Investigates

Southern Baptist Convention lists church leaders accused of sexual misconduct, 10 in Jacksonville

The Southern Baptist Convention released a 200-page report listing more than 700 pastors, counselors, and teachers accused of sexual misconduct within the church.

The list comes after the convention released an independent report into allegations earlier in the week.

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This list, which can be found on SBC’s website, lists out former church leaders connected to eight local Jacksonville churches:

  • Cedar Creek Baptist
  • Old Plank Road Baptist
  • Trinity Baptist
  • First Baptist
  • Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist
  • Clay Hill Baptist
  • Little Rock Baptist
  • Lake Shore Baptist

Action News Jax reached out to all the churches named. We have not yet heard back. Trinity Baptist is the only church that had no comment.

“The immediate reaction was just feeling physically ill. And then of course very, very emotional,” Tiffany Thigpen said.

She was one of the alleged victims named in the SBC’s independent report connected to Darrell Gilyard. He was charged and served three years for a separate incident during his time as a traveling preacher.

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The charges detailed in the list ranged from sexual abuse to possession of child pornography.

One of the suspects, Robert Browning, was a teacher at Cedar Creek Baptist Church. According to court documents, officers said he had oral sex with a minor and texted nude pictures.

The SBC report was kept secret by church executives for a decade.

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“What we’re really concerned with is somebody who had information who could’ve directly protected children and failed to disclose that information at a timely basis so that children could be provided with protection,” Action News Jax’s Law and Safety Expert Dale Carson said.

“They knew these names, these people. And they were doing absolutely nothing with the information,” Thigpen added.

The ten local church leaders include:

  • Robert Browning
  • Stephen Edmonds
  • Darrell Gilyard
  • Robert Gray
  • Alexie Kelly
  • Anthony Denton
  • Richard Sweat
  • Chavalis Williams
  • William Hendricks

In a statement posted to its website, SBC’s executive committee, said “This list is being made public for the first time as an initial, but important, step towards addressing the scourge of sexual abuse and implementing reform in the Convention. Each entry in this list reminds us of the devastation and destruction brought about by sexual abuse. Our prayer is that the survivors of these heinous acts find hope and healing, and that churches will utilize this list proactively to protect and care for the most vulnerable among us.”

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