Southern Baptist Executive Committee Divided Over Third-Party Access to Past Abuse Case Communications

The Southern Baptist Convention released an investigative report in May 2022, a Sunday release that came nearly a year after 15,000 SBC church delegates demanded that the SBC Executive Committee turn over confidential documents and communications. According to one report, the review examined abuse reports that were purportedly mishandled or concealed since 2000. The SBC describes itself as the nation’s second-largest faith group, with 47,000 independent churches and about 15 million members. Its Executive Committee has 86 members and is based in Nashville, Tennessee.

The committee’s handling of the review has drawn sharp disagreement. According to MinistryWatch, the committee was set to meet for the third time in three weeks and was deeply divided over whether to grant a third-party investigator access to its past communications about abuse cases. MinistryWatch reported that critics have accused the committee of a cover-up, while supporters argue that full transparency could lead to costly lawsuits and jeopardize the denomination’s financial stability. Pastors and seminary presidents, the outlet reported, have publicly called on the committee to resolve the issue swiftly.

Willy Rice, the SBC president, delivered his first address to the Executive Committee calling for ongoing vigilance against abuse, according to The Roys Report. Rice emphasized that churches need to report abuse allegations immediately, and he announced a commission on women in pastoral ministry. He also proposed adding language on gender and sexuality to the Baptist Faith and Message. The Roys Report’s headline describes Rice as once an abuse-reform skeptic. It also notes that, after his June election, Religion News Service reported that Rice had described the SBC abuse crisis as more “hoax than reality.” The source reports do not describe Rice’s own response to that account.

On a Thursday night, the Southern Baptist Convention released a list of more than 700 ministers and church staff who have been accused of abuse, according to Fox Carolina. The source reports do not give the date of that release. Fox Carolina reported that two dozen clergy and other church staff from South Carolina appear in the list. The list had been kept secret until Guidepost Solutions revealed its existence in an investigative report. Publishing the names so that congregations can see them is a matter of protecting the vulnerable (Psalm 82:3). The convention said the list is being made public for the first time as an initial step toward addressing sexual abuse and implementing reform.