Hey Church Family, 

I hope you’re having a good weekend. This Sunday is Memorial Day Weekend at Broadview as well as Senior Graduation Recognition and so it should be a really special day of worship. I hope you’ll make plans to join us. 

The originally planned 5th Sunday Singing for this Sunday at 5PM has been cancelled. The next 5th Sunday Singing will be July 31st.

There are several folks in our church who’ve come down with COVID this past week so please be praying for them. So far, none of them have been hospitalized and for that I’m very thankful. The majority of the spread seems to be from a few of our adult small groups or potentially our traditional worship choir. It’s a good reminder to keep your hands washed and practice other wise prevention measures.

Guidepost Report

In this week’s update I wanted to respond to the report that was released by the SBC Sexual Abuse Task Force. Last year, the messengers attending the Annual Meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention voted overwhelmingly to appoint a sexual abuse task force who would engage an independent firm to investigate the Executive Committee of the SBC on charges of improperly handling reports of sexual abuse as well as mistreatment of sexual abuse survivors within the SBC

I was at that Annual Meeting. I voted for that motion and I’ve been following their work closely, awaiting the report. The report was published this past week. The report totals close to 400 pages including appendixes. I’ll provide links to the documents below. I encourage you to read them and if nothing else expose yourself to the executive summary in the first few pages of the full report. 

Click here for Guidepost Full Report

Click here for Appendices to Guidepost Report pt. #1 

Click here for Appendices to Guidepost Report pt. #2

My initial reaction, after reading the report, was one of anger, grief and disillusionment. My heart breaks for the survivors and the trauma they experienced. I admire their courage and tenacity. While some of the accusations in the report are contested, the facts and evidence presented should compel lament, repentance and a desire for change.

The goal of the investigation was to bring to light every reported instance of sexual abuse that may have occurred at any of the 47,000+ SBC churches over the last two decades. The Task Force investigated several hundred reported cases.

As part of that investigation, they found a list of convicted sex offenders that had been compiled and documented. This list was then sent to the president of the Executive Committee but never published for other SBC churches to see. Had they been reported then, (as they are now) churches would’ve been able to see a master listing of credibly accused offenders so as to protect themselves and their vulnerable populations from repeat offenses.

These findings are shocking, sobering and expose an organizational rot that needs to be addressed. I’m hopeful that this upcoming Annual Meeting will afford messengers an opportunity to act on the recommendations of the sexual abuse task force and begin the process of making improvements in this area. Thankfully, some steps have already been taken to improve our prevention efforts. Moreover, it is now much easier to report those convicted of sexual abuse as well as churches/organizations who improperly handle such things. 

Abuse Prevention at Broadview

This report raises the question of our own sexual abuse reporting/prevention practices at Broadview.

I want to say without equivocation that we find any form of sexual abuse to be both criminal and sinful. Abusers will find no safe haven at Broadview. We will gladly cooperate with authorities when and if these types of allegations ever surface. We will forever remain vigilant to protect the vulnerable populations entrusted to our care. 

Here are some of the ways we try and prevent abuse in our church right now:

1. Broadview has a Children’s Ministry Policy Manual that covers enlistment of leaders, training, and protocols to insure all children are safe and protected. This manual lays out a step by step process for reporting abuse and how accusations are handled.  
2. Broadview requires all leaders and volunteers to be background checked, with a required training module in sexual abuse awareness training through Ministry Safe. These are renewed every two years.  
3. Broadview has a safety team that is certified and trained who monitor all building entrances and corridors. Our building is under 24 hour video surveillance for the protection of our volunteers and our vulnerable populations.

A few years ago we revised our ministry policies and volunteer onboarding process for vulnerable populations. We have a clear cut process for handling accusations of sexual abuse. We are committed to protecting our vulnerable populations and those who are potential victims of sexual abuse.

Our local church should be a place of safety and healing. If you’ve ever experienced abuse (whether on our campus or at any other time) we are committed to seeing justice take place and your soul being properly cared for. Please join me in praying for those affected by these unspeakable acts. 

Let us also pray for our family churches in this difficult season and the continued protection of every member at Broadview Baptist Church. 

Other Important Updates

Having responded to the big news in the SBC, I also need to address the other devastating events of the past few weeks. 

If you’ve been watching the news then you know about the absolute horror many parents are walking through in Uvalde, TX with the recent school shooting. I cannot even begin to imagine what the parents and community are going through right now. Please keep them in your prayers.

I know people who are on the ground ministering to some of the families and it is absolutely heart breaking to hear the reports. It’s such a senseless tragedy and proof positive of the evil and brokenness of our world. It creates an even stronger longing for the return of Christ and the replacement of this broken world with the Kingdom that is to come. 

In addition to the school shootings, we had the Mesquite Heat Fire last week. Several folks in our church family had to evacuate their homes. I know some (not members of our church) who lost everything. It’s a reminder that things can go from one extreme to the next in the blink of an eye. 

Church Family Crisis Fund

These crises are a reminder of the great gift we’ve been given in the local church. We don’t have to walk through these days alone or in our own strength. We are encouraged to grieve with those who grieve and rejoice with those who rejoice. (Rom 12:15) We are to bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Gal 6:2) 

Part of the way we’re able to support one another in our congregation is through a special fund that was set up called the “Church Family Crisis Fund.” While our Local Missions Offering is used to help with local benevolence needs and assisting other non-profits in Abilene, the CFCF is money given BY Broadview Members FOR other Broadview Members.

I’ve seen first hand how the family crisis fund has been used by God to absolutely change a person’s life. You have no idea the impact that we’re able to make when we partner together to generously provide for these crisis needs as they arise. The disbursement of funds is regulated by a small board to ensure accountability and proper stewardship. 

Given the rise in prices due to inflation and some major crises that have come up in our church family, I wanted to use this email to draw your attention to the fund. Many of you reading this are new to our church and may not even know about this ministry.

If you’ve been blessed with some “extra” and you’d like to give to the family crisis fund to help us continue ministering to members of our church family in their time of need, you can designate a gift today.  

Final Thoughts

As I close out this weeks update I want to encourage you to please sign up your child for our Vacation Bible School if you haven’t already done so. You’ll see info on how to do that in the announcements below. Remember, if you want a shirt you need to PRE PAY BY TODAY! 

I’ll be out of the pulpit on July 12th and the 19th as I travel to Anaheim for the SBC Annual Meeting. Because of that, we will be taking a short break in our series on the book of Revelation. This week will be a special stand alone message in light of our graduating seniors. If you’d like to attend the annual meeting in Anaheim as a Broadview messenger then please reply to this email and let me know!

On June 18th we are planning another community outreach event to spread the word about our VBS kick-off. We will continue covering the area that was mapped out for our first community outreach. If you’re willing to help out, please sign up with your commitment as well as how many you plan to bring with you. We will meet at the church at 9AM on June 18th. 

Finally, if you haven’t yet registered for the family mission trip, summer camps or other related events then please make plans to do so. You can find most of the registration links online or sign up sheets in the Gathering Place. 

That’s all I’ve got for this week. If there is any way I can pray for you please let me know! You can just reply to this email.

Until He Comes,

Pastor Wes

Information on how to give to Broadview can be found at broadview.church/give.