For Baptist leaders, the doctrine of local church autonomy is malleable. They shape it to suit their own ends, and when it doesn’t suit their ends, they essentially say “autonomy schmonomy.”
Consider just this one example.
Since about 1990, the Baptist General Convention of Texas has offered counseling services for clergy to help them "put their lives back together after sexual misconduct.” And the BGCT has repeatedly defined “sexual misconduct” as “including child molestation.”
They used to call it “restoration” counseling -- apparently based on Galations 6:1. But in mid-2007, when so many stories of Baptist clergy child molesters began to make headlines, the BGCT quit calling their service a “restoration” program. However, this was little more than a public relations maneuver and also a tricky deal to try to insulate the BGCT by making the counselors independent contractors instead of BGCT staff.
But the reality is that the BGCT still provides ministers with a referral network of counselors and financial assistance to pay for the counseling.
In fact, according to this current page on the Baptist General Convention of Texas website, they provide ministers with a counseling referral network of 100 professionals who have gone through “a lengthy approval process.” If, for any reason, the minister does not feel comfortable with the counselor provided, he is encouraged to ask for placement with a different counselor.
Gee whiz. Must be nice. The ministers get a choice of counselors. They get counselors who have been screened. And they get their counseling paid for by the Baptist General Convention of Texas.
Furthermore, according to the BGCT, the privacy and confidentiality of the minister is fully protected. The counselor invoices the BGCT directly “without any identifying information of the minister or family member on the statement, and the payment is made by the BGCT Subsidy Fund directly to the counselor without knowledge of the identity of the client.”
So the Baptist General Convention of Texas provides readily available counseling for clergy perpetrators but not for the victims of clergy perpetrators. Instead, it insists that clergy abuse victims should ask for help from the church where the abuse took place, even though it knows full well that most churches “just try to keep it secret” and don’t help the victims.
Knowing the enormous struggle that most clergy abuse survivors have in getting adequate counseling, I specifically asked the Baptist General Convention of Texas to provide victims with a referral list of counselors who have experience in helping clergy sex abuse survivors. It was a very small request, but the answer was a very big “nada.”
“Baptist churches are autonomous.”
Clergy abuse survivors are relegated to finding counselors through the yellow pages, and they often have to go deep in debt to get help for healing themselves.
So here’s my question: If each church is so completely independent, how come it isn’t up to each church to provide counseling for its own minister?
Why doesn’t the Baptist General Convention of Texas tell the ministers the same thing it tells their victims? “If you want help, go to the church.”
If the doctrine of local church autonomy doesn’t preclude the statewide organization from using the pooled funds of local churches -- i.e., Cooperative Program dollars -- to provide counseling for ministers, why does the doctrine preclude the statewide organization from providing counseling for the ministers’ victims?
Why is it “autonomy schmonomy” only when a minister wants counseling? But when the ministers’ victims want counseling, it’s “Baptist churches are autonomous.”
And here’s something else I don’t understand. A Baptist clergy molestation victim wrote to the Baptist General Convention of Texas when she heard that they were no longer sponsoring a “restoration program” of counseling for ministers. She mistakenly thought this meant that the BGCT was no longer providing counseling for abusive ministers.
“So BGCT is no longer doing this,” she said. “Thank God. But why did they do this in the first place?”
Emily Prevost at the Baptist General Convention of Texas wrote back to her and said this: “You are right. This program is no longer in place.”
So . . . why didn’t Emily Prevost tell the abuse survivor the rest of the story? Why didn’t Prevost tell her that the Baptist General Convention of Texas was STILL providing ministers with a referral network of counselors and was STILL providing them with financial subsidies for counseling?
Why didn’t Prevost tell the victim that it was still “autonomy schmonomy” when it comes to providing paid counseling for ministers?
Good observation Christa. The only problem I see you having is that you are trying to use reasoning with the unreasonable.
ReplyDeleteI believe the protection of the idenity of the minister is only good for those who tow the SBC line faithfully and blindly. If you challenge their power or authority I doubt you would even get help let alone protection.
It is this type of deception on the part of the power players that I believe will eventually cost the SBC a lot if not everything.
Yes, the victim should get the help. Let the perp get his in prison!
"The only problem I see you having is that you are trying to use reasoning with the unreasonable."
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right, John. This is a mistake I make over and over again... "trying to use reasoning with the unreasonable." When will I ever learn? ;-)
So Emily lied to the victim. A lie of omission. Still lying.
ReplyDeleteAnd we think these people are of Christ?
"So here’s my question: If each church is so completely independent, how come it isn’t up to each church to provide counseling for its own minister?"
Yes, what on earth could they have been thinking when they started this free counseling program for pervert pastors?
Could they have been thinking of 'image' and money coming into the coffers of their association? After all, the local church is where the association gets their money to operate.
Could that be the reason? I ask ONLY because these pervert pastors no longer are qualified to be pastors (elders) as per 1 Timothy and Titus.
So, the Texas Assoc is ignoring scripture that is perfectly clear?
Do they not know scripture? Let's see if a pervert elder/pastor would fit the criteria for this function in the church:
2Therefore an overseer must be above reproach,
Pervert pastors are above reproach?
the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable,
Uh oh. Pervert pastors are certainly not self controlled or respectable.
hospitable, able to teach, 3not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. 4He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, 5for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? 6He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. 7Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
Hmmmmmm. He must be well thought of by OUTSIDERS. Well, the only way to do that with a pervert pastor is to keep it secret that he is a pervert! Bingo!
Because even the heathens would have a problem with someone who molestes kids. Much less a pastor.
"Why doesn’t the Baptist General Convention of Texas tell the ministers the same thing it tells their victims? “If you want help, go to the church.”"
The reason seems to be clear since they are also willing to ignore scripture. It is about image and money.
Emily: Get out of there and save your soul.
The reason the BGCT is willing to put up funds for counseling for ministers and not victims is pretty simple -- the folks who run the BGCT (and the SBC) are all ministers, not church laypeople. They are looking out for their own and will most likely continue to do so until forced to do otherwise(probably by an outside force).
ReplyDeleteBGCT = Baptist Goons and Cons of Texas
ReplyDelete