Georgia Baptist leaders are speaking out following troubling allegations of sexual abuse and institutional inaction at Truett McConnell University. The allegations, made public this week, accuse a former university official of sexually abusing a student over the course of several years, and claim university leadership failed to respond to repeated warnings.
Seven members of the Georgia Baptist Convention’s leadership team signed the letter below. Here is their statement, in its entirety, as published by The Christian Index:
“In light of the deeply troubling allegations of sexual misconduct and manipulation at Truett McConnell University, we are overwhelmed with sorrow and want to express our heartfelt grief and solidarity with the victims who courageously came forward to expose this hurtful and immoral behavior. The campus of a Georgia Baptist institution should be a place of refuge, trust, and spiritual growth, and we find this behavior to be profoundly disturbing. We pray fervently for the grace of God to sustain these survivors as they walk the long road toward healing and restoration.
As is true for all Georgia Baptist entities, Truett McConnell University is accountable to its Board of Trustees. We encourage the trustees to take the appropriate actions to fully understand what happened and to ensure this type of behavior will never be repeated.
Abusive behavior is an abhorrent evil that causes unspeakable suffering. We must remain steadfast in our resolve to care for victims with compassion and confront and reform any culture that permits such cruelties to occur.”
Georgia Baptist Mission Board Executive Director Thomas Hammond, Executive Committee Chairman Stephen Fountain, Executive Committee Vice Chairman Chad Mantooth, Administration Committee Chairman Chris Humphries, Administration Committee Vice Chairman Brady Howard, Georgia Baptist Convention President Steve Browning, and Georgia Baptist Relations Committee Chairman John Waters signed the open letter.
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