ABSC Sexual Abuse Response and Resource Team (SARRT) Chairperson Christa Neal speaks Wednesday during the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Arkansas Baptist State Convention. (Photo by Cassidy Higgins)
LITTLE ROCK – Protecting those vulnerable from sexual abuse remains a top priority for the Arkansas Baptist State Convention (ABSC).
During the 2024 Annual Meeting, the ABSC Sexual Abuse Response and Resource Team (SARRT) Chairperson Christa Neal, who serves as Title IX coordinator for Ouachita Baptist University, gave a brief update and encouraged Arkansas Baptist churches to further implement strategies for abuse prevention and response.
Over the course of 2024, Neal said they provided five Prepare + Protect regional trainings, with hundreds of participants representing hundreds of churches in attendance.
Additionally, in 2024, she said the ABSC, at the recommendation of SARRT, developed an Abuse Prevention + Response consultant position. Emily Smith, who served as the ABSC children’s specialist, took on the new role, expanding on her work with ABSC churches and associations to inform, educate and train in the areas of safety and security. She assists churches as they work to prevent abuse, respond to abuse and care for survivors.
“It is our desire for statewide response and continued improvement on how we can effectively support you all,” Neal said. “We want to continue shining light into these dark places where the evil of abuse can hide. We want all of Arkansas Baptist churches to be prepared to prevent abuse, respond appropriately, and actively love those who are impacted.”
Neal reminded folks of the resources available on the ABSC website. For the past two years, she said they have been working on a state-wide interactive map where churches can click on a county and find resources available near them, such as local counselors, pregnancy resource centers, child advocacy centers and more.
Neal invited churches across Arkansas to take abuse prevention and response seriously through completing The Essentials Challenge. The challenge is three steps: download The Essentials, train leaders in the church, and implement practices for abuse prevention and response.
The Essentials curriculum was launched earlier this year by the Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force of the Southern Baptist Convention with hope that churches will use it to train volunteers in preventing sexual abuse and responding to those who have experienced it.
The five elements of the curriculum are train, screen, protect, report and care.
“Please join us in prayer and in action. Together, we can continue to shine the light into this darkness,” Neal said.