SBC Has Disfellowshipped 7 Churches in 2 Years for Failing To Comply With Sexual Abuse Reporting and Prevention Standards

During the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Executive Committee earlier this week, Executive Committee President Dr. Jeff Iorg reported that the SBC is taking proactive steps to remove from the denomination churches that fail to adhere to abuse prevention and reporting standards. 

It was during this same meeting that it was revealed that the denomination is no longer actively pursuing the implementation of an abuser database.

In his address to the committee, Iorg said that the SBC has disfellowshipped seven such churches in the last two years. Each of these decisions came as a result of the SBC sexual abuse hotline.

Iorg reported that since the hotline became “operational” in May 2022, it has received “1,008 contacts by phone and email.” 

Of those 1,008 contacts, 334 were requests for information, people offering opinions, or spam, Iorg said. The other 674 contacts were reports of allegations of abuse.

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Of the 674 reported allegations, 458 involved Southern Baptists, Iorg added, meaning that roughly 32% of the reports of alleged abuse did not involve Southern Baptists. Of the 458 reports involving Southern Baptists, 187 of the victims were adults and 271 of the victims were minors. 

Iorg said that a majority of the calls came in the first four months of the hotline becoming available. The hotline has received roughly 13 contacts per month for the last 24 months.

During that time, the Executive Committee has referred 128 cases to the Credentials Committee to determine whether a church should remain “in friendly cooperation” with the SBC. Seven of those referrals have resulted in a church being disfellowshipped. 

“What does this hotline data mean? Two broad conclusions,” Iorg said. “First, sexual abuse is a serious and real problem. And when it happens, it is devastating for the survivors, the church, the community, and every person who is involved.”

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“Survivor stories are particularly gut-wrenching and heartbreaking. Every church must make every reasonable effort to prevent sexual abuse and respond proactively when it happens,” Iorg continued, expressing the Executive Committee’s commitment to high standards of reporting.