Southern Baptist Convention to hold webinar on ministering to sex offenders
The SBC will hold a webinar on October 14, 2025, this webinar from attorney Rob Showers instructs church leaders to redemptively shepherd the offender while still protecting the vulnerable. It is a free webinar.
For more information or to register for the webinar: https://sbcabuseprevention.com/events/
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We know from Scripture that we are all sinners; mankind is prone to sin from the pastor to the atheist. We know about salvation, forgiveness, and that Jesus loves us. We know we need to have faith and live our lives in a righteous fashion.
Churches process this matter differently, in some cases, according to the pastor and their insurance, but we know that we exist for Jesus and are due a rightful place in the community of the church. Like so many other things in the church, managing the ministry with sex offenders is not done well, and few churches are making much of an effort to fix it. I am cautious in the way this seminar might be presented.
My church handles sex offenders well by making a reasonable assessment of risk and applying reasonable measures to minimize any perceived threat.
Most churches attempt to manage sex offenders, not by risk, like they should, but by the mere inclusion of their status on the registry. That assumes that any threat of sexual mayhem will occur from a known previous offender. Mega-studies show that sex offenders have an extremely low recidivist rate. The church does not take into account that most sexual assaults occur from strangers, family, friends, acquaintances, dates, playmates, other kids, and none of these are on any registry. The registry includes mostly lesser offenders that have minuscule intent on reoffending, and their data, names, pictures, DNA, fingerprints are on file with police. Most offenders, typically called tier one or two offenders, are guilty of possession of an illegal image, teenage petting or consensual sex, selfies, streaking, nudity or urination in the woods or beach, a hotel pool. But churches treat these tier one and two offenders the same way they would manage a tier three rapist, kidnapper, or sexual assailant. Churches have no mechanism for distinguishing between these broad extremes, so in symbolic ways, the Church cannot effectively welcome the tax collector who needs comfort and salvation. But Jesus did.
Churches need to determine their audience, before they impose draconian restrictions that mostly are unnecessary. My church has no restrictions on the few sex offenders it has in its congregation, based on real evidence of the level of their offense, history, character and recent behavior. Except in one instance, the church members are commonly not aware of others. As a sex offender, you learn what one needs to do to be respectful of the church audience. That means not broadcasting your personal situation, staying out of areas that school children, avoiding bathrooms with children; you shelter yourself from any unwise scrutiny. Your actions are more to calm anyone else aware of your situation, than any risk you actually pose.
Another church I attended, had me brought before a group of elders, a highly uncomfortable process; imposed severe restrictions, handing me written instructions, managing every minute I was in church, complete with a sponsor that met me at the entrance, and managed my departure. They ignored that I had attended the church for 12 years, had established my history, and my offense was non-violent. I then learned others in the church were aware of my personal situation. I felt on probation for life, for similar sins committed by others in thought in the congregation. I did not feel any love in this handling, with way too much unnecessary protection when none was needed. I found another church and controlled my desire to judge the church for them losing the one sheep it lost, in favor of their sole attention to the remainer of the flock.
Bo
Brother
I was just going to suggest that maybe God wanted you to move on to some other church but seems in your post you already did that. Blessings to you and your family and your new church my friend.
Back in the day, all churches had a policy of “Everyone is welcome”. Some churches I think have lost their way. That is why God sometimes tells pastors it is either time to retire, or to move to another church or ministry. I used to do some volunteering work, even helped build a Habitat for Humanity house once, but now days you have to do backgrounds and tons of paperwork and just not worth it anymore.
i’m glad the church is taking this seriously. At least they are talking about the social elephant in the room. more needs to be done for the SO community by churches. Grace is for everyone, not just the ones who havnt been arrested.
Let’s hope they clean their own closet first of their problems before preaching too hard on those who need ministering to with sex crime convictions. See my comment below about the SBC and their problems.
I find this is rich (and slightly hypocritical) for when one searches online on the SBC and those caught in sex crimes within in it, it is not a small number. IMO, it is in line with the church of the holy romans due to its scale.
Who do they classify as vulnerable?
Another huge sex sting operation, including a Sheriffs employee
Jacksonville sheriff’s employee among those arrested in St. Johns County child sex sting
https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/crime/2025/10/06/jso-employee-among-17-arrested-in-st-johns-child-sex-investigation/86551739007/?gnt-cfr=1&gca-cat=p&gca-uir=false&gca-epti=z111204p001250c001250e001300v111204&gca-ft=17&gca-ds=sophi
Those in a position of trust travel to do the thing they are crying about others doing that shouldn’t be done…laws for thee, not for me (until busted in breaking those same laws).
Any PFRs caught up in this one? Thanks for bringing this up to the masses @CherokeeJack
Here’s what i never got from churches banning rso’s besides the fact it goes against Jesus’s teachings.
The service is in broad daylight with a minimum of 100 other people in the church. What do they think is going to happen?
Thinking was never a big part of these restrictions in the first place.
NoHope. I agree. What difference is there in threat between a church, a grocery store, an apartment swimming pool and locker room, McDonalds, or a library? The risk is the bathroom, which in good common sense, one should take care in the perception of entering any one of those with a child alone inside.
It’s time for some commonsense application of these laws, I just do not know how to make that happen. Court cases are too slow. No politician will touch this issue. My solution is a gathering of all the Human Rights organizations under one blanket, combine their influence, create a national-level committee, and begin lobbying for new laws. That demands getting Congress onboard and the Attorney General. To date, no one has the interest or clout to make that happen.
Bo
If you know anything about politics, they cannot even agree on something amongst themselves so not sure how they would come together to help what many call the “Worst of the worst” (Sex offenders). If there is one thing both sides have a common ground on is registered sex offenders. Even the liberals don’t want to touch that subject unless it is to pass more restrictions on us.
There might be one or two willing to side with us on these restrictions, but one or two is not going to get the votes needed. Luckly just like Virus protection, F.A.C sometimes pounces and threatens to file a lawsuit, and occasionally that kicks the bucket down the road at least until the next session.