DALLAS — The Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) has made public a list of registered sex-offenders currently or previously on staff at affiliated churches.
The decision is significant in light of a spate of Baptist clergy-sex-abuse cases and increased urging from abuse-survivor groups for Baptist organizations to take action.
The convention posted the names of eight convicted sex-offenders online at www.bgct.org/brokentrust. Convention leaders have also said they will review ministers at the more than 5,600 BGCT-affiliated congregations and post additional names as they discover new, registered offenders.
BGCT leaders have also agreed to keep the list updated and mail it to all Texas Baptist churches periodically, beginning this fall.
Any person convicted of rape, child molestation or sexual battery is required by law to register as a sex-offender. The complete BGCT list, totaling fewer than 100 names, also includes ministers who committed adultery, became addicted to pornography or engaged in homosexual behavior. BGCT officials have declined to release the names of ministers who were not convicted of specifically criminal activity.
In the case of non-criminal but sexually inappropriate behavior, such as adultery, the offending minister is placed on the list if he or she confesses to sexual misconduct or if congregational officials report an incident.
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