Dr. Matt Queen, former interim provost at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, has pleaded guilty to making false statements to federal investigators following an investigation into whether the school had mishandled allegations of sexual abuse.
In May, Queen was charged with falsification of records. The United States Attorney’s Office alleged that Queen sought to cover up a report of sexual abuse that occurred at the Southern Baptist-affiliated seminary in 2022.
Queen’s conviction is the first to result from the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) investigation of Southern Baptist entities.
Southern Baptist leaders were made aware of the DOJ’s probe in 2022 shortly after the release of a Guidepost Solutions report, which revealed the failures of the denomination’s Executive Committee to properly respond to reports of sexual abuse across a 20-year period.
The crime to which Queen has pleaded guilty carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison. But according to The Tennessean, Queen’s attorney expects the judge to hand down a much lighter sentence—several months in prison at most—in exchange for Queen’s cooperation with the investigation.
In May, the U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged that shortly after the DOJ opened its investigation, Southwestern Seminary received a report of sexual abuse committed by a student. The incident was not reported to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office further said that Terri Stovall, who serves as dean of women at the school, created a document in January 2023 that described the failure of Southwestern Seminary “to take action regarding the allegation at that time” but that Heath Woolman, then chief of staff, ordered the document destroyed during a meeting with Stovall and Queen.
Queen later produced notes for investigators that he said were from that meeting. The notes conflicted with Stovall’s testimony, and investigators believed them to be falsified.
Queen was put on administrative leave from Southwestern Seminary in June 2023. He subsequently resigned.
Queen went on to become the pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, in February. Friendly Avenue Baptist Church placed Queen on “administrative leave from his pastoral responsibilities” shortly after he was charged.
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In light of Queen’s criminal conviction, Friendly Avenue Baptist Church will conduct an “internal review” regarding Queen’s employment.
