Updated: March 6, 2023

SBC HOTLINE + UPDATED FAQ

The hotline can be reached at 202-864-5578 or SBChotline@guidepostsolutions.com.

If in the event, you are contacting Guidepost to report a current incident involving sexual abuse, child abuse or any other ongoing and potentially violent behavior by someone, please also contact your local law enforcement agency for immediate help. Please dial 911 if you or someone else is in need of immediate assistance.

Calls to the SBC hotline will initially go to our hotline voicemail. Please leave your name and number along with any information about your availability for further discussion, if you are willing. Every attempt will be made to respond to each caller within 24 hours. Thank you.

If you are calling to report any abuse allegation either current or historic involving a minor, depending on the circumstances, the timeframe and the jurisdiction, Guidepost or the SBC Executive Committee may be required by law to report such allegation to state law enforcement, child protective services or other agencies. Please dial 911 if you know of anyone under the age of 18 that is in immediate danger or currently being abused.

Guidepost has been and remains committed to maintaining the highest level of openness, transparency, and trust – particularly with the survivor community. Guidepost has and always will continue to prioritize and protect survivor confidentiality.

Updated Frequently Asked Questions (“FAQs”) regarding the SBC Sexual Abuse Hotline (“SBC Hotline”)

1. Who “runs” the SBC Hotline?

Guidepost Solutions LLC (“Guidepost”) Guidepost is an independent, third party that was hired by the Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee (“SBC EC”) on May 25, 2022, to collect reports, whether anonymous or attributed, regarding current and historic allegations of sexual abuse within SBC churches and SBC entities. Guidepost has set up the SBC Hotline as a means to gather information from reporters and refer submissions to the SBC Credentials Committee for their consideration and action as the SBC Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force deems appropriate. All calls/emails are handled exclusively by Guidepost team members. Guidepost continues to maintain this hotline.

2. What is the purpose of the SBC Hotline?

The goal of the SBC Hotline is to gather reports of current or former allegations of sexual abuse in a trauma-informed, safe atmosphere for survivors so as to inform the SBC about any past or current issues and allegations which demand action. While Guidepost conducts interviews of reporters of abuse who contact the hotline, we are not currently engaged by the SBC to undertake investigations of any allegation.

3. Who does a reporter speak to when they call or email the SBC Hotline?

A small number of trauma-informed Guidepost team members receive hotline emails/calls and engage with reporters. Once Guidepost receives a report through the hotline, one of our trauma-informed team members contacts and speaks to the reporter to gather additional information relative to the allegation. All calls/emails are handled exclusively by Guidepost team members.

4. Does it matter if I provide information to the SBC Hotline that occurred years ago?

No. Guidepost welcomes all reports of sexual abuse, whether current or historic. We refer all allegations relevant to SBC churches even if the accused is deceased to the SBC Credentials Committee for their consideration and whatever action they deem appropriate.

5. After a report is made, what happens?

As stated in a prior FAQ, Guidepost does not independently investigate allegations reported through the SBC Hotline. Based on information received, Guidepost prepares two reports as described below.

Guidepost provides the summaries of the allegations gathered in the course of interviews to the SBC Credentials Committee (“CC”) if it concerns an SBC church affiliated individual. Information from these interviews is provided to the CC through a bi-weekly report (the “CC Report”) which includes the names of alleged abusers, the names and locations of the respective churches, the names of leaders potentially involved, and other details of the allegations. Guidepost does not provide identifying information about the individual who reports the information to the CC, unless specifically approved and directed to do so by the reporter.

In addition to the CC Report, Guidepost provides the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (“ARITF”) and the SBC EC executive leadership a second report on a monthly basis. This report summarizes the various statistics of calls/emails through the hotline. No information relative to the allegation or the name of any individual is provided to the ARITF.

Depending on the information reported, the CC will determine if it is appropriate to contact the relevant SBC church for inquiry. For details on the structure and purpose of the Credentials Committee, and their responsibility in regards to reports of abuse, please refer to their website: https://www.sbc.net/about/what-we-do/sbc-governance/credentials-committee/

6. How will I know if anything happened as a result of the information I provided?

Currently, Guidepost is serving as an information provider to the SBC. Guidepost is not authorized to independently investigate any reported allegation. Whether or not the Credentials Committee contacts a reporter is solely at the discretion of the Committee. At some point, Guidepost might contact you if further information is needed from you or if there is an initiation of a separate investigation by Guidepost or another entity. Additionally, the SBC’s Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF) has been charged with undertaking reforms relative to sexual abuse claims. Additional information relative to the role of the ARITF can be found at https://www.sataskforce.net/faqs.

7. How is my confidentiality protected by Guidepost if I want to make a confidential report?

Guidepost understands the importance of confidentiality to reporters and survivors of sexual abuse. Accordingly, only a small number of trauma-informed Guidepost team members work on the hotline and engage with reporters. As noted in a prior FAQ, no reporter or survivor information is provided to the Credentials Committee unless specifically approved and directed to do so by the reporter.

In addition, with the exception of two possible scenarios, the confidential, private, detailed information reported to the hotline is not shared with anyone outside of the Guidepost team without the express consent of the survivor/reporter. The two exceptions are as follows:

• If Guidepost receives allegations regarding abuse of minors and given the details of the allegations, Guidepost is a legally mandated reporter, required by law to report the details of the allegations to law enforcement – then potentially the individuals’ identity would be made known to law enforcement. This has not happened, to date.
• If Guidepost is required to provide certain relevant information to a third party pursuant to a valid subpoena or other legal process. Guidepost has not received a subpoena relative to the information collected as part of the hotline.
  

8. What happens if my information is related to a minor or child?

If Guidepost receives an allegation of any abuse by an SBC church affiliated individual, we provide that information to the SBC Credentials Committee, including any current or historical allegation regarding abuse of a minor. Guidepost complies with federal and state mandatory child abuse reporting statutes and regulations. As noted on our website, “If in the event, you are contacting Guidepost to report a current incident involving sexual abuse, child abuse or any other ongoing and potentially violent behavior by someone, please also contact your local law enforcement agency for immediate help. Please dial 911 if you or someone else is in need of immediate assistance.”

9. Is Guidepost able to provide additional help and resources to survivors or reporters if needed/requested?

As Guidepost was setting up the SBC Hotline, we contemplated that reporters might need additional help or assistance, including counseling or in some cases mental health resources. Guidepost does not serve in this capacity; however, we did compile a list of contact information for online and local sexual abuse resources to provide to reporters as needed. If the reporter requests resources, then Guidepost provides the information, and the reporter can utilize that information at their convenience.

10. Have reporters been put in touch with survivor advocates?

In the eight months Guidepost has operated the hotline, out of the hundreds of reports received, in only two instances, before the creation of the ARITF, and only after reporters expressed a potential need for additional assistance, was a survivor advocate contacted.

11. Does Guidepost also accept non-SBC reports of sexual abuse?

Guidepost’s engagement with the SBC currently allows for the collection of information relative to any allegation of sexual abuse by an SBC church or affiliated individuals associated with an SBC church.

Initial SBC Hotline FAQs (effective May 25, 2022 through January 8, 2023)

SBC INVESTIGATION + REPORT

• In response to requests, the SBC Executive Committee has released the list of pastors and other church-affiliated personnel accused of sexual abuse. This 205-page database was made public May 26, 2022. It includes more than 700 entries from cases that largely span from 2000 to 2019.
• The release statement is available on the SBC website.
• The Report of the Independent Investigation is now available from the Task Force.

On September 9, 2021, the Task Force announced that Guidepost Solutions was retained to conduct the independent assessment and investigation regarding the Executive Committee of the SBC, as commissioned by the Messengers of the Convention at the 2021 SBC annual meeting. Pursuant to the Letter of Engagement, Guidepost’s mandate is as follows:

Specifically, and as directed by the SBC Motion, Guidepost investigated:

• Allegations of abuse by Executive Committee members
• Mishandling of abuse allegations by Executive Committee members between January 1, 2000, to June 14, 2021
• Allegations of mistreatment of sexual abuse victims by Executive Committee members from January 1, 2000, to June 14, 2021
• Patterns of intimidation of sexual abuse victims or advocates from January 1, 2000, to June 14, 2021
• Resistance to sexual abuse reform initiatives from January 1, 2000, to June 14, 2021

In addition, Guidepost performed an audit of the procedures and actions of the Credentials Committee after its formation in mid-June 2019, using best standards and practices designed to ensure accountability, transparency, and care for the wellbeing of survivors of sexual abuse.

Additional information regarding the Task Force and the scope of the investigation can be found here.

A press release announcing the retention of Guidepost can be found here.