Ministry Sexual Abuse

“A church congregation is more than just a group of people; they are a family. In times of crisis, it is crucial to communicate with them personally.” - Phil Cooke

“the Board has retained the law firm of Haynes & Boone, LLP, to conduct an independent, thorough, and professional review of the report of past abuse to ensure we have a complete understanding of the events from 1982-1987” - CPost

“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

“To date, no names appear on the Ministry Check website designed to track abusive pastors, despite a mandate from Southern Baptists to create the database. The committee has also found no permanent home or funding for abuse reforms, meaning that two of the task force’s chief tasks remain unfinished.” - Christianity Today

“In the wake of various sexual abuse scandals, many churches are weighing the importance of background checks in their hiring processes and working to find the way to best protect children within the church.” - The Baptist Paper

“A former Southern Baptist seminary professor and interim provost has been indicted on a charge of obstructing justice in a sexual misconduct case, the Department of Justice announced Tuesday (May 21).” - RNS

Also…

“As he spoke some members from the audience jeered, many carrying signs that read ‘Christ Church Not Welcome Here’ and [worse things].” - RNS

“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

Executive Committee: “While we are grateful for closure on this particular matter, we recognize that sexual abuse reform efforts must continue to be implemented across the Convention” - The Baptist Paper

Reasons included appointing women as pastors and failure to cooperate with the Credentials Committee in doctrinal and sexual abuse inquiries. - BPNews