Bills associated to sexual abuse investigations within the Southern Baptist Conference since 2021 have value the denomination nearly $13 million to date, in response to a latest report.
SBC Government Committee President Jeff Iorg mentioned at a gathering final month that, as of Christmas Eve 2024, about $13 million has been spent on abuse investigations and authorized prices associated to mentioned investigations since 2021, reviews Baptist Press, the official information organ of the SBC.
In line with Iorg, the SBC EC is trying to safe a $3 million mortgage to assist pay for the authorized prices that occurred throughout the current fiscal 12 months.
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Ultimately month’s Executvie Committee assembly, members permitted a 2025-26 price range, which features a $3 million allocation centered on authorized charges. The permitted price range nonetheless must go on the SBC Annual Assembly in June, reviews BP.
The roughly $13 million in bills included $3.1 million for the Guidepost Options investigation, which culminated within the launch of a highly-publicized report in 2022 detailing how some SBC leaders allegedly mistreated victims of abuse and had mishandled allegations.
One other $3.45 million was spent on the indemnification of Guidepost, in addition to $2.4 million for litigation, $861,000 for the creation of an abuse hotline, $545,000 for normal counsel and $131,000 for authorized assist post-investigation.
Moreover, roughly $2 million was spent as a part of the U.S. Division of Justice investigation of the SBC, which not too long ago closed. Federal authorities didn’t file any abuse-related expenses.
“Earlier immediately, the U.S. Legal professional’s Workplace for the Southern District of New York knowledgeable us that the investigation into the Southern Baptist Conference and Government Committee has formally concluded,” mentioned SBC attorneys Gene Besen and Scarlett Nokes in an announcement final week.
“We’re happy that the matter has been resolved with none expenses or additional expense towards the Government Committee or different SBC entities. It has been an honor to signify and assist the Conference and the EC all through this course of.”
Whereas the DOJ filed no sexual abuse-related expenses towards the SBC, authorities did cost former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Professor Matthew Queen with mendacity to investigators.
Queen pleaded responsible and was sentenced to 6 months of residence confinement, throughout which he can’t go away his domicile besides to get medical care or with permission from his probation officer.
Final September, it was reported that the SBC goes to promote its headquarters in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, partially to assist pay for the bills tied to the abuse investigation.
The seven-story constructing was final appraised in 2021 at roughly $31.7 million. The SBC had spent round $8 million to assemble the constructing throughout the Eighties.
