Church agency says investigation concluded with ‘no further action’

A Southern Baptist Convention leader said Wednesday the U.S. Department of Justice has ended its investigation of a top denominational agency’s handling of sexual abuse and doesn’t anticipate further action.

The statement by Jonathan Howe, interim president of the denomination’s Executive Committee, said the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York informed the committee’s legal counsel on Feb. 29 that there is “no further action to be taken” in the probe.

The investigation began a year and a half ago into the Executive Committee and other entities, including seminaries and mission agencies. Howe’s statement did not address the status of the other investigations.

The DOJ did not respond to The Associated Press’ request to confirm the statement, which was reported earlier by The Tennessean.

The investigation followed a 2022 report from an outside consultant that found disturbing details about how denominational leaders mishandled sex abuse claims.

“While we are grateful for closure on this ... matter, we recognize ... sexual abuse reform efforts must continue to be implemented across the Convention,” Howe said in a statement. “We remain steadfast in our commitment to assist churches in preventing ... sexual abuse in the SBC.”

The Executive Committee has struggled to address the issue, recently announcing plans for an independent commission to oversee a public list of abusive clergy.

The reported end of the investigation “does not lessen SBC’s ... responsibility for grievous harms,” said Christa Brown, an advocate for survivors of abuse in Southern Baptist settings. “Nor does it alter the reality that ... leaders violated state laws & standards,” she said on social media.