Southern Baptists Settle Lawsuit Alleging Abuse by Former Leader Paul Pressler

Paul Pressler, a former leader known for his influential role in the Southern Baptist Convention, and Paige Patterson devised a strategy in 1967 to take control of the denomination, a effort known as the “conservative resurgence,” according to Christianity Today. In 1978, the two convened a group of ministers at an Atlanta airport hotel and formed an informal network to recruit messengers who would support a president able to use the convention’s appointive powers. Pressler later denied involvement in such a campaign when a reporter questioned him.

In the late 1970s, sworn testimony in a lawsuit that has since been settled described Pressler touching a young man’s penis in a Houston country club sauna, Christianity Today reported. The same report said Pressler allegedly began molesting and raping a 14-year-old boy around the same period. Eight men publicly accused Pressler of sexual misconduct, each using his real name. Pressler consistently denied all of the allegations and fought the lawsuit through legal means.

Investigations by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News later uncovered what they described as credible allegations against 380 church leaders across 20 states. The lawsuit against Pressler prompted that investigation, which led to a report titled “Abuse of Faith,” according to ChurchLeaders.com. Southern Baptists have since reached a settlement in the lawsuit against Pressler, though the available reports do not describe the terms of that settlement.

ChurchLeaders.com reported that the Southern Baptist Convention addressed abuse within its ranks with a litany of lament in 2019 and by authorizing a third-party investigation by Guidepost Solutions. The Guidepost investigation, published in 2022, found that SBC leaders had historically downplayed abuse, mistreated survivors, and sought to avoid liability. The convention then implemented reforms at its annual meeting, including a database to track abusers, but the implementation of those reforms was left to a volunteer committee with no long-term funding.

That database has not produced results so far. A year and a half after launching the “Ministry Check” website, the public database remains empty, with no abusers’ names added. Protecting the vulnerable remains the central concern of such a system (Proverbs 31:8-9).

The investigation also had institutional consequences. According to ChurchLeaders.com, the SBC Executive Committee has lost its permanent leader because of the investigation and has rapidly depleted its financial reserves because of legal costs.