Full list from Southern Baptist Convention of workers accused of abuse
For years, a Southern Baptist Convention staff member kept a secret list of church workers who had been accused of sexual abuse.
And on Thursday night — following the release of a bombshell report about the convention’s mishandling of sexual abuse claims — the convention made much of the list public. In all, the internal list names more than 500 offenders, more than 30 of whom worked in North Carolina churches.
The convention said it was releasing all entries on the list that included confessions, criminal convictions, sentencings or inclusions on a sex offender registry. Other cases were redacted. Allegations against most of those named had been previously reported.
Most entries include the date the person was reported, the state where the offense took place, and information from news stories compiled over the past 15 years.
A note atop the list says it was designed to be a research tool for determining the scope of sexual abuse within the convention. But the list is incomplete and is a “fluid, working document,” the note says.
In a statement that accompanied the list, the convention’s executive committee described its process for determining what cases to release:
“Since May 24, 2022, counsel to the Executive Committee has done preliminary research and, where guilty pleas, convictions, judgments, sentences, and/or inclusion on a sex offender registry could be easily verified, the entry was left unredacted,” the committee stated.
“Other entries where preliminary research did not indicate a disposition that fits within the described parameters have been redacted. Entries that do not relate to sexual abuse or that resulted in an acquittal are also redacted.”
Find the full list of released names here:
This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Full list from Southern Baptist Convention of workers accused of abuse."
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