“I find it very encouraging. People were very engaged. It’s a small congregation, but there was a wide range of ages represented which was nice to see, from the youngest adult members of the congregation all the way to the elderly,” Nokes said. “Everyone expressed interest, concern and support for the actions the convention and the EC have taken.
“And they expressed an interest in making sure that they’re trained on how to handle any allegations of abuse appropriately. I think it just shows that there is an avenue and an appetite for education and training.
“I think the local associations and state conventions are nicely positioned,” Nokes said, “to provide those resources to churches regardless of the size, so that they can be educated and trained to deal with a very heavy and difficult issue.”
The SATF released its report in May after a months-long investigation by Guidepost Solutions into how the EC handled sex abuse allegations spanning two decades. Newly elected SBC President Bart Barber is working to appoint an Abuse Response Implementation Task Force to study the feasibility of reforms the SATF recommended.
This article originally appeared here.
