Eight Missouri ministers accused of sex abuse in Southern Baptist Convention report • Missouri Impartial

The Southern Baptist Convention on Thursday released a once-secret and lengthy record of accused sex abusers — several of whom are within the Midwest — within the denomination.

The 205-page listing is a compilation of ministers and different church employees who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse. The listing is described as a “fluid, working document” that was additionally incomplete however largely pulls details about abusers from published information experiences.

The publication of the listing comes after the discharge Sunday of a 300-page report by an independent investigator that described how leaders of the Southern Baptist denomination for decades have received experiences of sexual abuse dedicated by church staff, pastors and others. But these reports were largely stored secret and, fairly than performing upon and investigating reviews of sexual abuse, denomination leaders sought to intimidate and vilify victims and their advocates.

“The entire thing should be seen for what it is,” wrote former Southern Baptist Convention executive committee member and basic counsel D. August Boto in an inner e-mail that was printed within the report. “It’s a satanic scheme to completely distract us from evangelism.”

The disaster rocking the Southern Baptist denomination this week is comparable in many ways to what the Catholic church continues to face. Leaders in both faiths systematically hid information about sexual misconduct, appeared to point out more concern about their own authorized liability than the victims and at instances failed to expel accused abusers from positions of authority.

In 2007, Father Thomas Doyle, a Catholic priest credited as one of the first to warn of his own denomination’s clergy sex abuse crisis, wrote a letter to SBC leadership conveying his concern that Southern Baptist leaders were repeating the failures of the Catholic church in dealing with sex abuse.

Doyle was told, “Southern Baptist leaders actually don't have any authority over native churches,” a response that Doyle regarded as dismissive, in response to the investigative report. 

That same 12 months, at the SBC conference in San Antonio, Oklahoma pastor Wade Burleson made a movement to create a database of Southern Baptist clergy who had been convicted or credibly accused of, or had confessed to sexual abuse. The proposal was meant to “assist in stopping any future sexual abuse or harassment.”

The database proposal appeared to go nowhere, in response to the report, and witnesses on the conference recalled little about it besides to express their opinion that it could “violate native church autonomy.”

In the end, a staffer for the SBC government committee since 2007 had maintained a list of accused ministers and church employees, but it surely was kept hidden from the general public and even SBC govt committee trustees, in line with the report.

Southern Baptist leaders stated publicizing the listing of credibly accused abusers represented “an initial, but essential, step in the direction of addressing the scourge of sexual abuse and implementing reform in the Conference.”

“Each entry in this record reminds us of the devastation and destruction led to by sexual abuse,” stated a joint statement from Willie McLaurin and Rolland Slade, both SBC govt committee members. “Our prayer is that the survivors of those heinous acts find hope and healing, and that church buildings will utilize this record proactively to protect and take care of the most weak among us.”

Legal professionals for the SBC government committee researched the list of accused abusers, taking steps to confirm data it contained. It left unredacted entries about alleged abusers that may very well be confirmed, while redacting entries the place someone was acquitted or didn't have a closing disposition, as well as information that could establish victims.

Missouri men characteristic prominently on the list. They embrace:

This story comes from the Midwest Newsroom, an investigative journalism collaboration together with IPR, KCUR 89.3, Nebraska Public Media News, St. Louis Public Radio and NPR. For extra in-depth news from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, we invite you to observe us on Twitter.