Friday, May 18, 2012

Autonomy? Baptist planet shakes a bit...

...after a Florida jury found the Florida Baptist Convention liable for a church planter that they funded and trained who later sexually abused a 13 year old boy.

Florida Baptist Convention found liable for former pastor who abused Eustis boy



Jurors decided that the  convention didn't do enough to investigate the background of Douglas W. Myers, who started two churches in Lake County after receiving funds and training from the convention.

At the same time the jury made a finding of fact that the man was not an employee of the FBC.

There is surely more to come on this but various convention entity lawyers are having a moment of anxiety today. 

2 comments:

Doug Hibbard said...

Hopefully this will help push our "autonomous" entities to at least take responsibility for the actions they do take: if the convention recommended this guy or one of the convention employees did so, then there is liability on the convention.

Now, had the church taken him without any interaction or over the objections of the convention, then it should rightly fall on the church, but that's not the case here.

And it's not often the case, really, is it? There is usually a convention or another church that recommends a person to a position. This includes the "friend suggestion" from a pastor--his opinion is counted because of his role at work and so he and the church bear some responsibility for those actions.

New BBC Open Forum said...

Hopefully this will help push our "autonomous" entities to at least take responsibility for the actions they do take...

And perhaps the actions they refuse to take as well.