The Southern Baptist Convention and its Executive Committee have been named as defendants in a proposed federal class-action lawsuit against a South Carolina church and academy where authorities say a convicted sex offender was allowed to volunteer near children.
In addition to the SBC and its Executive Committee, the Aug. 4 filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina names Pawleys Island Community Church, Pawleys Island Christian Academy, former senior pastor Donald James Williams, Virginia Lee “Ginny” Williams, former academy director Jennifer “Niki” Howard, unnamed church elders, and Warren Spencer Perry as defendants.
“The Southern Baptist Convention does not comment on ongoing litigation,” said Dr. Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, in a statement. “We will review it and respond appropriately.”
Allegations
In the filing, the parents, identified as John Doe and Jane Doe, allege the defendants allowed Perry, a convicted and registered sex offender, to occupy a volunteer, custodial, maintenance, or similar role that gave him recurring access to children enrolled at Pawleys Island Christian Academy. The parents brought the case on behalf of their minor child and other students and families they say were affected during the period Perry was authorized or allowed to be present on the church or academy campus.
The filing does not allege that the named child plaintiff was sexually abused. Rather, the parents claim children were exposed to a registered sex offender in an environment their families had been told was safe.
In the lawsuit, the parents argue that because of their child’s youth and vulnerability, and because of what they describe as the defendants’ concealment and continued placement of Perry among children, families “may never be able to determine the full extent” of what their children saw, experienced, or may have been subjected to while Perry had access to them.
The parents argue that uncertainty is itself a “permanent and profound injury” to both children and parents.
Court documents acknowledge that Pawleys Island Community Church, formerly known as Pawleys Island Baptist Church, is “an independent, self-governing, elder-led congregation not subject to the control of a parent denomination or hierarchical body.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Henry Durand and originally published by The Christian Index.
