Survivors launch searchable database of accused Protestant abusers

A group of survivors launched ProtestantAccountability.org, a searchable database of more than 2,700 people publicly accused of abuse in Protestant churches, at an online press conference organized by the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests on Wednesday. The database was modeled directly on BishopAccountability.org, a 20-year-old Catholic database that has collected similar records for two decades. The Protestant database draws its entries from court records, state attorney general reports, news accounts, and existing survivor-run archives, and sorts them by Christian tradition including Episcopal, Presbyterian, Pentecostal and charismatic, and non-denominational categories. The database covers church workers broadly—youth leaders, worship leaders, associate pastors, and staff—not only lead pastors. Founding member Chellee Taylor stated the project's purpose: to protect the vulnerable, expose wrongdoers, deter coverups, and heal the wounded. Every entry carries a disclaimer that the site relies on publicly available information and distinguishes between people publicly accused and people convicted, with accused individuals presumed innocent until proven guilty. Protestantism has no central authority maintaining such records across denominations, unlike the Catholic Church. The Southern Baptist Convention had voted in 2022 to create a similar database called Ministry Check, but the project stalled over legal concerns. The organizers said they plan to continue adding names as new cases surface.

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Source: Relevant Magazine — https://relevantmagazine.com/current/survivors-just-built-the-first-national-database-of-accused-protestant-abusers/