UPDATE: Since news broke of the SBC Executive Committee’s March 6 statement, legal counsel for the EC clarified the following day that while they were informed by the U.S. Department of Justice that “no further action” was needed with the investigation into the EC, “the investigation into the SBC as a whole remains open and ongoing,” according to a Baptist Press report.
Following a year-and-a-half-long investigation, the U.S. Department of Justice has concluded its inquiry into Southern Baptist Convention leaders’ handling of sexual abuse allegations, The Tennessean reported Wednesday (March 6). No charges have being filed.
The DOJ has reportedly not released any statement following the close of the investigation.
“On February 29, 2024, counsel for the SBC Executive Committee was informed that the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York concluded its investigation into the EC (Executive Committee) with no further action to be taken,” SBC Executive Committee interim president/CEO Jonathan Howe said in a statement.
“While we are grateful for closure on this particular matter, we recognize that sexual abuse reform efforts must continue to be implemented across the Convention,” Howe added in a statement also released by Baptist Press. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to assist churches in preventing and responding well to sexual abuse in the SBC.”
The SBC Executive Committee announced the launch of the DOJ’s investigation Aug. 12, 2022, following an investigation by Guidepost Solutions, a third-party group that released a report May of 2022 sending shockwaves and calls for reform throughout SBC. In February at the EC’s meeting in Nashville, the SBC Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force announced the launch of the Abuse Reform Commission, an independent group tasked with implementing sexual abuse reform throughout the SBC.
This latest development follows the March 1 announcement that the EC plans to vote on a candidate, Jeff Iorg, for president/CEO in Dallas on March 21.
