Baptist Churches More Vulnerable to Clergy Sex Abuse, Experts Say

DALLAS (ABP 1.30.07) -Sex-abuse charges against clergy members have become increasingly common, with cases in Missouri, Kentucky, and Florida making regional and national news. And some experts say Baptist churches may be particularly vulnerable to this kind of abuse.

Inappropriate behavior by clergy cuts across all denominational ties and theological positions, says Joe Trull, editor of Christian Ethics Today. But he says a case can be made that "nondenominational churches and Baptist churches who have autonomous church government are more vulnerable and susceptible" to instances of sexual abuse.

"Possibly if you looked at the statistics, I think there would be a higher incidence [in nondenominational and Baptist churches] because of a lack of accountability," he says. "[Pastors there] have not been prepared by their denomination. There is still that attitude in seminaries and colleges that prepare these pastors that they're on their own. It's that CEO mentality. And the thing that grieves me is that there's absolutely no sense of how this [misconduct] affects other ministers and churches."

While Presbyterians, Methodists, and other Protestant denominations have "spelled-out" obligations for ministerial ethics, Baptist clergy lack a code of ethics to which they can be held accountable.

"In other denominations, [pastors] know that if charges are brought, truth will win out," Trull says. "Doctors and psychologists know if they are caught, they will lose their credentials and there will probably be a malpractice suit. Most Baptists and nondenominational ministers know that 'If I get caught, I can move to California and start a new church.'"

The increased instances of sex-abuse stories in the news may not necessarily mean it's happening more than in prior decades. It often means people are simply talking about it more openly, according to some experts. And victims have encouraged others to come forward with their own stories of abuse.

Studies documenting the trend consistently find that roughly 12% of ministers have engaged in sexual intercourse with congregants. The Journal of Pastoral Care reported in a 1993 survey that 14% of Southern Baptist senior pastors had engaged in "sexual behavior inappropriate for a minister." In a 1988 study commissioned by Christianity Today, 17% of pastors surveyed admitted to having sexual contact with a counselee.

Lee Orth, chairman of the litigation committee at First Baptist Church in Greenwood, Mo., recently helped his church wade through a sex abuse case of its own. A long-time Presbyterian, Orth said the lack of a clear chain of command in Baptist churches means reports of abuse often go overlooked.

"Any time you don’t have to report to anyone what is going on, the chances for abuse are going to occur," Orth said. "Strangely enough, Baptists are so big on following the Bible exactly, but they completely ignore the part about having elders and deacons [to help lead the church]."Pastors must be exceedingly clear in understanding who they're accountable to and who reports to whom, he said. If more Baptist pastors knew they had to meet regularly with a central body or accountability board, they would be less likely to commit the abuse.

"I really think that the autonomy is part of the problem," he says. "I think there is too much that is put into the hands of the preacher. What you've got is a lot of little popes sitting out there, and they're infallible, and they know what the word is. It's almost like little kings, little fiefdoms."

Another situation that can lead to sex abuse is a false sense of security people have when it comes to churches, Robert Leslie, a detective with the Greenwood Police Department, says. It's something sometimes neglected by personnel committees that receive little oversight from outside sources.

Church leaders and parents must demand due diligence when checking the background and references of anyone working around children, he says.

"Churches have always been a place where everybody trusts everybody," he says. "Everybody feels safe there. If you think about it, what better place for a predator to go?"

Megachurches in particular can attract the "charismatic, predator-type" minister who repeatedly takes advantage of the power he has over congregants, especially emotionally vulnerable women. The advantage of being a solitary figure at the head of a group brings opportunities for moral failure. Although the number of congregants is high on the weekends, many megachurch pastors lead relatively isolated lives with few, if any, close friends.

"[Pastors of] megachurches and growing Baptist churches are the types that go for predator abuse," Trull says. "They tend to be loners. They don't have close friends to keep them accountable."

The imbalance of power between pastors and victims also plays a large part in the relationship. Bruce Prescott, executive director of Mainstream Oklahoma Baptists, says the abuse often isn’t about sex at all. It's about power.

A former police officer, Prescott has counseled many victims of sexual abuse and found that the perpetrator often has an unhealthy view of power, sex, and social interaction.

"What outrages me is when a church doesn't do something," Prescott says. "That's outrageous. You perpetuate that. Somebody has got stop it, because if you don't there will be other victims. Somebody has got to accept the responsibility to get [the predator] off the street or get them help."

What needs to be done, others stress, is to educate seminarians, enlighten congregations, establish codes of conduct, and publish complete lists of pastors guilty of sexual infractions -- no small task for autonomous Baptist churches.

Christa Brown, an attorney from Austin, Texas, insists that Baptist leaders would not let autonomy delay action if they truly cared about protecting children from abuse.

Brown works with the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, an organization of clergy sexual-abuse survivors. She maintains www.stopbaptistpredators.org and has asked the Baptist General Convention of Texas to hire independent experts to investigate sexual-abuse cases within the convention.

SNAP volunteers have also petitioned BGCT leaders to publish a confidential file that lists clergy members guilty of inappropriate sexual behavior.

If a Baptist minister is convicted of an indecency or confesses to one, church leaders can report the act. Other churches can have access to the file if they submit an official request. But the information is not published.

BGCT leaders say the file is proof they’re doing more than other Baptist groups in trying to stop sexual abuse. Indeed, the BGCT is the only Baptist group publicly to acknowledge having such a file.

Oklahoma's Prescott says church people should be concerned whenever any kind of sexual problem emerges. They have a responsibility to other churches to make that problem public knowledge, but the effectiveness of a master file of offenders depends on the integrity of those making the list, he says.

Trull seconded the call for a list, saying that anyone convicted of sexual abuse or declared guilty by the church should be on a "readily available" list. Even a periodic news bulletin of offenders sent to churches might be in order, he adds.

"Too often, people opt to do nothing out of fear," Trull says. "I personally think the Baptist convention has got to find some way of making it more accessible, in light of the crucial nature of this problem and the devastating effect on these churches. It is hurting the convention, it is hurting income. [They] have got to do something."

Trull supports creating a code of ethics in Baptist life. Baptists are "really, really weak" on codes of conduct -- "a lot of young ministers today don’t have the foggiest idea of ethical expectations, not just sexual but financial," Trull says. He adds that the training should start before young ministers enter a church. As a professor, Trull had his students write their own code of ethics and list of obligations to model what they might present to church deacons later in life. Incorporating clauses that require doors with windows and more than one adult present with children and that prohibit closed doors, hugs and prolonged counseling sessions can be included in that code agreement, he says.

New ministers need to know their limitations too, especially as counselors. Lengthy counseling sessions required over a long period of time should often be left to a professional counselor, he says.

Churches should also take the initiative to enact well-publicized and non-negotiable policies for dealing with sexual misdeeds before they even happen. Even with the best of intentions, tragedies can happen unless common sense procedures are enacted in a church, said Orth, the Missouri layman.

Prescott agrees. He's seen what can happen when congregations don't know or don't understand the precursors for sex abuse. When the church doesn't know how to respond after the fact, the toll is even greater.

"Congregations themselves need to have some sort of understanding of these things," he says. "The churches have a responsibility when they know that they’ve got someone [with a history of inappropriate sexual behavior] to not just release them but they have a responsibility to other Christians and other churches to make sure that person gets whatever help is needed." (Source: Associated Baptist Press, www.abpnews.com)