Southern Baptist Convention Kicks Out Church With Registrant Pastor
Ranchland Heights Baptist Church in Midland, which has been pastored by a man required to register as a sex offender because of a conviction 17 years ago, has been ousted by the Southern Baptist Convention.
Four years ago, the Church was questioned by the Houston Chronicle about the pastor and a deacon said, “We believe that God can change people, and we believe that God has forgiven Brother Phillip as well,”
Unfortunately, the SBC disagrees with God’s abilities and has decided to kick out the entire church!
If you disagree with the SBC, please contact them at:
The Executive Committee, SBC, 901 Commerce Street, Nashville, TN 37203-3699
or by Phone: (615) 244-2355.
of through their contact form: http://www.sbc.net/contactus.asp
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God’s abilities and values seem to closely reflect the people proclaiming such abilities and values.
I sent an email to the Southern Baptist Convention using the link given in the article above. (It was a webpage response form)).
I got a response and then sent back a respectful thank you with some education attached. You won’t be able to click on the links here, so I will post, below, what the 6 links point to.
Here is 1. my original email to them 2. their response and 3. my response:
“Ousting this congregation from your flock because their pastor is required to register with the sex offense registry is not the Christ-like course. Your decision is cowardly. Have you people no faith in God? You “tremble at men”! And you try to deny the forgiveness of Christ!”
“Thank you for your message. The Executive Committee took this action because the church continued to employ a sexual predator as their pastor. Yes, God forgives, but the consequences of wrongdoing are not negated by the Almighty’s forgiveness (for instance, think of David in the Bible). If we allowed this to continue, we too would be a party to any future incident that might transpire under this pastor’s leadership.
Nevertheless, all the Executive Committee did by disfellowshipping the church was to confirm an ongoing decision by the church itself. The church has not been sending contributions or messengers to our annual Convention. The EC was simply severing the relationship with the national Convention. The church itself can continue to employ the pastor since the SBC cannot actually intervene in a local church matter.
The church can, of course, file an appeal, and the annual Convention itself will make a final decision about disfellowshipping the church.
We hope our note is helpful.
Show me your ways O Lord: teach me your paths. Psalms 25:4”
Thank you for your courteous reply.
I noticed that you mentioned that “If we allowed this to continue, we too would be a party to any future incident that might transpire under this pastor’s leadership.”
It sounds like you expect that there is a high likelihood of reoffense.
However, would it surprise you to know that, even though there is a widely held myth that those who have committed sex offenses are very likely to do it again, this is, in fact, false. (Yet about one million US citizens are being denied their basic constitutional rights based on this myth.)
The scientific evidence clearly shows that those who have committed sex crimes have the lowest rates of recidivism of any crime type except for murder!
Please notice that these 6 linked pdf files are from extremely credible scientific, governmental and journalistic sources. And they are only the tip of the iceberg. The science is clear!
U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Justice Programs – Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending,Registering, and Tracking
Prison Policy.org
Yale Law Journal
The Washington Post
Women Against the Registry (This is a collection of links to bona-fide research studies by US States Governments and Universities)
Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative (SMART.gov)
While I realize that this is not a popular topic, grave injustice is being committed!
If we refuse to recognize the truth that registered citizens have the lowest recidivism rates, (the least statistical probability of re-offense), we are turning our backs on science, reason, sound-policy and wisdom, and we are embracing the darkness of irresponsibility and lies!
Who, indeed, is our neighbor? Are we like the good Samaritan, or the cruel Pharisees?
With Great Respect,
(My Name)
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This is excellent!!! Thank you for this.
They just sent me this reply to my reply:
Dear Mr. MY NAME:
Thank you for your very thorough and nice reply as well. Some of us actually know individuals on these lists, and we are ministering to them.* Many of them have conveyed some of the same information to us that you have presented. Most of them that we know have learned from their experiences and have remained true to their faith, but none of them are in a pastoral or teaching position. We love all repentant sinners, but unfortunately, some recidivism for this crime and sin does occur. The Executive Committee (EC) chose what they thought was the right decision.
Please refer to our earlier note. The pastor in question cannot be removed from his church position by the EC/SBC since only the local church can make this decision. We are holding the church responsible–not this pastor.
Blessings to you. Thanks for your information.
Office of Convention Relations
*The primary writer for this response knows three individuals on these lists—two men and one woman. They committed terrible crimes. Nevertheless, this writer has been a job reference for all of them, helped them get jobs, assisted them in repairing relationships (two of their original marriages have survived), and counseled them. He reports that all are gainfully employed in jobs where they are entrepreneurs (one is a freelance writer and the other two are managing their own businesses after apprenticing in their crafts), and all three are married to supportive spouses. The writer does not think any of them should be employed in jobs with a lot of access to children such as churches or schools. These three individuals agree that this is best for them.
What a thoughtful response you elicited from SBC! Amazing.
Jacob, I only have the greatest respect for you and have found you far more knowledgeable than I, but for the first time ever, I am disagreeing with you on this issue.
Keep in mind that I have been involved with SBC for decades. It was stated that “some recidivism does occur.” Absolutely, but we all know that at least 90% of future sex crimes in the churches will be by nonregistrants. If SBC really wants to prevent future assaults, they should be working more on preventative methods such as what David V C is proposing.
SBC is trying to whitewash the whole situation by drawing our attention to a “look what I am doing for registrants” mentality. The main issue here is that there is not true forgiveness and a watchful reconciliation. They are branding registrants for life. SBC has come under so much criticism, and they are trying to put out this new “fire” before it causes damages too, with the new “fire” being that people are calling them out for kicking out a church where there is not a shred of evidence that anything illegal or immoral is occurring in that church.
Several years ago in my own SBC church, an ex-felon was brought on staff after many years of illegal activity: drug possession and dealing, multiple armed robberies, etc. Our pastor said that he was repentant of what he had done and had given his life to do whatever God wanted him to do. I had no problem with it, and apparently SBC did not either, even though statistically he was more likely to have become involved in illegal drug activity within our church and other possibly illegal activities than some members would be. SBC gave this man a second chance. But this was all before the Me Too movement took hold in this country.
Certainly if their idea of prevention is to eject a congregation for the background of their pastor, then they are taking their eye off the ball.
I would only add that, in most areas where I appear to be knowledgeable, I am usually just winging it (don’t tell anyone).
I too spoke with one from the phone number and she was very kind and listened to all I had to say and said that some very strong points were made.
I made mention to her that 95% or more of all sex offenses come from unknown, uncaught, unregistered individuals like teachers, doctors, clergy, gym coaches, and relatives-not those on the registry.
Now it is even in the Boy Scouts all the way back to the 1920’s.
I emphasized that looking at the registry as a means to protect the children and the Church is focusing on an extremely small percentage while the very large percentage whom they don’t know that are unregistered are molesting the children.
I emphasized that talking to the children about their sacred places, that no one is touch them but themselves, not even mommy and daddy, or uncle, etc. is the greatest defense against sexual crime, and that they are to tell even if threatened.
Having cameras in every area where children are present is an excellent idea also.
Where I go to Church, you must be cleared before you can access the children’s area.
Good work on behalf of Charles Munsey Jr.
The truth is finally unfolding, Praise God!!!!
Agreed, couldn’t have written a better,thought provoking message. I hope it penetrates the bias that has, regrettably, permeated popular thinking for more than a generation.
The fact that they referred to people on the registry as “predators” is the problem. The ONLY people who should determine someone to be a “predator” are psychologists. No one else.
Or a judge – a judge can designate someone a predator.
I agree with Maestro.
Judges will label offenders as Sexual Predators as part of the felony classification and/or part of the sentencing stipulation laid out by the prosecutor.
My crime came out years later after the relationship stopped and I had had an encounter with Jesus Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit and became a completely different person and was (and still am ) living for Jesus and the Judge even said “I believe you are a changed man”, but due to the prosecutors’ influence, I was given by the Judge the label ‘Sexual Predator” even though it was years earlier and God had changed me dramatically and the Judge knew it!!
So, only a psychologist should be able to deem whether or not someone is actually a predator.
I’m sure not one, but I’m labeled that.
David, I understand exactly what you are saying. A judge makes a decision based on a temporary situation and that decision can last a person’s lifetime. Ask my victim if I’m a predator and I’m quite sure she would say “no”. Only an individual trained to evaluate a person’s character should make a “predator” decision that will impact a person for life.
Jesus himself said the people honor me with their lips and not heart. I am not surprised at all. Most of the churches are true white-washed churches(not racial term) they are hypocritcial They want their sins forgiven but looked down upon others’ sins (Mt 23:27-28). I haven’t step in any church since my release from prison! Too many people play church.
It is hypocrisy like this that is driving people away from the organized denominations. Some churches are their own worse enemy. They are no longer churches but businesses controlled by lawyers and do-gooders who consider themselves to be perfect. You can bet that I will contact them.
Capt. – I like your insights. The term do-gooder suggests the self-justification implicit in their actions – a de facto salvation by works – which always is the enemy of Biblical salvation by grace. Because of this, our (registrants) salvation will always be an anathema to those poor folks.
Although I am an atheist, I will stand behind anyone’s right to freedom of religion. This sex offender registry has destroyed us as a country. It has crept its way negatively into the minds of those of a religious belief.
So much for the forgiveness Christians are supposed to live by. “Be like Christ”, they claim. If you’re gonna be like “Christ”, then hang around with 12 homeless, illiterate men and a prostitute. And don’t throw stones in a glass house.
No one needs to know anyone’s personal business after they’ve served their court ordered prison/probation terms. The registry doesn’t need to go private, it needs to go away. A private registry is still a registry and will still cause issues with international travel.
The entire thing needs to be abolished. And situations like this should be added to all the lawsuits being filed against the registry for breaking American’s constitutional rights.
Maestro
Even though I am a strong Christian, we tend to sometimes be some of the biggest hypocrites on Earth. I volunteered at a fundraiser for a local Christian charity at my own expense and the third year of my volunteering, they were thanking all the volunteers on a list and someone say my name and called them and warned them I was on the registry.
They never told me why they dismissed me from volunteering but they blocked my #
WHAT is crazy, every year they send me paperwork asking me to donate LOL. I finally had to call them and tell them to remove me from their list or I would sue them.
This really hits home for me. I have been an active member of a Southern Baptist Church since 1972. The Southern Baptist Convention has been hit hard by the “Me Too” movement, and I have been dismayed to see some of the things they have been doing in their response. Admit your sins, repent, and then move on to do a better job — but don’t take captives with you, which is what they are doing with registrants.
Within our own church, the main focus seemed to be making every decision based on “victims” at the expense of everyone else. When our pastor stated in a blog that approximately 7% of accusations are false (which has been acknowledged by all research groups), he was shot down by some women in our church for making that statement, and he promptly took it down, EVEN THOUGH IT IS TRUE.
Southern Baptist churches are autonomous within the convention. Part of this autonomy is that you get to choose your own pastor. The convention is telling this church that they cannot choose the person that this church feels God has led to be their pastor.
Southern Baptist leadership is running scared right now because of the possible decline in membership and lawsuits. This story is about a decision they are making that cannot be supported by the Bible.
Going to the website, I could not find an email address, but the convention’s mailing address is:
The Executive Committee, SBC
901 Commerce Street
Nashville, TN 37203-3699
There is an online comment section, but it only allows 1500 characters. I have a lot more to say than what 1500 characters will hold, so my response is in a letter.