NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Southern Baptist leaders say they will release a secret list of hundreds of pastors and church-affiliated staff members accused of sexual abuse.
The announcement comes two days after a scathing 288-page report by Guidepost Solutions that detailed how the committee mishandled sex abuse allegations and stonewalled numerous survivors.
"The truth is, at this moment, phones are ringing at the executive committee — at Guidepost and other Baptist entities — with more survivors who are coming forward in this very moment to report and acknowledge their own abuse within the SBC," said Interim Counsel Gene Besen for the SBC Executive Committee.
Administrators also say they will look into revoking retirement benefits for committee staffers who were involved in the cover-up.
Survivors and advocates have long called for a public database of abusers. One of the key recommendations of the report is to create an “Offender Information System.”
The Southern Baptist Church is based in Nashville.
