The Southern Baptist Convention and its Executive Committee have been named as defendants in a proposed federal class-action lawsuit against a South Carolina church and academy where authorities say a convicted sex offender was allowed to volunteer near children.
In addition to the SBC and SBC EC, the Aug. 4 filing in the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina names Pawleys Island Community Church, Pawleys Island Christian Academy, former senior pastor Donald James Williams, his wife Virginia Lee “Ginny” Williams, former academy director Jennifer “Niki” Howard, unnamed church elders and Warren Spencer Perry as defendants.
“The Southern Baptist Convention does not comment on ongoing litigation,” said Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, in a statement. “We will review it and respond appropriately.”
In the filing, the parents, identified as John Doe and Jane Doe, allege the defendants allowed Perry, a convicted and registered sex offender, to occupy a volunteer, custodial, maintenance, or similar role that gave him recurring access to children enrolled at Pawleys Island Christian Academy. The parents brought the case on behalf of their minor child and other students and families they say were affected during the period Perry was authorized or allowed to be present on the church or academy campus.
The filing does not allege that the named child plaintiff was sexually abused. Rather, the parents claim children were exposed to a registered sex offender in an environment their families had been told was safe.
In the lawsuit, the parents argue that because of their child’s youth and vulnerability, and because of what they describe as the defendants’ concealment and continued placement of Perry among children, families “may never be able to determine the full extent” of what their children saw, experienced or may have been subjected to while Perry had access to them.
The parents argue that uncertainty is itself a “permanent and profound injury” to both children and parents.
Court documents acknowledge that Pawleys Island Community Church, formerly known as Pawleys Island Baptist Church, is “an independent, self-governing, elder-led congregation not subject to the control of a parent denomination or hierarchical body.”
The filing also states that the church is a cooperating church with the South Carolina Baptist Convention, a state convention affiliated with the SBC. The plaintiffs argue that the church participated in and benefited from Baptist ministries, resources, programs and cooperative activities.
The plaintiffs argue in the filing that the case does not require the court to decide questions of religious doctrine. Instead, they say the case involves secular questions related to the operation of childcare and educational facilities, supervision of known dangers, safety representations made to parents, and duties owed to children.
The plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, restitution, attorneys’ fees and other relief.
The lawsuit comes after a series of arrests announced by the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office in July.
On July 14, Sheriff Carter Weaver announced Perry’s arrest after investigators said he had been volunteering at Pawleys Island Community Church, which operates an elementary school, preschool and nursery. The sheriff’s office said Perry was in violation of probation connected to a 2023 conviction for sexual exploitation of a minor for a crime committed in 2020.
Three days later, Weaver said Don Williams, Ginny Williams and Howard had resigned, but said the resignations did not affect the ongoing investigation.
On July 20, the sheriff’s office announced the arrests of Don and Ginny Williams, along with new charges against Perry. Don Williams was charged with obstruction, unlawfully placing a child at risk or causing child harm, and criminal conspiracy. Ginny Williams and Perry were charged with criminal conspiracy and obstruction.
Later that day, Howard turned herself in and was charged with obstruction, criminal conspiracy, and unlawfully placing a child at risk or causing child harm.
On July 29, the sheriff’s office announced the arrest of Michael Anthony Fields, the church’s director of operations/missions, on a charge of unlawfully placing a child at risk or causing child harm. The sheriff’s office said Fields was responsible for campus security and the safety of Pawleys Island Christian Academy students.
In that July 29 update, the sheriff’s office said specialized forensic interviews with students “have not resulted in any findings of criminal sexual conduct to date.”
The investigation remains ongoing.
— Henry Durand writes for the Christian Index, where this article originally appeared.