Southern Baptist official says federal probe of church abuse allegations closed, no charges expected
The 2022 DOJ investigation was launched after an earlier independent probe of the 13.2 million-member church resulted in a 400-page report from Guidepost Solutions that detailed a coverup.
Washington Times
The chief of the executive committee of the Southern Baptist Convention said Wednesday that federal officials say a probe of accusations that the panel suppressed child abuse reports is closed and that criminal charges against panel members are unlikely.
But other entities under investigation by the Justice Department, including the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, could be ongoing, according to one victim’s advocate.
Jonathan Howe, interim president of the church’s executive committee, said the leadership group, which has been under federal investigation since August 2022, “was informed that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York has concluded its investigation into the EC with no further action to be taken.”
He said, “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. We remain steadfast in our commitment to assist churches in preventing and responding well to sexual abuse in the SBC.”
Southern Baptist Convention issues statement from the ARITF concerning the DOJ investigation into the denomination:
A statement from the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF) concerning the Department of Justice investigation into the SBC:
“Southern Baptists initiated the work of sexual abuse reform not in response to criminal inquiries or threats of lawsuits but due to an increasing burden and awareness that vulnerable people were suffering harm in many of our churches and institutions, which were vastly underresourced to care for and protect them. In fact, Southern Baptists have recognized this need for significant and effective abuse reform as early as the 2018 SBC Annual Meeting, more than four years before the Department of Justice mounted its inquiry into the SBC’s handling of sexual abuse. For nearly two years, the ARITF has carried forward the work of abuse reform in the SBC driven by the urgent need to ensure churches have the help and resources required to prevent and respond to sexual abuse.
Irrespective of any actions the Department of Justice may or may not take, the goal of abuse reform is to ensure SBC churches and entities are consistently able to protect and care for the vulnerable with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. That is not only a worthy goal, but a gospel imperative. The ARITF is unwavering in our commitment to fulfill the task given to us by the Messengers. We look forward to bringing an update to them on the progress of abuse reform at the annual meeting in June.”'
Additional reading:
Justice Department's investigation of Southern Baptist Convention may not be over yet - AL.com
What is Happening with the SBC And the Department of Justice? - Julie Roys
Survivors Say DOJ Investigation Into SBC Executive Committee Is Not Closed - ChurchLeaders.com