“I would say, it’s not so much on the back burner as it is we want to teach churches how to access databases that already exist … ” said Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee.
The ERLC board seeks “to support the team at the ERLC, as well as listen to our churches, as together we navigate a turbulent political climate,” said Tony Beam, interim board chair for ERLC through the Sept. 10–11 board meeting.
While a majority of Southern Baptist congregations use background checks, just over a third are trained in reporting sexual abuse, and even fewer have training on how to deal with sexual abuse survivors.
Of 50 motions presented during the SBC Annual Meeting, one passed, seven were rejected, eight were ruled out of order and 33 were referred to various SBC entities or the Executive Committee.
Josh Wester, chair of SBC’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force, expresses gratitude for messengers’ approval of recommendations. “I am hopeful … Southern Baptists will continue to write a new and better story when it comes to abuse.”