Southern Baptist congregations in the U.S. South are far less likely than their counterparts elsewhere to use background checks and training to minimize the risk that youth get sexually abused in a church ministry.
That, at least, is what the data shows in places where Southern Baptist churches were asked about sex abuse prevention efforts at all. The overwhelming majority of state and regional Baptist conventions inquired about the matter in their latest annual church survey.
But many conventions in the South apparently did not — including those for Georgia, Alabama and Tennessee.
Why that is remains unclear. Georgia and Alabama Baptist officials did not respond to emails or calls Tuesday. Chris Turner, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, confirmed by email that the convention did not ask the question of churches in its 2023 survey.
But he said Tennessee has been on the vanguard of state Baptist conventions in addressing the sexual abuse issue. The Tennessee Baptist Mission Board, he said, oversees regular trainings around the state and ardently advocates for churches to thoroughly vet candidates with background and reference checks that go beyond those listed in resumes.