Can the SBC hold sex abusers accountable?

We will be talking about the recently released report detailing sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention for some time to come. In nearly 400-pages of detailed reporting, Guidestone Solutions, an independent investigating firm, demonstrated corruption at high levels within the SBC. What I’ve read so far is heartbreaking because of the stain this activity brings upon the Church of Jesus Christ, the pain it has caused the victims of abuse, and the utter wickedness displayed by some men we have long perceived as heroes of the faith.

Last year, the SBC, the largest Protestant denomination in America, began work toward addressing sexual abuse. No doubt, they will continue to do so in light of this report. One of the challenges that pock-marks the report is the congregational model of church government leaves very little room for accountability. The denomination does not have the authority to tell congregations whom to hire and fire. In the SBC, every congregation is independent and self-governing.

Every abusive clergyman in the SBC received his call and ordination from an independent congregation. If a congregation fires its minister, he can run to another one and hang out his shingle again. For accountability to happen in this setting, it will take creating a database of abusers and congregational willingness to investigate and report abuse. It will also require churches solely focused on growth to reassess their values and commitment to Christ’s expectation of discipline (see Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5).

In the closing warnings of his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Jesus pointed out that certain wicked men would seek to infiltrate the church and destroy it from the inside out. How can the church identify these men? Jesus answered, “By their fruits” (Matthew 7:16).

Over and over, Scripture warns believers not to be naive onlookers but to examine the men they call. Jude scolded the church to which he wrote, saying, “certain people have crept in unnoticed” who are “designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4). Similarly, John wrote, “Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for…” (2 John 8). Why did the church need to be so careful? Because “many deceivers have gone out into the world” (2 John 7).

The SBC report should remind us all of the dangers the church faces. This is not just an SBC problem. We could also mention Hillsong, Mars Hill, Vineyard, Liberty University, etc. It is a problem for the whole church of Jesus Christ, and both he and the apostles expect us to take great care in the church’s business, knowing that some enemies are not content to assault the church from outside. Many desire to sneak in and destroy her from the inside. A church body that does not take these warnings seriously and set up parameters to vet those they allow into the fold should expect Christ to hold them equally accountable as any executive committee.