Jacksonville allegation lands in Southern Baptist Convention abuse report

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new report commissioned by the Southern Baptist Convention exposes years of allegations of abuse dating back to 2000.

It stems from a seven-month investigation by an independent firm that reports stories of abuse where survivors were ignored or even vilified.

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One of those allegations lands right here in Jacksonville.

The report recounts Tiffany Thigpen’s alleged attack by pastor Darrell Gilyard, who was preaching at First Baptist Church Jacksonville at the time. Thigpen said Gilyard was a mentee of two local pastors, and he belonged to a church in Texas.

Thigpen told investigators she considered Gilyard a mentor, but as a high school student, she didn’t realize his kindness was him actually grooming her.

In the spring of 1991, after a revival meeting, Thigpen said Gilyard tried to rape her.

She said she luckily got away, went home, and told her mom.

The two reported it to a First Baptist Church Jacksonville pastor, who they said was very dismissive.

“He was very, very passive, quiet, and he made that statement, that is in the report, that it would be embarrassing for me if others knew,” Thigpen said.

She said he promised to consult with another pastor, but nothing was ever done.

“He encouraged us to leave it in his hands, which is what we did,” Thigpen said.

Action News Jax first told you in 2009 when Gilyard admitted to molesting two girls and was sentenced to three years in prison.

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He was not convicted on Thigpen’s allegations.

Now with the release of the report, Thigpen said it has validated and confirmed everything she has advocated for since her attack.

“It felt like the whole world kind of slowed down because this is now out there. Not only my story but all the stories. All of the stories of the cover-up in the SBC,” Thigpen said.

SBC President Ed Litton said in a statement on Sunday that he’s “grieved to my core.”

He also stated Southern Baptists will chart a new course at their June national meeting.

Thigpen said that is just the start of change.

“I would like for there to be a database that is in some ways independently maintained, so there is not the ability to cover anything up or hide names,” Thigpen said.

Gilyard was released from prison in 2012. He’s currently a registered sex offender in the state of Florida.

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