Southern Baptist Convention president faces criticism for new church hire

Since the beginning of 2019, Southern Baptist Convention president J. D. Greear has been among the highest-profile advocates for preventing sexual abuse and protecting victims of abuse in the nation’s largest Protestant denomination.

Now advocates for abuse survivors are criticizing Greear af­ter his church de­cided to hire a teaching pastor who has been accused of mishandling an abuse claim in the past.

Greear, who is expected to continue to serve as SBC president for another year due to the coronavirus pandemic, said he stands by the Summit Church’s decision to hire Bryan Loritts.