An SBC Pastor's Statement on Sexual Abuse within the Denomination

I have been a lifelong Southern Baptist, spending my entire 19 year ministry within this denomination, and the last five as pastor of First Baptist Church of Machesney Park, IL. 

Like many, I was heartbroken by the recent reports from the Houston Chronicle regarding sexual abuse within our denomination. At the same time, I applaud the efforts of journalists and victims to bring these stories to light in order that others might not face the same experiences.

Machesney Park is located just miles from the Wisconsin border and there are many within the life of our church who have never been Southern Baptist prior to their membership at FBC. For their sake, and for the sake of anyone else reading this in our area, I want to offer the following statements on behalf of our church. 

1) We express, in no uncertain terms, our absolute abhorrence and sorrow that people who sought refuge, comfort, and guidance from a local church instead faced abuse and victimization. 

2) We absolutely agree with our SBC President, J.D. Greear, that any church "proving a pattern of sinful neglect — regarding abuse or any other matter — should absolutely be removed from fellowship from the broader denomination." While SBC churches are autonomous in hiring staff and creating church guidelines, autonomy is no excuse for the larger body of SBC churches to overlook such negligence and allow them to retain membership and influence within the denomination.

3) At First Baptist Church of Machesney Park, we take diligent steps to protect our members from sexual abuse, including:

• Leaders within our ministries to minors operate in teams where leaders and volunteers are not left alone in dealing with children and teens.
• I have created a system of background checks for volunteers to minors in my last three churches, including at the start of my tenure here at FBC. No one works among our children who has not been properly vetted. 
• As pastor, I do not meet with children unless their parents are present and ensure that meetings with an adult member are not happening alone behind a closed door apart from accountability. 

Jesus came to offer forgiveness to sinners. But that forgiveness must never be wielded as a license to sin or to coerce a victim into silence against an attacker.

In my personal experience, I believe the overwhelming majority of SBC churches to be staffed and served by Christians who unite behind the cause of the gospel. We can prove this by the steps we take from here. I will be at this year's SBC annual meeting with every intention of seeing our denomination create firm procedures to deal with any denominational leader or church that has protected their reputation more than their congregation. Autonomy is no excuse for abuse.