The Southern Baptist Convention has ousted a Texas church from the denomination after it was revealed that the church’s long-time pastor was convicted of sexually assaulting pre-teen girls in the past.
According to the Houston Chronicle, Ranchland Heights Baptist Church pastor Phillip Rutledge was convicted of sexually assaulting two girls, ages 11 and 12, in 2003. Despite many church leaders and congregants being aware of Rutledge’s conviction, the church allowed him to preach at the church.
On Tuesday, however, under the SBC’s new sex abuse reform, Ranchland Heights Baptist Church officially became the first church to be removed from the SBC.
Ranchland Heights Baptist Church’s ousting comes just one year after the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News published an investigative piece outlining rampant sex abuse and coverup efforts within the denomination.
As Christian Headlines reported last February, the Chronicle found that 380 SBC leaders had been accused of sexually abusing 700 people over the span of 20 years.
Of the 380 SBC leaders accused, 220 have been convicted, nearly 100 are still in prison and more than 100 are now registered sex offenders. While some leaders did serve jail time, the Chronicle reported that others of them – some registered sex offenders – are still working in SBC churches today.
The Chronicle also found that “at least 35 church…
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