ARITF

The “comprehensive plan for churches to implement abuse prevention protocols and care for survivors, was already put in the hands of thousands of church leaders at the SBC Annual Meeting Indianapolis. But the demand has only grown.” - Baptist Press

“On Tuesday afternoon, June 11, messengers to the 2024 Southern Baptist Convention in Indianapolis overwhelmingly approved two recommendations brought forward by the SBC Abuse Reform and Implementation Task Force (ARITF).” - Baptist Press

“Southern Baptists initiated the work of sexual abuse reform not in response to criminal inquiries or threats of lawsuits but due to an increasing burden and awareness that vulnerable people were suffering harm in many of our churches and institutions, which were vastly under resourced to care for and protect them.” - BPNews

“ ‘The Abuse Response Commission (ARC) is…. being started by a group of concerned, individual Southern Baptists’ who are current and former members of the ARITF.” - BPNews

“That vetting process is ‘presently limited…to determining eligibility … on the basis of prior criminal convictions or civil judgements rendered against accused individuals for sex-based offenses.’” - BPNews

“The SBC Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force says it is preparing to launch a ministry database website as ordered by messengers to the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim.” - BPNews

“The mandate of the ARITF is to provide help for local churches to be as safe as possible for children, teens and vulnerable adults…. the toolbox will put the essentials for prevention and protection into the hands of every church and association.” - BPNews

“they will ‘consider alternative pathways (dividing the work among smaller firms which share [Southern Baptists’] values) to establish and maintain the Ministry Check website.’” - BPNews

“Those who don’t like the Ministry Check database, or don’t want it… may make a motion and undo the whole thing….Readers can avoid being confused or misled by reading the Sex Abuse Implementation Task Force update of February 27th” - SBC Voices

“Blalock, senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Charleston, S.C., and Jon Nelson, ARITF member and lead pastor of Soma Community Church in Jefferson City, Mo., were guests on Baptist Press This Week” - BPNews