After scathing criticism of its current sexual abuse hotline, the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee launched an alternative help line Aug. 18.
The announcement came from the SBC Executive Committee’s Office for Abuse Prevention and Response. The new hotline is operated through a partnership with the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention and will deliver “gospel-focused” support for survivors, ministry leaders and others, according to a news release.
The new line is available by phone at 833-611-HELP or online at https://sbcabuseprevention.com/helpline.
The previous hotline, which officials said will remain active through the end of the year, is managed by Guidepost Solutions, the firm that conducted the blockbuster investigation into mishandled knowledge of sexual abuse cases within the SBC. That hotline has been criticized on the right by Southern Baptists who believe Guidepost is too welcoming of LGBTQ people and on the left by those who say the hotline is essentially a call to nowhere.
SBC Executive Committee President Jeff Iorg said the new hotline “enhances our efforts at providing Southern Baptist churches and ministries the resources they need to prevent sexual abuse or respond to sexual abuse allegations. … We are putting in place long-term strategies for confronting this pernicious evil because even one instance of sexual abuse is too many.”
Jeff Dalrymple, director of the SBC’s abuse prevention office, is a founding member and former executive director of ECAP, the organization now hired to handle calls. The group shares Southern Baptists’ convictions and values, he said.
According to the news release, the new helpline will respond to the four areas of service:
- Reporting alleged abuse to the SBC Credentials Committee and to appropriate authorities
- Coaching for church-related response to abuse claims
- Offering trauma-informed Christian counseling referrals for survivors, family and caregivers
- Offering guidance for abuse prevention in ministry
Call takers will be available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time, with some after-hours options available.
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