The recent articles from the Houston Chronicle about sex abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) are convicting to me. What can I and others do better to prevent such abuse? How can we better serve, help, and show compassion to the victims?
I know many of you readers are not a part of the SBC, but please allow me to have this “family” conversation. It is too great of an issue to treat lightly.
One of the issues we have in SBC life is how we license and ordain pastors and staff. Each local church has the authority to ordain and license people because of our belief in the autonomy of the local church. In many cases, because our ordination process is so weak, we “bless” new pastoral candidates who may not be ready for ministry at the least, and who are sexual predators at worst.
Here are some of my thoughts on how we ordain, and how we could do so differently, particularly to protect our churches from predators and others who are not fit for vocational ministry.
- Autonomy is not an excuse for irresponsibility. Every local church that licenses and ordains has a heavy and sobering responsibility. We need to examine our processes and how we communicate those processes to the full congregation. No church should vote on a candidate until they are confident the candidate has been vetted in every way possible.
- Background checks should become normative in the ordination process. Some of you may be shocked to learn we likely have more churches doing background checks on church volunteers than we do ordination candidates. And let me confess my own neglect. I have sat on many ordination councils, and I have never asked to see a background check of the candidate. In fact, I doubt a background check was done, because it was not mentioned. Shame on me.
- We should not assume the ordination of a pastor or staff member from another church is sufficient for our church. When churches call a pastor or pastoral staff member, that person should be examined as if a new ordination is taking place. Unfortunately, we cannot always have confidence that the ordaining church did its homework.
- Leaders should insist on vigorous examinations of candidates for ordination. Our polity does indeed advocate local church autonomy, as I note above. But our structure should not be an impediment for good practices. The influence of leaders is often more powerful than the rules of a structure. Leaders, like me, should speak up more clearly and more quickly.
Solving the ordination problem alone will not solve the sexual abuse problem. But it’s a start. Many predators in the pulpits and on church staff got there because we did not ask the right questions nor put them through thorough screening processes.
It’s time to change.
Posted on February 16, 2019
With nearly 40 years of ministry experience, Thom Rainer has spent a lifetime committed to the growth and health of local churches across North America.
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78 Comments
Unfortunately for years the process of ordination has been linked to the salary offered. Example: we can only pay you this amount but when we ordain you you will be able to benefit from the huge tax exempt housing allowance. This is sad but very true in many cases.
You have articulated this message with wisdom and clarity Dr. Rainer. Indeed, it’s time to change.
Great article. Our Faith tribe (Church of God – Anderson) has local autonomy issues as well. However, our ordination is through local assemblies and we have started a three year standardized process called Leadership Focus for our ordination as a movement. In addition to background checks we also include personality assessments so future pastors have a better understanding of themselves. In addition, this process is completed on-line so that pastoral candidates throughout the movement work together through a co-hort format. It has enhanced our process, but also helps to increase the quality of the candidate for ordination.
Great stuff. Thanks, Bob.
I serve on association and region Committee on the Ministry. Without interfering with local autonomy, we vet candidates for recognition in the denominational directory of professional leadership. We require a number of checks, including at least three character references, meeting educational requirements (several options), boundaries and ethics training, and evaluation at the Center for Career Development and Ministry. It does not prevent a local ordination, but can flag a search committee of a potential problem.
The church I served for ten years before retiring, had never used background checks. We instituted background checks for all who have any contact with children and teens, including drivers and food service. Not perfect, but a step in the right direction.
Definitely a step in the right direction.
The first thing that has to happen is to realize that predators go where they will find easy access to their prey. Churches are prime targets because we assume people are there for the right reasons. I’m a preschool volunteer in our church in Florida and in addition to background checks, we are now required to go through training with MinistrySafe. There are other practical actions that are taken as well, but the most important in my opinion is for church leadership to take action in cases of any kind of abuse and to not allow the individual the opportunity to offend again in any congregation.
We did a Lifeway background check on a Youth Pastor that came up clean. It seems that only convictions come to light; not arrests or workplace charges, etc. (the spousal abuse charge was dropped by the wife; the work place charges were “not substantiated”, and the candidate was vetted by a CPC, and 2 other forums. He gave wonderful explanations after things came to light. Anyway, I believe if more pointed questions were asked on the form and we drilled down harder and listened to the check marks in our souls, then major issues would have been averted.
There seems to be a misconception that ordination is “for life.” According to a Virginia Supreme Court ruling, a person’s ordination is tied to the ordaining organization. So, for example, if the church that ordained you is now closed, by these rules you are not ordained anymore. (Which has implications. This also means that any marriage performed after the ordaining organization is defunct is not valid, because you as officiant are no longer authorized to perform state weddings.)
StartChurch.com has many good resources about this. They provide a “check list” for determining a valid ordination. I particularly like their suggestions that ordination be for a specific period, after which it expires. I do not believe that removing church autonomy is the answer. The local church has more power than they realize; they just don’t know it. The ordaining church is allowed, at any time, to revoke ordination. It is not up to the current church, but to the ordaining church.
I agree with your ordination recommendation and it is certainly a place to start. However my experience in serving on a pulpit committee is the inability to get any information from prior institutions of learning, churches, and associations except the positive. They had heard rumors but did not want to investigate and were reluctant to pass on any information that they had not personally validated, I agree with they reluctance to pass on rumors, but no one wants to investigate. Therefore, we need some Independent investigative organization at the SBC level where records are available but access is very strictly controlled.
From my understanding of NT ecclesiology, pastoral ordination was the equivalent of today’s pastoral installation. In other words, one’s ordination remains valid as long as they are continuing to fulfill the same task, in the same local church, for which they were ordained. If they were for some reason to go on to become a pastor at another church, another ordination (i.e. installation) is in order. The NT knows nothing of “at large” pastors or pastors who currently don’t have a church in which they serve as pastor.
More in-depth comments on this here: https://loveeachstone.blogspot.com/2019/02/originally-posted-august-25-2008-at.html
Background checks only reveal those who have already been caught. No I’m not opposed to doing background checks and I do think they should be done (I have had multiple background checks over the years). Everything else listed hear isn’t going to stop abuse unless they have already been caught. Grilling or interrogating pastors isn’t going to reveal anything more than what is on that background check either (except the candidate’s capacity for patience). Here is what the SBC has the ability to do: 1. Strongly Encourage Churches to do background checks (they don’t need a database, because if someone has been caught they are already in an up to date database – the legal system). 2. Offer and Provide Training to Churches on how to help prevent sexual abuse (as far as that is possible) and Offer Free National Background Checks to Churches for their Pastors. At the end of the day it is the responsibility of every church to do its best in calling a pastor — without being abusive in that process either.
A background check rarely interrogates the applicant. Having worked with federal security background checks and in church background checks I have had basic interviews, either for clarification about responses to a questionnaire filled out for the investigation or to verify that the responses are actually mine. References, when it comes to background checks, aren’t given that much credibility – I wouldn’t put someone down who wouldn’t vouch for me, rather those people developed in conversation with a reference “who do you know well who also knows the applicant?”
As imperfect as a background check appears a trained investigator can rapidly develop sufficient information to credit or discredit an applicant, or at least raise a flag for further investigation.
Thom, I share your conviction. I have suffered greatly because my home church and pastor took oversight of my ordination. I did insist the calling church have a voice in the process. To spare you a long story, the ordination committee ignored church by-laws requiring the local association to examine me. Therefore, upon realizing this the only ethical thing to do was to submit my ordination which created a riff between my pastor and I, this riff exists today. My ordination was successfully done later on by the local DOM through a calling church and remains valid to date. Any candidate who tries to avoid a background check should be disqualified without question. I prefer to not supply my own but if necessary I will pay for my check and allow the church to use the method they prefer. Thank you Thom, I look forward to seeing the resources mentioned.
My husband pastored for 35 years before retirement and served on several ordination councils. We know of two cases where the church ordained even when the council did not recommend ordination (one felt you did not have to believe), one church ordained as a “thank you” for the lay leadership given the church, and one ordained a custodian since he does the Lord’s work cleaning the church.
“Empty hands on empty heads” Charles Spurgeon
The Bible says “ordain elders IN every church”. It doesn’t say restrict ordination to strangers with formal degrees and experience somewhere else. Disrespecting lay leadership is clergyism. Please return to the Bible on ordination of local leaders to work locally.
I agree and have heard many great lay preachers that should be ordained. If this was in response to my comment–the case I mentioned was not against lay leaders being ordained; this case was “oh what can we do to say thank you that you have worked hard for years, even though you don’t feel lead and did not seek ordination, surprise–we are ordaining you this morning.”
There are few comments I’d like to address
First, the autonomy issue is a lame excuse for due diligence!
We are in cooperation with each other (SBC) not against or opposed to each other! So ask that an objective ordination board be assembled!
2. Get specific!
Ask the right questions. There needs to be a full range of Q and A that addresses the call the role the function and biblical structure for ministry in the local church.
3. Local churches can help by requiring a two year service interim to demonstrate gifts of ministry!
4. Lay out expectations for the ordinands. They shouldn’t be drilled down and made to feel inadequate ! Our job and goal is to build one another up!
Equip, enrich, empower, engage,
I have also served over 25 years in pastoral ministry and feel in SBC we need a better process
So we have begun the ordination boards and credentials
For assisting local churches with the process … having been a in varied structure of ministry prior to SBC life: the process of ordination was given its own due process in preparing candidates for ministry and ordination
Blessings
C.A.Hunnel