The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) fulfills its slogan without doubt or shame: “Good news for the whole world.” The work these pastors accomplish in churches and mission fields worldwide is amazing. However, “good news” must be taken more literally nowadays. Work isn’t only about proclaiming the Gospel but also about paying attention to the good news the organization is putting out.
Dr. Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention, presented at the annual Executive Committee meeting about the SBC being “a force for good.” During a press conference, Iorg shared some not-so-good news: Addressing sexual abuse allegations within the SBC is not a priority.
“At this point, it’s not a focus for us,” Iorg said.
The Ministry Check database was established in 2007 to explore troubling allegations within SBC-member churches and become a benchmark for reform. ABC News 20/20 published a report among Southern Baptist pastors and ministers that year. In 2008, the Executive Committee rejected the thought of a scathing report like that being true, and for several years, it appeared they were correct.
However, a Guideposts Solutions investigation in 2021 uncovered the years of abuse within SBC-member churches that have been reported but swept under a rug for fear of image problems and church attendance.
Former Southern Baptist Convention president Ed Litton directed comments toward those concerns and explained how the SBC is working to resolve them. The solution was the “historic” Ministry Watch website, now labeled the SBC Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force.
Today, a card box is below the fold (scroll down to see it).
In an online published statement from the Southern Baptist Convention, leaders discuss the Guidepost report that revealed alleged sexual abusers within their ranks. “This list is being made public for the first time as an initial, but important, step towards addressing the scourge of sexual abuse and implementing reform in the Convention,” it said.
The only reason the line of questioning happened at the 2025 Executive Committee meeting is that that list was never intended to stay online. While their actions may not be surreptitious or malicious, they are concerning.
Religion News Service cited that Iorg did not say that Ministry Watch and recently named director Jeff Dalrymple would not be working on the database at all, but his comment did underscore that it wouldn’t be happening soon.
“A now-disbanded task force charged with implementing the SBC reforms, including the database, started a nonprofit last year called the Abuse Reform Commission. However, its proposal for funding was rejected by the heads of the mission boards,” RNS said.
The SBC shared the released but redacted list along with their statement.
