MACON, Ga. — The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) released a national list naming more than 40 Georgia church leaders who allegedly abused members of their congregations. The 205-page database became public Thursday.
The database includes more than 700 entries from cases mostly from 2000 to 2019.
Jim Perdue is the pastor at Second Baptist Church in Warner Robins. He says the independent firm Guidepost Solutions was hired by the SBC to complete the investigation.
The documents came to light on Sunday about the SBC executive committee. The report says the Baptist church mishandled allegations of sex abuse, stonewalled survivors, and protected their organizations liability.
Perdue was shocked and angry after hearing about the alleged abuse happening at SBCs nationwide. He says his church is a place of fellowship and worship.
"We talk about the stages of grief and I feel like I've been experiencing those sometimes simultaneously over the last several days."
Perdue says he has rules in place so abuse doesn't happen at his church.
In 2017, a jury convicted former GBI agent Charles Woodall on 12 counts of child molestation. He was an intern at Northway Church in Macon.
"First and foremost, we're screening people that are working with our children or students. Secondly, there is no child or no adult that is in a room with children all by themselves at any point," Perdue said.
Hannah Kennedy had been a member of Second Baptist Church since 2020. She says the news is upsetting but not all churches are like this.
"We may not understand the circumstances, but at the same time, we are able to cling to His goodness and know that though circumstances within the SBC change, our God who we serve do not change," Kennedy said.
Perdue says church leaders will talk about how to discuss the recent report at the upcoming Southern Baptist Convention Conference.
If you or someone you know was sexually assaulted you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-HOPE. You can also visit their website for more resources.