Last week, a confusing IMB communication was sent out and then leaked to the media, many people, including myself, had significant concerns regarding the letter, the policies outlined in it, and the manner in which it was sent. People also contacted me saying they should have received the letter or had experienced a sexual abuse/misconduct situation and should be contacted by the IMB’s third-party firm who is looking into old cases and helping them develop new policies and procedures for the future.
This morning, I had a call with an IMB leader (staff) and a trustee who
I shared with them how some of the
We talked about additional ways they could rebuild trust internally and publicly, encourage appropriate reporting to a third party and law enforcement and how to help care for survivors.
One specific concern we discussed was the IMB’s letter not encouraging people to report directly to authorities. They said
We talked about how having an anonymous (but still internal) reporting process could prevent people from coming forward and to maybe use an alternative process involving a fully independent third party to “triage” any reports so the IMB would not make the decision of what needs to be reported to law enforcement and a third party would also then have documentation outside of the IMB. They stand by their commitment to their policy to always report, but adding this extra layer allows for further transparency and accountabiilty.
Overall, I was encouraged by the phone call and I look forward to seeing how they move forward. Time will tell, as always, but I felt as if the conversation was positive and should they consider and consult with survivors moving forward as they rewrite policy and both internal/external communication, it would be a good step in the right direction for everyone.
I said this to a trustee at SWBTS last week and I said it on the call: I don’t want to see any entity of the SBC fail. Yes, I’ll point out weakness I see and I’ll (usually) share them out publicly if it’s a part of my story and I feel that I should have a say in it. But ultimately, I want these organizations and the convention to succeed in reforming policy, preventing abuse, and caring for survivors. Everyone wins: past, present, and future survivors and ultimately the cause of Christ.