When the sexual abuse task force, formed in May of 2023, gave its final report at the Baptist General Convention of Texas Executive Board meeting Sept. 24, the task force chair noted resources need to be accessible on a user-friendly website.
Janice Bloom, sexual abuse task force chair and BGCT Executive Board vice chair, highlighted the impossibility of crafting a standard response to such a complex issue. However, she pointed to a new BGCT webpage rollout as a strong resource for preventing and responding to sexual abuse in Texas Baptist churches.
Bloom explained the task force members discovered they needed to focus in some key areas.
First, they examined how churches could “become much more proactive” in intentionally putting “into practice preventative measures to keep such offenses from happening in the first place.”
Second, the task force needed to present “the best and streamlined practices to a response to such allegations,” so churches would be able to respond appropriately to protect any victim or potential victim in the church.
Third, the task force developed ways to bring much needed awareness to churches that prevention and proper responses are “absolutely necessary.”
Recognizing the current information on the website was not user-friendly in time of crisis, the task force enlisted the aid of BGCT’s Communications department and web designers to update the site to make crucial information easier to access.
Sexual abuse is traumatizing, impacting many areas of survivors’ lives and can lead to generational trauma and violence, Bloom said. These soul-crushing features of sexual abuse led the task force to envision a response built around life, instead. So, the webpage’s redesigned tabs will be organized under the acronym LIFE.
L for Learn
Under this tab, links are provided to educational information and to MinistrySafe. The people at MinistrySafe are the experts and are most qualified to guide in these issues, so it’s imperative to drive users toward this important resource.
I for Implement
Screening alone is not enough. Background checks as a standalone measure will not prevent abuse. Churches need skillful screening practices, as well as policies and procedures in place to protect the environment. The Implement tab explains skillful screening and how to put sound practice and policies in place.
F for Follow-up
It’s not possible to be proactive without follow-up. Churches must follow-up year-round to ensure policies and procedures are being implemented consistently.
E for Emergency
Churches must be ready to respond with immediacy if confronted with an issue of sexual abuse.
While there is no “one-size-fits-all” way to handle individual cases of sexual abuse in churches, Bloom stated, there is one crucial first step in every case — getting the situation into expert hands from the very beginning of the accusation or discovery of abuse.
Because many churches do not have a lawyer with this expertise, the task force recommended an affected church, who cannot afford an attorney of its own, be allowed one emergency hour of no cost consultation with a MinistrySafe lawyer — offered at a reduced $395 per hour legal fee to BGCT churches — to help protect the victim from further harm and guide the church in an appropriate response.
Churches also have access to six free hours of MinistrySafe training and additional trainings available, Bloom explained.
The task force also recommended BGCT promote an annual sexual abuse awareness Sunday; encourage churches to hold an annual training on sexual abuse prevention and response; and keep a list, by sector, of knowledgeable attorneys willing to be referrals on this issue.
Additional recommendations will be discussed at the annual meeting of the Baptist General Convention of Texas in November and/or implemented through the appropriate committees with the same charge as that of the task force — to empower churches “to create a safe space where predators know that they do not stand a chance,” Bloom insisted.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Calli Keener and originally published by the Baptist Standard.
