to another church. If you are called by a search committee as a reference, be honest. You are not ruining the reputation of that person. You are providing information that church needs in deciding if that is the person God is calling to a position of service among them.
Until every life has been transformed by the love and grace of Christ, “Stay alert …. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove,” is how Jesus put it (Matt. 10:16, The Message). A time is coming when we will never have to worry about such things, but not yet.