Dear Church Family:

As some of you know, in recent months, there have been allocations and information about abuse among SBC ministry leaders. At the last South Carolina Baptist Convention meeting, it was recommended and passed with overwhelming support that we have a SC Baptist Convention Sexual Abuse Task Force. Our SC Baptist Convention President, Dr. Wayne Bray (FBC-Simpsonville) asked D.J. Horton, pastor of The Church at the Mill, in Spartanburg to lead this state task force.

This past week, Guidepost Solution’s investigation released their findings of the SBC Executive Committee’s handling of sexual abuse claims. The report was comprehensive and close to 300 pages in length.

I have read the report; and I need to re-read the report, because there is a lot of information and a lot of very sad and grievous claims and alleged facts in it.

The SC Task Force has recently met and their response, in summary, is

1- to put survivors first

2- to help our churches, our ministries, our institutions, and our convention as a whole, make sure we learn from this dark hour

3-advocate for those who have been hurt, hold up justice and mercy, grace and compassion

4-position our ministries and our missions in a way that we’re better equipped to handle these incidents and to prevent them before they ever occur.

The Task Force is  preparing a “robust report” for the state convention meeting this fall will be proactive to help us love the lost of our state and care for the believers we are called to disciple, and to do so in such a way that any sin, even the darkest sins, the sins of sexual abuse or harassment are rooted out and dealt with redemptively.

As a result of that report, it is not only proper, but imperative, that we as a church, and as a part of the South Carolina Baptist Convention and Southern Baptist Convention, issue our response as a local, autonomous body.

Therefore, after conversation with our staff, I share with you this resolution drafted for your approval today as follows:

We, the body of Cross Roads Baptist Church, do hereby today declare wholeheartedly our support of all victims of sexual abuse by exposing all forms of abuse through the teaching of God's Word, by immediately reporting every known case to the proper authorities, and by continuing our practice of background checks and child protection protocols.

Furthermore, we express our deep sorrow and grief of the incidents revealed in the Guidestone Solution's investigation. This tragic series of stories reflects a growing mood, even in church life, that we should love and tolerate those who fall into sin. As a church body, we commit to strive to practice, and hope that in the future, our state and national convention leaders would strive to practice the teachings outlined in Matthew 7 and I Corinthians 5 as well as the most popular one found in Matthew 18. The process Jesus outlines here is one of private confrontation one on one, confrontation by a group, a public announcement to the church, exclusion (if necessary), and public restoration when genuine repentance has been demonstrated.

While we grieve over this report, it is a reminder that we all need the repentance and restoration Jesus offers. To that end, we will maintain our focus to share that to story of redemption where we are planted in the Upstate of South Carolina.