“Jordan’s wife explicitly stated that she did not want us to report it,” church leadership said. “Through investigation into the Montana statute regarding mandatory reporting for clergy and caregivers within the foster care system (also applicable to individuals in our leadership), we decided it was necessary for this information to be shared with authorities.”
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Hall’s wife rebuked leadership on Facebook for reporting the alleged abuse to authorities. The post has since been deleted.
“In order to protect the victims of the alleged abuse from public scrutiny, we had intended for this information to not be made public. A referenced Facebook post on the public church page that had been made by Jordan’s wife as a rebuke to the church was a result of the authorities having been informed without her consent. The post was removed to avoid a public discussion of the context behind the post, again, in attempt to insulate the family from public inquiry or stigma.”
FBC Sidney reiterated that there was never an attempt to cover-up Hall’s sins or protect his public persona, stating that their focus was the welfare of their church, the Hall family, and Jordan’s soul while they sought to handle their pastor’s sin biblically.
“Our desire to avoid gossip and backbiting led us to weigh carefully what we felt was necessary to share with the prying eyes of the public and when it would be appropriate to make public commentary. We are well aware that many will disagree with our assessment, but we are primarily concerned with our accountability to God and the local church,” the statement concluded.
Leadership has asked for prayers for the church and Hall family.
