BCNE Board of Directors issues statement on recently released SBC Sexual Abuse Report
On Thursday, June 9, 2022, at the meeting of the Baptist Churches of New England Board of Directors, the most prominent topic of conversation was the recently released Southern Baptist Convention report which included a list of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse.
Twenty-two board members were present, either in person or online, and a team from First Baptist Church in Marlborough opened the meeting with worship. Pastor Logan Loveday of FBC Marlborough shared a devotion from Isaiah 40, reminding everyone, "When we are weary and tired, guess who's still on the throne? Remember, God is still in control."
It was a fitting way to open the meeting as Executive Director Dr. Terry Dorsett gave a report on the state of the convention and shared his thoughts about the SBC report saying, "We're disappointed, and this grieved us. This is something we have to talk about; we have to care for survivors and figure out how to make sure this doesn't happen in the future. This is a Gospel thing."
“We're disappointed, and this grieved us. This is something we have to talk about; we have to care for survivors and figure out how to make sure this doesn't happen in the future. This is a Gospel thing."
- Dr. Terry Dorsett, BCNE Executive Director
President Steven Woodard, who presided over the meeting, echoed Dr. Dorsett's sentiment regarding the report saying, "It's frustrating and heartbreaking. We need to respond well." He proposed several measures, which were presented to the Board to vote on and passed unanimously. One effort being put in place is appointing a special temporary Task Force to explore and recommend changes to the BCNE's policies and practices. Woodard outlined that the Task Force will be covering the following items in their meetings and will report back to the BCNE Board of Directors at the October board meeting:
Drafting a policy that requires abuse allegations involving BCNE churches reported to BCNE personnel be relayed to the entire Board.
Determine whether current BCNE personnel policies regarding abuse/misconduct among staff are in line with recommended practice and make suggested changes for the Board to approve.
Determine whether current BCNE personnel hiring policies include sufficient background checks and are in line with recommended practice.
Recommendations of how we can create clearer policy, procedure, and training for our Credentials Committee to be empowered to handle investigation of churches and the mishandling of abuse allegations.
How we can incentivize churches in the BCNE to implement protection training for children's workers and response training for leaders.
Thoroughly explore any new recommendations not already considered that arise from the SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim.
The Task Force includes BCNE church members from diverse locations, church life, ministry, and professional backgrounds. They are Lierte Soares Jr., Neal Davidson, Rebecca Pellegrini, Lynne Ellis, and Tamika Goldson. The Task Force will be served in their effort by three BCNE staff liaisons: Dr. Terry Dorsett, Sandy Coehlo, and Renee Ghobrial.
The Board also issued the following statement:
"The BCNE Board of Directors was deeply grieved by the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force report. We call upon all our churches and the leaders of those churches to take the report and its recommendations seriously. We affirm our BCNE President's recent announcement of a Task Force to make sure our own BCNE policies are as strong as possible so that care for survivors and prevention of future abuse are priorities. We look forward to that Task Force's report, with actionable recommendations, at our October 2022 Board meeting."
"As Baptist Churches of New England, we can't be quiet. Everything we're doing will be to help the victims."
- Lierte Soares, Jr., BCNE Vice President
Additionally, the Board unanimously agreed to use a portion of time at the October meeting to complete an Abuse Response training, with Vice President Lierte Soares, Jr. commenting, "As Baptist Churches of New England, we can't be quiet. Everything we're doing will be to help the victims."
In addition to the motions passed, Leadership Development Coordinator Sandy Coelho outlined multiple resources the BCNE has to offer churches regarding safety and security, including informational videos, packets on best practices, and training curriculums. Church leaders can find these resources on the Safety and Security page on the BCNE website.
President Woodard reminded all: "This is not the only response that must come from Baptists in New England, but it is a valuable step. I encourage all churches across our region to take the issue seriously and to do everything in their power to work towards the same ends."
With the completion of new business, the final portion of the meeting included Committee Meeting reports and the decision to welcome three new churches to the network before concluding in prayer.
Renee Ghobrial serves as the communications director for the Baptist Churches of New England.
