Baptist News Global
Sections
  • News
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Curated
  • Storytelling
    • Faith & Justice >
      • Charleston: Metanoia with Bill Stanfield
      • Charlotte: QC Family Tree with Greg and Helms Jarrell
      • Little Rock: Judge Wendell Griffen
      • North Carolina: Conetoe
    • Welcoming the Stranger >
      • Lost Boys of Sudan: St. John’s Baptist Charlotte
      • Awakening to Immigrant Justice: Myers Park Baptist Church
      • Hospitality on the corner: Gaston Christian Center
    • Signature Ministries >
      • Jake Hall: Gospel Gothic, Music and Radio
    • Singing Our Faith >
      • Hymns for a Lifetime: Ken Wilson and Knollwood Baptist Church
      • Norfolk Street Choir
    • Resilient Rural America >
      • Alabama: Perry County
      • Texas: Hidalgo County
      • Arkansas Delta
      • Southeast Kentucky
  • More
    • Contact
    • About
    • Donate
    • Associated Baptist Press Foundation
    • Planned Giving
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Advertising
    • Ministry Jobs and More
    • Transitions
    • Subscribe
    • Submissions and Permissions
Donate Subscribe
Search Search this site

Some action items emerge from SBC sexual abuse crisis, but is it too little and too slow?

NewsMark Wingfield  |  June 2, 2022

The Southern Baptist Convention’s Sexual Abuse Task Force has issued a series of responses to the recent Guidepost Solutions investigation that range from suggestions to two action items to be considered by messengers to the SBC annual meeting this summer.

The task force response falls far short of the hopes of abuse survivors and their advocates, who believed this could be a moment for immediate and significant reform.

“I don’t give much credence to suggestions and requests because they are toothless,” abuse survivor and advocate Christa Brown told Religion News Service. “They are kicking the can down the road.”

The two specific recommendations are to create an Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force that will operate for three years and to create a “Ministry Check” website and process “for maintaining a record of pastors, denominational workers, ministry employees and volunteers who have at any time been credibly accused of sexual abuse.”

The new task force would take up the baton from the Sexual Abuse Task Force that has overseen the Guidepost investigation.

“Over the course of the Executive Committee investigation, it has become clear to the Sexual Abuse Task Force that the process of implementing meaningful change in the Southern Baptist Convention in the area of sex abuse is beyond the scope of this current task force,” the recommendation said.

Shift in funding strategy

In a called meeting June 2, members of the SBC Executive Committee approved a proposal from the board’s financial team to allocate $5 million in anticipated overage in Cooperative Program giving to fund a response to the sexual abuse report. This came as a request from the Sexual Abuse Task Force.

The total includes $3 million for initial implementation of reforms and $1 million to respond to future legal matters, $500,000 “to endeavor to eliminate all incidents … of racial discrimination among our churches,” and $500,000 to fund further billing from Guidepost Solutions.

The racial discrimination allocation relates to an item in the Executive Committee’s current strategic plan. Previously, the Executive Committee had allocated 10% of any year-end overage to the entire strategic plan, and this action amends that action. William Townes, interim CFO at the Executive Committee, said the other strategic initiatives already have funding.

The June 2 action by the Executive Committee marked a change in funding strategy. To this point, the investigation has been funded by Executive Committee reserve funds, not by general offerings from people in the pew.

As it relates to the sexual abuse investigation and response, the June 2 action by the Executive Committee marked a change in funding strategy. To this point, the investigation has been funded by Executive Committee reserve funds, not by general offerings from people in the pew.

This shift in funding now will go to the June 14-15 convention in Anaheim, Calif., where messengers will be asked to approve the use of general offerings for this purpose. Some Executive Committee members expressed doubts that messengers will approve these expenditures, while others predicted messengers will understand the need.

Townes told Executive Committee members he projects a high likelihood that year-end overage funds will be available. Giving to the Cooperative Program unified budget is running $11.2 million ahead of budget year to date, and he estimates ending the year $8 million ahead of budget. The SBC’s fiscal year runs from October through September.

In a separate action, Executive Committee members approved a recommendation for the 2022-2023 SBC budget that would allocate funding to the new Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force.

Suggestions for action

Working around the Baptist doctrine ofautonomy of the local church has been a barrier to reforms in the past. In Baptist polity, the denomination has no authority to direct a church to do anything. Likewise, each Baptist agency and institution is considered autonomous.

Thus, the task force issued a set of “challenges” for SBC entities and congregations. These include:

  • Asking the Executive Committee to evaluate staffing needs for the Credentials Committee and “hire a designated, trained staff person or independent contractor to receive reports of abuse for the purpose of determining the appropriate church, entity, or association to respond to those allegations.”
  • Asking all SBC entity boards and standing committees to have “training regarding sexual abuse prevention and survivor care as part of their orientation and selection. We further request that the Committee on Nominations complete background checks for every trustee appointed to entity boards and standing committees.” Requiring background checks for those nominated as agency trustees would be a major shift in process, as there currently is no meaningful vetting of trustees.
  • Asking for all denominational workers, volunteers and students to be given “training on sexual abuse prevention and survivor care.”
  • Asking state Baptist conventions to “consider having a designated, trained staff person or independent contractor to receive calls regarding allegations of sexual abuse and provide initial guidance.”
  • Asking that a series of questions on background checks and sexual abuse training be added to the Annual Church Profile that collects basic data from all SBC churches.
  • Asking that state conventions “establish a self-certification program for churches, including ‘best practices’ in survivor care, hiring, investigatory protocols, and training for prevention.”
  • Asking all state entities and committees to “provide training regarding sexual abuse prevention and survivor care to their denominational workers, as well as background checks, as part of their orientation and selection.”

Online database

Of all the recommendations to date, creation of the “Ministry Check” website would be the most direct response to repeated requests from abuse survivors and their advocates. The failure of the SBC to create such a database in the past — despite the revelation that leaders at the Executive Committee had been privately keeping just such a list — has been a primary criticism of the SBC turning a blind eye to abuse.

The task force recommendation explains: “Statistics show that sexual offenders have an 80% recidivism rate. One of the problems in our churches is the ability of abusers to move from one church to another to perpetuate their abuse. This often happens because churches don’t have the means to communicate with one another.”

A small faction of Executive Committee members — including some who have opposed the public nature of the Guidepost investigation — continues to express concern about future legal liabilities created by the investigation and its resulting actions.

A small faction of Executive Committee members — including some who have opposed the public nature of the Guidepost investigation — continues to express concern about future legal liabilities created by the investigation and its resulting actions.

Joe Knott, an attorney from North Carolina, gave voice to these concerns toward the end of the June 2 meeting. Any attempt by the SBC to tell churches how to monitor, report or respond to sexual abuse could backfire, he said, with charges that the SBC didn’t do enough.

“Women and children are going to be victimized no matter how much and that is going to make us potentially targets of great class action lawsuits, which could be the end of the Southern Baptist Convention,” he said.

This echoes the advice of the SBC’s former legal counsel, roundly disparaged in the Guidepost report, that for decades attempted to mitigate all potential liability by claiming no knowledge of sexual abuse in churches.

When messengers convene in Anaheim in two weeks, this is the key question they will address in response to the Guidepost report: How much response is warranted, and what is possible within the bounds of local church autonomy?

 

Related articles:

Guidepost report documents pattern of ignoring, denying and deflecting on sexual abuse claims in SBC

What’s next for recommendations and reforms in SBC sexual abuse study?

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Skype (Opens in new window)
Tags:SBCSBC Executive CommitteeSBC sexual abuse task force
More by
Mark Wingfield
  • Get BNG headlines in your inbox

  • Featured

    • Angels among us

      Opinion

    • Sociologists find LGBTQ United Methodists, allies stay in UMC out of hope

      News

    • If a story is meant to evolve, then so are we

      Opinion

    • He was wrongly put on Death Row and believes you could be too

      News


    Curated

    • Trump’s arrest ‘prediction’ inflames holy war narrative and sanctifies violence — welcome to Trump ’24

      Trump’s arrest ‘prediction’ inflames holy war narrative and sanctifies violence — welcome to Trump ’24

    • German prosecutors examined late pope in abuse probe

      German prosecutors examined late pope in abuse probe

    • Court rehears case to protect Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site in Arizona

      Court rehears case to protect Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site in Arizona

    • Antisemitism on Twitter has more than doubled since Elon Musk took over the platform – new research

      Antisemitism on Twitter has more than doubled since Elon Musk took over the platform – new research

    Read Next:

    Karen Swallow Prior to leave Southeastern Seminary

    NewsMark Wingfield

    More Articles

    • All
    • News
    • Opinion
    • Curated
    • Egged on by evangelical influence, Ugandan Parliament passes harsh new anti-gay bill

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Judge’s dismissal of 36 churches’ lawsuit holds implications for other UMC departures

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • ‘Woke’: I don’t think that word means what you say it does

      OpinionRoger Lovette

    • Why a potential indictment of Donald Trump will matter so little to most of his Christian supporters

      AnalysisRobert P. Jones

    • Increased frequency of church attendance correlates with decreased interpersonal trust

      AnalysisMallory Challis

    • The Russian Orthodox Church is a big loser in the Russian-Ukrainian war

      OpinionAndrey Shirin

    • Barna finds pastors are exhausted and isolated, which could be an opportunity for change

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • On the path to immigration justice, it’s time for Biden to change course

      OpinionSalote Soqo

    • One-third of Northern Seminary students express no confidence in trustees

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • He was wrongly put on Death Row and believes you could be too

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • If a story is meant to evolve, then so are we

      OpinionKaitlin Curtice

    • Paula Faris makes a case for motherhood

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • Sociologists find LGBTQ United Methodists, allies stay in UMC out of hope

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Angels among us

      OpinionMary Alice Birdwhistell

    • Let’s stop treating the dignity of women as a secondary issue good Christians can disagree on

      OpinionRick Pidcock

    • First American woman appointed a missionary beat the system by funding herself

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • An Anglican in Babylon

      OpinionLee Enochs

    • Jimmy Carter leads by example one last time

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Listen to the voices of women

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Karen Swallow Prior to leave Southeastern Seminary

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Acting chair of Northern Seminary board resigns in protest of board’s ‘official silence’ about Shiell

      NewsElizabeth Souder

    • This Women’s History Month, complementarianism is trending on TikTok

      AnalysisMallory Challis

    • Stranger in the Village: James Baldwin and inclusion

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • Amid rampant antisemitism, most Americans think highly of Jews 

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Egged on by evangelical influence, Ugandan Parliament passes harsh new anti-gay bill

      NewsAnthony Akaeze

    • Judge’s dismissal of 36 churches’ lawsuit holds implications for other UMC departures

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Barna finds pastors are exhausted and isolated, which could be an opportunity for change

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • One-third of Northern Seminary students express no confidence in trustees

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • He was wrongly put on Death Row and believes you could be too

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Paula Faris makes a case for motherhood

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • Sociologists find LGBTQ United Methodists, allies stay in UMC out of hope

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • First American woman appointed a missionary beat the system by funding herself

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Jimmy Carter leads by example one last time

      NewsMallory Challis

    • Ministry jobs and more

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • Karen Swallow Prior to leave Southeastern Seminary

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Acting chair of Northern Seminary board resigns in protest of board’s ‘official silence’ about Shiell

      NewsElizabeth Souder

    • Amid rampant antisemitism, most Americans think highly of Jews 

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Two days after filing suit against SBC, ‘Pastor Johnny’ was preaching in Georgia

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • ‘Pastor Johnny’ sues the SBC and Guidepost

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • UMC agency asks to monitor bishop’s case as suspicion rises

      NewsCynthia Astle

    • Polling is shifting on conservatives’ attitudes on immigration

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Denny Burk pushes back against Rick Warren’s new understanding of women in ministry

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • Akin apologizes for tweet about slavery but is chastised by the SBC’s far-right

      NewsMark Wingfield

    • 80,000 Jews have fled Russia since Putin invaded Ukraine

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • Africa’s freelance prophets are breaking free of denominations

      NewsNyasha Bhobo

    • Transitions for the week of 3-17-23

      NewsBarbara Francis

    • CeCe Winans believes it

      NewsMaina Mwaura

    • BSK seeks input on youth and children’s ministries

      NewsPat Cole

    • Alliance of Baptists and others urge Congress to divert military funds to social services

      NewsJeff Brumley

    • ‘Woke’: I don’t think that word means what you say it does

      OpinionRoger Lovette

    • The Russian Orthodox Church is a big loser in the Russian-Ukrainian war

      OpinionAndrey Shirin

    • On the path to immigration justice, it’s time for Biden to change course

      OpinionSalote Soqo

    • If a story is meant to evolve, then so are we

      OpinionKaitlin Curtice

    • Angels among us

      OpinionMary Alice Birdwhistell

    • Let’s stop treating the dignity of women as a secondary issue good Christians can disagree on

      OpinionRick Pidcock

    • An Anglican in Babylon

      OpinionLee Enochs

    • Listen to the voices of women

      OpinionKathy Manis Findley

    • Stranger in the Village: James Baldwin and inclusion

      OpinionGreg Garrett, Senior Columnist

    • How can we say thanks? Reflections on the influence of Andrae Crouch

      OpinionDoug Haney

    • The SBC: ‘They are who we thought they were’

      OpinionKris Aaron

    • Blowing the whistle on wedding fouls

      OpinionBrad Bull

    • ‘Grandmas make the best banana bread’

      OpinionJustin Cox

    • Troubling the water, a gospel for the ‘unmet’

      OpinionBill Leonard, Senior Columnist

    • What has happened to suspended UMC Latina bishop?

      OpinionCynthia Astle

    • When we can’t hear our children’s cries

      OpinionSusan K. Smith

    • How I realized I had been shaped by patriarchal views of pastors

      OpinionTambi Brown Swiney

    • My home state is no longer safe for my family

      OpinionLucas Land

    • Saying the quiet part out loud

      OpinionLindsay Bergstrom

    • Tennessee representative who proposed execution by ‘hanging by a tree’ needs a history lesson

      OpinionRodney Kennedy

    • Letter to the Editor: Call out leaders’ bad behavior

      OpinionLetters to the Editor

    • Three years ago today, our world changed

      OpinionMolly Brummett Wudel

    • Sometimes it’s not a good idea to quote the Bible

      OpinionMark Wingfield

    • Shelter from the storm: The Asbury revival as Woodstock 2.0

      OpinionAlan Bean

    • Lessons from a Hindu wedding: What if the point of evangelism is friendship?

      OpinionSusan M. Shaw, Senior Columnist

    • Trump’s arrest ‘prediction’ inflames holy war narrative and sanctifies violence — welcome to Trump ’24

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • German prosecutors examined late pope in abuse probe

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Court rehears case to protect Oak Flat, an Apache sacred site in Arizona

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Antisemitism on Twitter has more than doubled since Elon Musk took over the platform – new research

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Israel’s Reform rabbi and legislator on judicial overhaul: ‘It doesn’t look good.’

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Israel, Palestinians pledge moves to curb violence ahead of Ramadan

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope promotes ‘humanitarian corridors’ for asylum-seekers

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Tim Keller and Beth Moore, On and Off the Stage

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Alarmed by their country’s political direction, more Israelis are seeking to move abroad

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • 2nd Vatican official says pope OK’d ransom payments for nun

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Across the country, a push to observe Muslim holidays in school calendars

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Far-right Israeli minister finds enemy in JDC, the mainstream American Jewish aid group

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Charter school movement divided over religious Oklahoma proposal

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Racial Justice Leaders Are Calling For An End To Deadly Traffic Stops

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Russian Christians Make Theological Case for Peace

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Preemptive Love Coalition to merge with Search for Common Ground

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Buddhism Went Mainstream Decades Ago. US Churches Still Aren’t Ready.

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • AR-15 lapel pins are more than political provocation — they’re symbols of the violence at the heart of white Christian nationalism

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • US tribes get bison as they seek to restore bond with animal

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Tennessee’s drag ban rehashes old culture war narratives

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • US Hispanic Protestant churches are young, growing and largely new to the country

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Pope Francis’ Decade of Division

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • For American Zionist LGBTQ group, Israel’s right-wing government has created an urgent crisis

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • Bizarre Tweet About Girls’ Bathrooms Backfires On Oklahoma Education Czar

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    • How A Faithful Catholic In Congress Turned Into A Heretic

      Curated

      Exclude from home pageBNG staff

    Conversations that Matter.

    © 2023 Baptist News Global. All rights reserved.

    Want to share a story? We hope you will! Read our republishing, terms of use and privacy policies here.

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • RSS