Sexual abuse task forces have been on the move in the Southern Baptist Convention.

In Nashville this week, denomination leaders got a status update on a planned database of credibly accused church workers. And in late 2022, the Tennessee Baptist Convention’s own task force made recommendations available to the roughly 3,000 churches that form it.

But one challenge remains clear: Southern Baptist Convention leaders said they have basically no authority to ensure churches proactively move to prevent sexual abuse or respond appropriately if and when abuse gets reported.

Under current mandates, leaders said they can study the sexual abuse problem and develop practical tools and resources for churches to draw on. But in their highly decentralized Baptist denomination, the rest, they said, is up to the local church.

The Southern Baptist Convention, despite long-shrinking ranks, remains the nation’s largest Protestant denomination. It has faced close scrutiny in recent years as…