Southern Baptist Abuse Helpline Offers Support to Victims and Guidance to Pastors

Reporting an allegation of abuse in a church can be confusing and even intimidating, according to a Baptist Press report by Scott Barkley. One resource available to victims and ministry leaders is a helpline operated by the Evangelical Council for Abuse Prevention (ECAP) in partnership with the Southern Baptist Convention’s Abuse Prevention & Response office.

Manny Keyser, a pastor of Parkwood Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., and executive director of ECAP, said many people still hesitate to report. “People need to act faster. They may be afraid they’ll make a report that’s not right, but we remind them we’re not investigators. We’re not the police or judges. We are people who want to report allegations so those things can be taken care of and vetted out.”

Live personnel can be reached at 833-611-4357 (HELP), and email responses are available through an address listed in the report or through online forms. Calls placed from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday, are answered by a live voice. Outside those hours, someone responds within 24 business hours, said Jeff Dalrymple, who directs the SBC’s Office of Abuse Prevention & Response. “That initial call-taker is going to triage the call,” Dalrymple said. “We’re trying to gather all the information to figure out who is calling, what they are reporting, who is involved, what church is involved, the urgency of the situation, whether law enforcement has been notified, etc.”

ECAP also provides coaching for ministry leaders through the helpline. Some callers are victims who describe abuse that occurred decades ago and who only now feel able to speak. “You want to provide empathy and respect for those legacy cases,” said Keyser, who has a background in counseling and traumatology. “There are instances where someone was traumatized by a pastor, staff member or maybe a family member on a church campus. They never reported it, but something that happened recently brought it back, so they call the helpline.” Keyser described one case involving a woman in her senior years who shared her story of abuse from when she was a child. Protecting those who cannot defend themselves is central to the work, a concern reflected in Proverbs 31:8-9.

Chris Pruitt, pastor of Hillcrest Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., consulted Florida Baptist Convention leadership and used the helpline’s resources when two separate allegments related to former staff came to his attention. He said police were already involved in one of the cases. “The main thing I want pastors to know about the helpline is that it’s there,” Pruitt told Baptist Press. “We don’t think it’s going to happen at our church, so we don’t pay attention to resources like this until we need them. There were emails and other things promoting it; I just didn’t listen.” He said the support “took a lot of pressure off me. At first, I felt like I was on my own, and there was this heaviness of trying to do it right.”

ECAP provides information on differing state laws and how they apply to reporting sexual abuse, Keyser said. After a call comes in, staff ask a series of questions. “First, we assess the situation and try to get more of the history,” Keyser said. “We want to really find out if everything has been reported. Are the victims safe? Have the authorities responded yet? Once we find out everyone is safe, then we find out what the pastor or the person reporting needs.” A victim’s call may also include help interacting with law enforcement, encouragement toward counseling and, in some cases, help finding an attorney.

Keyser discouraged pastors from handling allegations alone and urged them to prepare in advance. “Get someone else to build a response team,” he said. “We provide a communication plan and coaches for churches. You don’t want to do anything that hinders an investigation or hurts the victim. Work to keep trust among your people.” Churches that use the program are assigned a coach who stays with them as long as needed. “This program is custom-built for churches, so there isn’t another one like it,” Keyser said. “We started with the basics of frontline worker training, which includes abuse prevention training, mandatory reporting and crisis communications.”

Source: Read the original report