William Frank Brown Named in the Southern Baptist Convention List of Abusers

Was William Frank Brown Listed in the SBC Abuse Investigation?

William Frank Brown, a former pastor at Bellmead First Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, pled guilty to sexual assault of a minor between 2005 and 2007, and was sentenced to four concurrent 50-year prison sentences in 2009. He was the former pastor of Panther Creek New Beginnings Baptist Church in Chandlerville, Illinois, before moving to Texas. Brown will not be eligible for parole until he has completed his term of 25 years. After the scandal, the Bellmead Church worked with the Waco Regional Baptist Association and Frist Baptist Church Woodway to create a mission church, now operating as the Maranatha Church.

SBC Investigation Report

According to the Washington Post, a 300-page report was launched on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The report includes scary new specifics concerning particular abuse occurrences and sheds light on how denominational officials actively opposed abuse prevention and change for many years.

Southern Baptist Convention leaders have actually announced a substantial and independent third-party examination that revealed that abusers were often disregarded, forgotten, or even blamed by upper-level congregation authorities from within this religious denomination of larger than 16 million members.

Continue reading to learn more about the SBC Investigation Report

A Past of Disregarded Misconduct

For almost two decades, victims who were sexually abused sought to contact the administration of the “SBC” about the priests and congregation staff members. Nearly all of these disclosed occurrences fell beyond the statutes of limitations, making it uncertain the number of abusers were in fact incriminated. According to the report, a secret record was kept. Nevertheless, abuse survivors’ shouts for fair treatment went ignored as leaders from companies and churches attempted to secure themselves instead of those who have been taken advantage of by sexual assault.

The report stated that a key Southern Baptist leader was credibly implicated of sexual assault only one calendar month after finishing his two-year term as the convention’s president. The report likewise names 3 previous presidents of the convention, a previous vice president, and the previous head of the SBC’s administrative arm as noted SBC leaders who assisted in covering for and even encouraged believed abusers.

One victim described being treated with hostility as she alleged she was sexually assaulted by a youth pastor. The implicated pastor served in multiple Southern Baptist churches in numerous states. At a conference with the SBC leaders in 2007, a member of the Exec Committee “turned his back to her during her speech and another chortled.”

Responsibility in the Baptist Church

The document claims that a key Southern Baptist official was credibly implicated of sexual abuse only 1 month after completing his two-year spell as the convention’s president. The report likewise names 3 previous presidents of the convention, a previous vice president, and the former head of the SBC’s administrative branch as prominent SBC leaders who aided in covering and actually encouraged believed abusers.

He wishes this report will bring about much-needed reform and hold those accountable for their actions.

To learn more about information and resources available to survivors of sexual abuse in Texas, read our page: https://abuseguardian.com/sexual-assault-lawyer/texas/sex-trauma-therapist-tx/