The Southern Baptist Conference ended the affiliation of seven church buildings following experiences from an abuse hotline launched in Might 2022.
SBC Government Committee President Jeff Iorg gave remarks on Monday to members of the committee during which he mentioned the SBC’s response to claims of abuse inside member church buildings.
For the reason that hotline was launched in Might 2022, it has acquired 1,008 contacts, of which 674 had been abuse allegations. Of that quantity, 458 (68%) had been allegations involving Southern Baptists, whereas 216 (32%) weren’t in regard to the SBC.
Get Our Newest Information for FREE
Subscribe to get day by day/weekly e mail with the highest tales (plus particular presents!) from The Christian Put up. Be the primary to know.
From the hotline allegations, in line with Iorg, 128 circumstances had been referred to the SBC Credentials Committee, with the entity having investigated or within the strategy of investigating all circumstances.
Iorg mentioned that, in consequence, seven church buildings had been deemed to be “not in pleasant cooperation” with the SBC and had been faraway from membership “based mostly on their responses to the Credentials Committee on these points.”
“Sexual abuse is a severe and actual downside,” mentioned Iorg. “And when it occurs, it’s devastating for the survivors, the church, the group, and each one that is concerned.”
“Each church should make each cheap effort to stop sexual abuse and reply proactively when it occurs. We’re dedicated to those requirements on the Government Committee: no tolerance for abuse, and each church a secure place for the weak.”
Iorg warned the chief committee members that “the hotline knowledge doesn’t outline the complete scope of the issue” and that the SBC should stay “ever vigilant” on the problem.
“Whereas we absolutely acknowledge reported incidents of sexual abuse, we additionally reject the false narrative that ‘Southern Baptist church buildings are harmful locations for kids,’” Iorg continued.
Iorg famous that whereas the hotline reported a median of 13 contacts and 5 referrals per thirty days over the previous two years, this was out of roughly 12 million Southern Baptists and 47,000 member church buildings.
Though Iorg didn’t identify the seven church buildings that had been disfellowshipped over the previous two years, the Baptist Press reported that Grove Highway Baptist Church in Greenville, South Carolina, and West Hendersonville Baptist Church in Hendersonville, North Carolina, had been disfellowshipped in February 2024 for his or her alleged mishandling of sexual abuse claims.
In 2022, Guidepost Options launched an in depth report concluding that SBC leaders had mishandled sexual abuse allegations in opposition to church buildings, engaged within the intimidation of victims and resisted efforts to make church buildings safer, primarily to keep away from authorized legal responsibility.
For the reason that launch of the Guidepost report, the SBC has pursued varied efforts to enhance its response to credible allegations of abuse inside member congregations.
Final September, for instance, the SBC EC voted to launch a division that will deal with and stop sexual abuse inside member congregations. This got here in response to a vote on the SBC’s Annual Assembly in June that referred to as for the creation of a everlasting entity for abuse response and prevention.
Jeff Dalrymple, the previous government director of the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention, who can be a Southern Baptist, was appointed by the chief committee to move the brand new division.
