A Year After Resigning in Disgrace, a Former SBC Pastor Opens a New Church
Last year a pastor of a Southern Baptist Convention church in Tennessee was forced to resign after his “inappropriate relationships” with multiple female congregants came to light. Now, less than a year later, that same pastor is opening a new church and we fear that this situation will only create more victims of pastoral abuse.
Pastor Sam Boyd was forced out of Forest Hills Baptist Church in Nashville following revelations – exposed by his own family – that he was abusing his position and entering into sexual relationships with female parishioners. Despite his clear history of abusing his power and authority, Pastor Boyd is now slated to lead the New Life Fellowship in Franklin, TN. Notably, this new church is an independent one and does not fall under the auspices of the SBC.
Those who abuse their power will not stop their behavior until they are forced to do so. In our opinion, this situation is a disaster waiting to happen. Pastor Boyd is not the only SBC pastor removed for sexual misconduct to later create their own church, and typically with even less accountability than before. That certainly seems to ring true in this case, considering that Pastor Boyd’s new church is helmed by its own independent board of directors, meaning they are not subject to the minimal changes that the SBC has made to prevent future cases of abuse.
This is another example of why it is critical that all allegations of abuse are handled by secular authorities and not church officials. If pastors who abuse their position of power are accountable to no one but themselves, there is nothing a congregation or community can do other than choose to not attend that church. We hope that parishioners in Franklin and the surrounding area will opt to use their power in this way and attend services from a pastor who has not been forced to leave his church in disgrace.
CONTACT: Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director (517-974-9009, [email protected])
(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)
Winter Appeal 2023
To our friends,
2023 has been a long year with many ups and downs for us all. As we close out the year, we at SNAP hope that you are feeling like you are on your way to being healthy, fulfilled, and happy. This past year has brought both successes and challenges. Thanks to the support you have shown in the past, we’ve been able to celebrate the good days and weather the stormy ones. Now, we are once again asking for your support as we work to support survivors new and old as we ‘Move SNAP Forward.’
At SNAP we are proud to have hosted a very well-attended conference in August 2023. This event allowed us to gather friends, survivors, advocates, and allies for a weekend of camaraderie and connection. We were so happy to be able to welcome many first-time attendees to gather in person and are already looking forward to the next conference.
To strengthen our movement for justice, healing, and prevention, SNAP will be expanding our peer support and providing more volunteer opportunities in the coming year. Through this great work, we are ensuring survivor voices are represented as we work for significant change that will benefit children and survivors.
Right now, survivors worldwide are getting the help they need from SNAP, and more and more reach out to us daily, but we need your help to keep those programs going and get our volunteers the training they need to thrive.
Your tax-deductible gift to SNAP can help offset the cost of our important mission. If you are not in a position to contribute, you can still support us by sharing this letter with those who can. As we continue to fight for survivors across the globe, your donation or sharing the great work SNAP does will help us continue our work to protect the vulnerable, heal the wounded, and prevent abuse.
Your donation ensures SNAP will be there for those who need us more than ever!
Warmly,
Michael W. McDonnell, C.P.S.
Interim Executive Director