The Forth Worth Star Telegram has published a four part series detailing a culture of sexual abuse within the Independent Fundamental Baptist Network. The series was written by Sara Smith. She reported on the Paige Patterson situation earlier this year, and, from my research, has been a leading journalist in exposing abuse in religious institutions and denominations.
If you have time, go read the series. It is scary. The Star Telegram interviewed over 200 people who were subjected to all kinds of abuse including rape, intimidation, and underage sex. The perpetrators, in most cases, were never prosecuted, but were quickly shuffled to another church within the network. This is not the Catholic church, these are our distant cousins and the accusations are coming closer and closer to home. What should we do? I have five suggestions:
- Pay attention: The #metoo movement has impacted various personalities within our denomination, not our denomination as a whole. that doesn’t mean our denomination has no secrets, or that a culture similar to the Fundamentalist Baptist Network cannot develop within our churches, conventions, and associations. When I was a teenager, our church hired a pastor who had cheated on his wife at three different churches. When he was discovered having an affair, he would shuffle off to the next church, rinse, and repeat. We have to pay attention to this issue. Satan would like nothing more than to catch us off guard.
- Be on Guard: I was reading the report and was amazed at how many of the perpetrators and their enablers were allowed private audiences with underage female church members. We cannot take that risk. I know pastors who continue to meet alone with females. That is never wise, and in today’s culture it’s foolish. How many stories like this do we need to read before we stop putting ourselves in compromising positions. We make Satan’s work easy when we take foolish risks. If you’ve been meeting alone with a female who is not your wife or a family member, cut it out.
- Update our policies: I have a friend who led his church in updating all of their policies concerning sexual abuse allegations. He also updated various counseling policies for his own protection. He has set the example for me, and in 2019, I’m going to lead our church to update our policies. Updating our policies facilitates discussion amongst the rank and file in our pews. They also protect the accuser, giving them a safe process and outlet to share their accusations, and they protect the accused against false accusations. We need to update our policies because discussion brings accountability, gets things out in the open, and puts this issue on the radar. The overwhelming issue with The Fundamentalist Baptist Network, according to the Star-Telegram, is a lack of accountability and a culture of intimidation and silence.
- Listen: When we hear an accusation, we need to listen and take the accuser seriously. That doesn’t mean we jump to convicting the accused, but The Star Telegram gives details of a shaming culture. the accusers were shamed into silence, and in several cases, the Bible was used to shame these accusers.
- Stay away from the Pedestal: The Fundamentalist Baptists have a pedestal for their pastors. Their pastors, according to the Star-Telegram report, are seen as next to God. The wield unquestionable authority. We cannot put our leaders on a pedestal. I appreciate Dave Miller’s series on criticism. Earlier this year, our denomination experienced what happens when one of our leaders falls off his pedestal. We should always feel free to Biblically criticize our leaders.
- Communicate: The Star-Telegram reports a culture of sweeping accusations under the rug, and transferring accused ministers out of state to other churches, often in the same ministry positions, given alleged perpetrators access to underage girls and children. This can happen in our denomination as well. It probably has happened. For example: a youth minister is accused of improper conduct with one of the youth. The pastor is informed. The pastor speaks with the youth minister and determines the accusations are false, but he advises the youth minister to resign. The pastor, not wanting to ruin the ministry of a dynamic youth minister, recommends him to another church as their youth minister. Or worse yet, the pastor calls the authorities, and they find the accusations credible, but the youth and her parents do not press charges and the pastor, not wanting to ruin the ministry of a dynamic youth minister, recommends him to another church as their youth minister, and the cycle begins again. How can we stop this? There should be a denomination wide group, organization, database where churches report and receive reports about verified incidents of sexual misconduct. Yes, I said verified, not alleged or rumors. there has to be something we can do to better communicate with each other.
This report scared me because it had the word Baptist in it. If you think this kind of culture does not exist in our own denomination, you have your head in the sand. It exists in our denomination. It may not be as wide spread as in the Fundamentalist Baptist Network, but it is there. Sara Smith, and other journalists like her are doing an outstanding investigative job. They are uncovering a culture of sin, and holding our leaders accountable. This report and others like it should serve as a warning to us.
The Star Telegram articles are troubling. They should be read by SBC pastors and staff. I appreciate Tony pointing to them. Permit me to react in a couple of comments:
1. It’s no defense to say that the SBC isn’t IFB, but the cultures are different. The extreme pastoral authority and legalism present in IFB churches is not present in any SBC church I know. I am unaware of any true fundies who comment or contribute here. The similarities include autonomy and the presence of networking among pastors and leaders. This creates the climate for similar reactions to child sex abuse.
2. The old BG rule, not being alone with females is not a workable solution. Single staff church pastors generally do not have this option. Child protection policies should always include the ‘two adult rule’ in regard to children and students.
3. It should be stated clearly, loudly, and often that an accusation of abuse should be reported to authorities. The pastor should be informed but there is no option of the church investigating and dropping the matter. It’s a crime not to report. States vary somewhat but usually within a matter of a day or two the appropriate agency must be contacted.
4. If law enforcement finds a crime but cannot prosecute because of the refusal of the victim to cooperate, then that report should follow the perp.
There are complex issues but we should fall on the side of protecting children in our churches.
I agree with you all the way except #2. I’m the only staff at my church and I have the option. I just have to get more creative sometimes.
The problem in these discussions is that similar matters are lumped together. It is prudent for the pastor to be perspicacious about his interactions with adult women other than his spouse. The Star Telegram pieces all dealt with crimes, abuse of children, I think. Children we presume not to be capable of protecting themselves so we create environments and protections that accomplish this.
You’re right. That presents an entirely different problem though the two can be related. It’s easier to keep oneself from being alone with kids because the parent is usually around. I’m curious as to how the perps in the articles got these teenagers alone. Where were their parents?
“Where were their parents?” I suspect they were lulled into senselessness because they have such absolute allegiance to and unquestioning trust in the pastor.
Tony – my dad was a small church pastor. His solution … my mom. And a quick editing note, her name is Sarah.
Agree with William on this. Maybe not for all the same reasons, but saying more would probably bring people out to tear apart my opinions and I’m not in a mood for that lately.
Updating our policies facilitates discussion amongst the rank and file in our pews. They also protect the accuser, giving them a safe process and outlet to share their accusations, and they protect the accused against false accusations.
Can you please help flush this out?
I am very curious as to what specifically
Thanks in Advance
Look at d2l.org. I believe they have some sample policies
The SBC has extensive treatments of these things, including policies. A list of resources is available at SBC.net, LifeWay, and GuideStone and probably all state conventions. Start with SBC.net:
http://www.sbc.net/churchresources/sexabuseprevention.asp
There are now several commercial products available. My church uses MinistrySafe (https://ministrysafe.com/), as does thousands of churches and non-profits, several of the SBC seminaries. It is not necessary to buy a product to implement child protection services, though it may be helpful in certain situations.
There is an excellent resource called ‘Stewards of Children’ put out by Darkness to Light that educates volunteers and staff with a two.5 hour video based training. It is excellent and very affordable. The SBC lacks resources in this area. The Missouri Baptist Children’s Home, where I serve as a Regional Rep’ sponsors this conference for Missouri Churches. We have a grant to bring it to any MBC church or Assoc for FREE through July 2019.
Tony suggests: “There should be a denomination wide group, organization, database where churches report and receive reports about verified incidents of sexual misconduct. Yes, I said verified, not alleged or rumors.”
Abuse victim advocates demand the SBC create an independent investigatory body at the SBC level that would receive and investigate reports of abuse in SBC churches and by SBC clergy. Tony restricts this to “verified, not alleged or rumors” but that eliminates any value the body would have. Who verified it? Authorities? Then there is already a conviction or at least a public report on the accusation and investigation, this should follow the accused.
The SBC Executive Committee has a report (http://www.sbc.net/pdf/2008ReportSBC.pdf) on creating a database and the SBC response to abuse. It’s worth reading. Perhaps the new study group can improve on solutions from that decade-old report. The underlying facts have not changed: The SBC has no churches, hires no clergy, has no power to compel any church to cooperate with any investigatory group, cannot order any church to fire their staff, etc. Autonomy is a reality not an excuse.
There has to be some solution to the problem, and this is how it generally presents itself in our tradition, of clergy being shuffled off to other churches after abuse allegations.
These are some of the articles that have appeared here on this subject:
https://sbcvoices.com/the-sbc-ought-to-do-something-about-clergy-sex-abuse/
https://sbcvoices.com/how-to-track-clergy-sex-abusers/
https://sbcvoices.com/is-it-ever-too-late-to-call-police-when-sex-abuse-is-reported/
https://sbcvoices.com/outside-of-the-local-church-who-can-do-anything-about-sbc-clergy-who-are-sex-abusers/
I think all of us are open to new ways to look at this issue and new solutions.
Number 7 – call the police.
In situations where there could be any involvement of a minor, it is imperative to call the police.
Number 8 – don’t exercise church discipline against or otherwise threaten people who report sexual abuse of minors to the church or police. Eg CJ Mahaney and SGM.
Number 9 – don’t give platforms to pastors or other leaders who enforce cultures where reporting to police is wrong and will get you disciplined, or attack former members of that pastor’s congregation who left because of the way molestation reports were handled. Eg T4G.
Number 10 – don’t be so quick to engage and restore the perpetrator and either ignore the victim or threaten the victim if they don’t go along with restoring the perpetrator. Eg. TVC and Matt Chandler.
Number 11 – learn how to truly do background interviews of people who would work at or volunteer for the church.
Number 12 – take meaningful actions (see above) and avoid actions that are not likely to be helpful and are counterproductive. Eg Databases.
I have spoken against databases many times in many forums. The biggest reason it would be the wrong thing to do because it is misleading and ineffective. It appears to promise to be a solution and an aid when it is not.
A database is also counterproductive because it would threaten the SBC’s missions ministry, which is the only reason churches give to the SBC in the first place.
I appreciate this as a thoughtful, concrete list of cultural changes churches can make. Big thumbs-up, Louis.
This may be a different topic for a different article, but as churches and our denomination gear up to respond to this threat, I have this feeling that there is a danger of us being too scared of allegations to minister to our communities. We probably aren’t anywhere near actually doing that yet, but the root attitudes that could cause that situation will take root early.
For example, how do you all feel about surveillance systems in churches. I know of a church that soon plans to have almost 70 cameras in their building, including covering every classroom in the youth, children’s and preschool area. Is this overkill and therefore a waste of God’s resources? Should we all be willing to spare no expense in preventing abuse? With this and other means of protection, is there ever a “We’ve gone too far?”
Any major hotel you have ever walked into has these surveillance systems in place for public traffic areas. Schools are doing the same thing. So long as they are observing public areas, I fail to see the problem.
As to expense; technology is increasing and making these systems more affordable. If the church thinks this is the best way to combat abuse, go for it.
I see your point. However, when secular business practices are brought up in the context of church business one of the first reactions one will hear is, “This is a church and we’re different.” Does that not apply in this context too? What part of our theology governs our security practices? Is security an end unto itself and therefore it justifies whatever expense we can spare it?
I dont see any church busses being used in the NT. Certainly bus transportation is a’secular bsiness rctice;
How about accounting practices or hiring a contractor or social media?
Sorry for not responding sooner, was not checking here over the weekend.
Yes, the church should be different; but sinners sin and to believe we shouldn’t have “that” sin (whatever that may be) is naive at best and dangerous at worst. You seem to be (seem mind you) reacting to the loss of privacy. What expectation to privacy should I have in a church Sunday School class? I am teaching other people: be it adults, teens, children, nursery; I want anyone and everyone in the church to know what goes on in my class. I’m not saying if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear. I’m saying the church is responsible to protect her attendees as best she can. If a church believes a camera in the classroom does that so be it.
I don’t think any expense is justified as an end unto itself. But, if a church deems security a priority, has the funds to implement the security they deem necessary, and then spends those funds towards that end; then I fail to see the problem. I don’t see that expenditure as any different than a: new sound system, new carpet, a van, a bus, etc.
Years ago before I became the pastor at my current church the church opened a daycare. Immediately there was a window put in every room of the church, everybody who worked with anyone under the age of eighteen had to undergo a background check, and the policy was always call the police if any accusation of sexual abuse came forth.
As a pastor who is the only staff member I have a policy to never meet with anyone under the age of eighteen or an adult female alone without someone at least present in the building. This has caused inconveniences, like sitting outside in the hot weather with a young lady waiting for her fiancee to get here for premarital counseling, but she understood and it protects both me and her. I never actually realized until recently that other pastors and churches did not follow these same or similar protocols. Just my two cents.
Tony, you wrote of “..a culture of sexual abuse within the Independent Fundamental Baptist Network.” Since that is capitalized I assume that is some kind of actual organization? I didn’t find it online by Googling or in the Star Telegram articles — but also was not able to read all of them because it limited the number I could read since I’m not a paid subscriber.
Thanks!
That is more unofficial. There is (or was) an IFCA but I am not sure how strong it is anymore. I think KJV Onlyism and other things have caused some splintering.
This seems to be mostly pastors associated with Jack Hyles and Hyles-Anderson College.
My limited experience with IFB pastors is that many times they have better networking and fellowship among independent churches than SBC pastors do with an association. Most IFB churches (that i encountered in NC) work together, sadly, as well as or better than our churches in association.
Robert Vaughn:
I was in the Independent Baptist world for a while – 3 or so years.
What I recall is that they have “fellowship” groups. Southwide Baptist Fellowship was one I remember. They would hold preaching conferences etc.
Their missions boards are separate organizations. ABWE, BIMI etc.
I was an Independent Baptist for a number of years but couldn’t swallow KJV onlyism anymore and being divorced meant I would have a snowballs chance in a jacuzzi of pastoring. In IFB you have different “camps” usually centered around either a pastor, a church, or a bible college. You had the Hyles camp, The PCC Camp, The Sword of the Lord camp, and maybe now you have the Paul Chappell camp and the Clarence Sexton camp. One thing I heard alot when I was IFB is that Nashville controls SBC churches, but I have found that in these camps, the head of the camp usually has way more control over churches in his orbit, than J.D. Greear has over an SBC church.
Thanks, Louis. I am aware of independent Baptist fellowships, but am trying to determine if there is one with the name “Independent Fundamental Baptist Network” (putting that in beginning caps implies there is, but that was probably not Tony’s intent, based on Dave’s comment above).
There is a tendency, and I see it in the comments, to discount the matter since we are not IFB. This is a mistake. Some of the same responses, actually all of them, to abuse in these IFB churches is found in SBC churches. There may be differences in degree and frequency but autonomy is one of the main characteristics of both.
More later.
One thing I do appreciate this article did is specifically mention that IFB are different from SBC. We’re too liberal for them. LOL. HOWEVER, it is very important that we all take this stuff seriously because, as pointed out already, it can and probably already is happening in our churches. I am thankful that denominational leadership is trying to proactively find solutions.
With all due respect, I am not sure we can say the SBC leadership has been proactive about this. The response came only after a lot of social and other media attention. There was in fact a deafening silence until the Washington Post picked up the Paige Patterson story. To date, the victim in the IMB case which gained much attention this summer is still reporting the IMB leadership has not reached out to her.
One of the first things JDG did was to announce this sex abuse study. You could call it a reaction, but it’s the first time he was empowered to do anything about it on that level. I say he did it before anyone started wondering what he would do. He was proactive.
I am absolutely willing to be proved wrong, and I think this is an important point. I am simply not aware of any public comments JDG made about the Paige Patterson case (when a student was fired for publicly criticizing Patterson), when videos emerged of Patterson objectifying sixteen year old girls, or when a former IMB missionary who had moved on to work for the SBC of South Carolina was arrested for assault. If he did comment I would really be encouraged, but I havent seen anything he said or did until after the outcry in the secular media and blogging world. In fact, I remember he posted on his twitter in the middle of all this an article by Denny Burk about how we should throw anonymous letters away and be careful of criticism from the “dark web”.
https://twitter.com/jdgreear/status/1002942978514739203
I just don’t think we should rewrite history to congratulate ourselves when action was slow in coming – and beyond promises of “study”, nothing has really been done. I mean, the Star Telegraph was able to do their own investigation in the meantime and look at what they came up with. Why is the SBC acting with less haste?
Greear was wise to stay out of the Patterson fiasco, because of the political situation. The machinations of the anti-Greear campaign created a toxic environment and he would have been foolish to weigh in on the internal workings of an entity whose president and his supporters were strongly in the anti-JD camp.
JD made it clear in every way that he was a supporter of women who have suffered abuse, and that he was on the right side of these issues, but he did the right thing by staying out of that one.
I understand the point you are making but hope everyone sees how terribly sad it is that denominational politics can interfere with speaking out. It’s a reality – you are right. But a very sad place to be. And my original point still stands – the current leadership sat out the controversy. They were not proactive on the abuse issue. Not just Patterson but the IMB as well.
Speaking out isn’t always the most productive thing. The actions that JDG took upon being elected didn’t just show outrage, but a willingness to fix the problem Dave is 100% correct and so was Greear.
I guess I just don’t see how you can simultaneously remain silent and sit out a controversy and at the same time be proactively out front dealing with it. You can argue he was wise to sit it out for political or other reasons, but I don’t believe it is fair to come back later and say that he (or others – I really don’t have just JDG in mind here) were also proactive in dealing with this issue. I am grateful for his willingness to address the issue now, but it is not historically accurate to pretend we are on the vanguard here.
All of this is simply to put a point on the original intent of this post – we should take the report seriously and not pretend like this is only something “other” groups are dealing with.
JD was proactive at his church and as soon as we elected him, in the SBC.
This is not a criticism and please do not receive it as such.
I read through all the comments and there were no females present except my short comment to Tony Jones. There is a place for pastoral comments but there is also a place for the females who were made to feel uncomfortable by youth pastors who played basketball with them a little too aggressively, church secretaries who were hugged a little too long by the pastor, and counseling sessions that were more inquisitive than helpful.
Final Thoughts:
1) Small church pastors and wives are heroes of the faith. Mom sat inside/outside many counseling sessions, got up at 3:00 am to ride with daddy to anywhere and everywhere, and daddy knew he could not do his job without her.
2) I believe Sarah Smith and her team deserves a Pulitzer Prize for this series.
Informative discussion of Independent Baptist Fundamentalism, with Dr. Kevin Bauder
https://soundcloud.com/christianitytoday/december-12-2018
David R. Brumbelow