Southern Baptist churches

Top Southern Baptist leaders have released a once-secret list naming hundreds of pastors and church workers who have been accused of sexual abuse.

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In response to an explosive investigation, a list has been released of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of abuse.

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The Southern Baptist Convention released a list of pastors and staffers accused of sexual abuse, including close to 40 in Georgia.

The existence of the list was not widely known within the committee and its staff. Our prayer is that the survivors of these heinous acts find hope and healing, and that churches will utilize this list proactively to protect and care for the most vulnerable among us." At least two other people named in the list worked at churches in Augusta. Among those were details of how D. August Boto, the Executive Committee's former vice president and general counsel, and former SBC spokesman Roger Oldham kept their own private list of abusive pastors. It begins with a caution that the information is incomplete and not Southern Baptist specific. They had been convicted or accused of crimes ranging from child molestation and child pornography to domestic abuse.

On May 26, 2022, the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Convention released a list of alleged church-related sexual abuse offenders in response to ...

I believe these biblical guidelines to be a foundational response to the issue of clergy sexual abuse. We are called to be holy people—separated from the moral evils of the world.” As those calling for the SBC to release its list of alleged abusers made clear, this can permit the person to continue abusing others in other churches and cities. Jesus and Paul addressed relational sins within the body of Christ. In addition, clergy sexual abuse is a crime. We are to interpret Scripture in the context of Scripture and respond to specific issues with biblical wisdom. In addition, an independent third party could determine that someone was “credibly accused” by a “preponderance of the evidence.” When churches and ministries become aware of potential clergy abuse, the worst thing they can do is to ignore, attempt to silence, or even vilify the accuser. But it is also the case that leaders can be the victims of false claims as well. In such situations, the victim should be able to go to other trusted ministers and leaders. They deserve to be protected and to be granted anonymity if they wish. For survivors to heal, this kind of validation is an acknowledgment of the truth of the horror of what was done to us.” As a result, we should expect the Enemy to attack Christian leaders with regard to their personal integrity.

The Southern Baptist Convention has released the names of former church leaders accused of sexual abuse. Among those named: more than 30 people from North ...

The church's report names pastors and youth ministers who have been convicted of child pornography, sodomy, solicitation and other crimes.

He pleaded guilty in 2011 to attempted child enticement, served five years in prison and was released. Lawyers for the SBC executive committee researched the list of accused abusers, taking steps to verify information it contained. “Each entry in this list reminds us of the devastation and destruction brought about by sexual abuse,” said a joint statement from Willie McLaurin and Rolland Slade, both SBC executive committee members. Leaders in both faiths systematically hid information about sexual misconduct, appeared to show more concern about their own legal liability than the victims and at times failed to expel accused abusers from positions of authority. The proposal was meant to “assist in preventing any future sexual abuse or harassment.” The list is described as a “fluid, working document” that was also incomplete but largely pulls information about abusers from published news reports.

The list was released after an outside firm said the convention's leaders had been focused on avoiding liability. Among the names is Darrell Gilyard.

• Alexie Kelly, former pastor of Little Rock Baptist Church in Jacksonville, pleaded no contest in 2005 to lewd or lascivious battery involving an underage former church volunteer. The report said an attempted rape complaint was made by a young woman at First Baptist in 1991, but "Dr. Vines was dismissive of her report." “It is our hope that releasing this list places a spotlight on truth and transparency,” the two said. He’s now pastor at Mount Ararat Baptist Church in Jacksonville. He also was a former president of the Northeast Florida Builders Association. Darrell Gilyard, who resigned as pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church during a police investigation in 2008 and was convicted in 2009 of lewd or lascivious molestation of a minor and lewd or lascivious conduct.

The Southern Baptist Convention released a list of pastors and staffers accused of sexual abuse, including close to 40 in Georgia.

The existence of the list was not widely known within the committee and its staff. Our prayer is that the survivors of these heinous acts find hope and healing, and that churches will utilize this list proactively to protect and care for the most vulnerable among us." At least two other people named in the list worked at churches in Augusta. Among those were details of how D. August Boto, the Executive Committee's former vice president and general counsel, and former SBC spokesman Roger Oldham kept their own private list of abusive pastors. It begins with a caution that the information is incomplete and not Southern Baptist specific. They had been convicted or accused of crimes ranging from child molestation and child pornography to domestic abuse.

More than a dozen Jacksonville-area church officials were named in a newly-released list of accused or admitted sexual abusers.

The Convention said in its statement: “Each entry in this list reminds us of the devastation and destruction brought about by sexual abuse. Former pastor of the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville, Darrell Gilyard, was also listed — after 44 women made allegations against him. Among the names of cases that involve an admission, confession, guilty plea, conviction, judgement, sentencing and registered sex offenders.

Three former pastors and a former youth minister in Palm Beach, St. Lucie counties were accused, then convicted of crimes against children.

Johnson is now a registered sex offender living in Miami. He is now a registered sex offender in Palm Beach County. According to the church’s list, it turns out Harris was taking antacids, not pills.

Top Southern Baptist church leaders released a 205-page previously secret and explosive list of hundreds of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel ...

In 2011, Vincent Brookfield was accused of sexually abusing a child between 2003 and 2004. Brookfield was a preacher at Tulsa's New Hope Baptist Church. He was ...

McDonald was the music director at both the First Baptist Church of Dewar in Okmulgee County and Calvary Baptist Church in Sulphur. He pleaded guilty to two charges of sexual battery in 2002. Leal was a pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church in Henryetta. He was arrested in 2011, accused of sexing with a girl he met during church camp. Lowe’s case was not listed on OSCN. Lamberson was a pastor at Liberty Heights Free Will Baptist Church in Tulsa. He was convicted on two charges of lewd molestation in 1992 after prosecutors say he molested a teenager. Hilliard was a former assistant pastor at First Baptist Church in Duncan. He was convicted on five counts of lewd and indecent proposals to a child under 12 in 2018. Jones was a pastor at First Baptist Church of Del City. Jones was initially charged with five counts, but three of those charges were dismissed. Gleason, a former priest at Harmony Star Freewill Baptist Church in Claremore, was convicted on three counts of lewd molestation and one count of sexual battery in 2019. He was released in May 2022 and is a registered sex offender in Oklahoma. Davis is currently on probation. Burchfield was a youth minister at Immanuel Baptist Church in Shawnee. He served six months in prison and is currently serving 10 years probation. Charles Bryan, Junior was a youth volunteer at Chisholm Creek Baptist Church in Edmond. He pleaded guilty and was convicted on three counts of lewd and indecent propositions involving a 15-year-old girl in 2019. Brookfield was a preacher at Tulsa’s New Hope Baptist Church. He was convicted on two counts of child sexual abuse and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Damien Bonner was convicted on two counts of lewd molestation and sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2014.

(RNS) — Southern Baptist leaders began compiling the list in 2007, when the convention was considering creating a database of abusers.

Former SBC President Johnny Hunt, who was accused of abuse in the Guidestone report, posted a letter on Twitter Friday asking his longtime church to forgive him for a “sin” that occurred in 2010. In 2007, a Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary trustee pleaded guilty to “aiding and abetting prostitution.” That same year, an SEBTS student was sentenced for 13 years in prison for abuse of a minor while another student was arrested for abuse of a 10-year-old. That hotline was an interim step while the SBC considers a set of recommendations from Guidepost for future actions. The list included teachers and camp staff, including Michael Phillip Latham, a former camp director at the Glorieta in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and director of a Baptist camp in Louisiana, who was convicted in 2012 for sending obscene photos over the internet. Along with releasing the abuser list, SBC officials have taken a number of actions since the release of the Guidepost report. They also spoke with a counselor who had counseled Hunt and the survivor. As part of Guidepost’s investigation, its staff discovered that nine of the people included on the list may still be in active ministry, including two who have ties to an SBC church. Another former missionary, Mark Aderholt, was convicted in 2018 after admitting to abuse that occurred when he was a seminary student. “Each entry in this list reminds us of the devastation and destruction brought about by sexual abuse. That committee was looking into the possibility of creating a database of Southern Baptist abusers, an idea proposed by Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson at the SBC’s 2007 annual meeting. The list was compiled mostly from published reports about convicted abusers, mostly taken from news stories. Those names were given to August “Augie” Boto, a longtime staff lawyer who spent years trying to shield the denomination from any liability for abuse, according to the Guidepost report.

A report this week about sexual abuse by Southern Baptist ministers shocked evangelical congregations. Former members partly blame the church's refusal to ...

The church's report names pastors and youth ministers who have been convicted of child pornography, sodomy, solicitation and other crimes ...

He pleaded guilty in 2011 to attempted child enticement, served five years in prison and was released. He was sentenced to 17 years in prison. “Each entry in this list reminds us of the devastation and destruction brought about by sexual abuse,” said a joint statement from Willie McLaurin and Rolland Slade, both SBC executive committee members. Lawyers for the SBC executive committee researched the list of accused abusers, taking steps to verify information it contained. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics. Leaders in both faiths systematically hid information about sexual misconduct, appeared to show more concern about their own legal liability than the victims and at times failed to expel accused abusers from positions of authority. The proposal was meant to “assist in preventing any future sexual abuse or harassment.” He was one of several people with ties to Southern Baptists who were named in a report out Thursday. (Kristofor Husted/The Midwest Newsroom) But those reports were largely kept secret and, rather than acting upon and investigating reports of sexual abuse, denomination leaders sought to intimidate and vilify victims and their advocates. “It’s a satanic scheme to completely distract us from evangelism.” The list is described as a “fluid, working document” that was also incomplete but largely pulls information about abusers from published news reports. - Joseph Edmund Conger, former pastor of New Life Baptist Church in Cole Camp and First Baptist Church in Climax Springs, who was convicted in 2009 and sentenced to seven years in prison for statutory sodomy for an incident with a teenager in 2003.