At the 2021 annual meeting of the Alabama Baptist State Convention in Huntsville, Alabama, a motion was made and unanimously approved by the convention that a Sexual Abuse Task Force be appointed by the newly elected convention president for the purpose of:
Review(ing) the policies and practices of our Cooperative Program-funded state Convention entities and auxiliaries, including the State Board of Missions, related to sex abuse, and report(ing) back to the 2022 Alabama Baptist State Convention.
In January 2022, convention president Buddy Champion appointed an eight (8) member Sexual Abuse Task Force to carry out this assignment. The Sexual Abuse Task Force members are:
Dr. Craig Carlisle
Director of Missions, Etowah Baptist
Chair
Esq. Melissa Bowmen
Attorney
Vice Chair
Kaye Farrow
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Retired
Abigail Jackson
Public Relations Specialist
Dr. D’Linell Finley
Senior Pastor, Southlawn Baptist, Montgomery
Dr. Blake Kersey
Senior Pastor, FBC, Decatur
Dr. Daven Watkins
Senior Pastor, FBC, Pelham
Dr. Daniel Atkins
Senior Pastor, Taylor Road Baptist, Montgomery
Dr. Craig Carlisle
Director of Missions, Etowah Baptist
Chair
Esq. Melissa Bowen
Attorney
Vice-Chair
Kaye Farrow
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, Retired
Abigail Jackson
Public Relations Specialist
Dr. D'Linell Finley
Senior Pastor, Southlawn Baptist, Montgomery
Dr. Blake Kersey
Senior Pastor, FBC, Decatur
Dr. Daven Watkins
Senior Pastor, FBC, Pelham
Dr. Daniel Atkins
Senior Pastor, Taylor Road Baptist, Montgomery
Why is there a need to make churches safer places?
None of us want to have to deal with the subject of sexual abuse prevention. It grieves our hearts that it is necessary for our churches to have to prepare, protect, and be proactive against the epidemic of child abuse and abuse of all kinds.
We have to do this because according to the CDC, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 13 boys experience child sexual abuse. 1 in 3 women and 1 in 4 men have experienced some form of physical violence. We know that actual incidences of sexual abuse far exceed the number of reported incidences because many survivors never report their abuse. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, out of every 1,000 incidents of sexual abuse, only 25 abusers ever face incarceration.
Churches are not immune to these statistics. The problem is we are being thrust into this issue with little knowledge. We are trying to catch up because most of us have never really health with this issue before, and if we have, we most likely health with it improperly. That is why there is a concerted effort to correct and improve our response, as churches, to the issue of sexual abuse. This is why we are scurrying to develop best practices so that we can better respond and be better equipped to respond when we are faced with this issue.
Let us be reminded:
- It is clear sin for anyone to use their power to mistreat people made in God’s image (Psalm 11:5)
- Violence against the weak and needy is abhorrent to God, and so Christians have much higher calling than merely not abusing people (Psalm 82:4)
- As Christians, we are called not only to avoid abuse and protect people from abuse, but to refuse to conceal abuse when we know it is happening or has happened (Proverbs 10:6)
- We live in a sinful world where abuse is happening. There is a high likelihood that someone who has been abused is already a part of your congregation, no matter the size of your church. As leaders, we must be doggedly determined to care for these people who are struggling (Psalm 147:3).
"A church that shows itself to care about the public is much more likely to lead to a public that cares about the church."