While abuse of a child by an adult is terrible, it's usually straightforward to evaluate what is happening. But what about sexual misconduct between children? Is it always abuse? No. Is it always...
State and federal officials, survivors, and ministry leaders gathered at the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting to move Southern Baptist churches from awareness to action on child abuse, sexual exploitation, and human trafficking. She...
It starts, Shawn Thornton said, with what a father once described to him as the "cute factor." When a child with disabilities is 5, 7 or 8 years old, people in the church...
ORLANDO, Fla.— Jeff Dalrymple, Director of Abuse Prevention & Response at the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) Executive Committee, announced today the official launch of The Fortify Initiative during the Southern Baptist Conference of...
I will never forget my first conversation with Tom Stolle. I know exactly where I was – driving through West Los Angeles in February 2023. I had to pull over as tears streamed...
Sexual abuse in the church does not have to end in broken lives, agonizing lawsuits and divided congregations. As illustrated by the real-life abuse case described later in this post, when people follow...
Every church I have ever worked with says the same thing when the subject of access control comes up. "We want people to feel welcome." And they mean it. The open door is...
During Passion Week this year, I contemplated how it took the empty tomb to flip the narrative about Jesus. Leading up to the cross, the narrative was scandalous. Jesus was labeled a lawbreaker,...
Every church I have ever worked with says the same thing when the subject of access control comes up. "We want people to feel welcome." And they mean it. The open door is...
“The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.” — Proverbs 22:3 The urgent need for abuse awareness and prevention education in Christian K-12 schools cannot...