Welcome to the Protestant Accountability Tracking Database.
Protestant Accountability functions as an interactive computer service that distributes content created or provided by other users & content providers.
We document allegations of misconduct, as well as individuals in a position of leadership who allegedly mishandled allegations of misconduct within their organization.
This site relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact us and we will gladly correct it. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Abuse and misconduct are often hidden from public view. Our organization exists to bring these matters into the light by collecting and organizing publicly available information concerning sexual abuse & misconduct in Protestant religious settings. We document allegations, investigations, legal proceedings, convictions, and documented efforts to conceal, enable, minimize or disregard abuse. By preserving these records, we seek to promote transparency, accountability, and the protection of those at risk.
What is a Protestant?
A Protestant is a Christian who belongs to a tradition that came out of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s.
What does “Protestant” mean?
The term originally referred to Christians who “protested” against certain teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Reformers wanted changes like:
- Emphasizing the Bible as the highest authority
- Teaching salvation by faith rather than by works
- Simplifying church structure and worship
Key figures in this movement included people like Martin Luther and John Calvin.
Major Protestant denominations
“Protestant” is a broad umbrella—it includes many different denominations. Some of the most well-known are:
Historic / mainline traditions
- Lutheran (follows teachings of Martin Luther)
- Reformed / Presbyterian (influenced by John Calvin)
- Anglican / Episcopal (originated in England)
Evangelical and revival traditions
- Baptist
- Methodist (started by John Wesley)
- Pentecostal (focus on spiritual gifts like speaking in tongues)
- Non-denominational churches (independent congregations)
Other groups often considered Protestant
- Anabaptist traditions (e.g., Mennonites, Amish)
- Various independent or newer evangelical movements
What do Protestants have in common?
Even though beliefs can vary widely, most Protestant groups share:
- A focus on the Bible
- Worship services centered on preaching
- Less centralized authority than Catholicism
- No pope or single global leader
Definitions
Much research has been provided by RAINN (https://www.rainn.org/) and GRACE (https://www.netgrace.org/) regarding abuse. We are grateful for their hard work and research, and have based many of our definitions and terms below on their publicly available research.
For the purpose of this website, we have defined these terms:
1. Misconduct:
“Misconduct is defined as any verbal, nonverbal and/or physical acts of an immoral, indecent, or sexual nature that are
1) unwelcome, or
2) performed without consent, or
3) committed by one in a position of authority upon a subordinate.”*
2. Abuse:
“To treat someone cruelly or violently” (from the Cambridge dictionary)
While our database primarily documents allegations of sexual abuse, we recognize that abuse can take many forms. Our broader mission—as time and resources allow—is to expand our documentation to all types of abuse and misconduct across Protestant environments, including spiritual, emotional, and physical abuse, financial exploitation, grooming, and actions that endanger public safety.
3. Enabled / Covered up / Mishandled allegations
As time permits, our documentation may include allegations against individuals accused of enabling, concealing, or mishandling reports of abuse and misconduct.
This most commonly occurs when leaders become aware of allegations of abuse or misconduct within their organization and take one or more of the following actions:
a) protected an individual by letting them remain (ie. continue on in a position of authority over others, often without full disclosure).
b) protected an individual by sending them somewhere else (ie. another church leadership position, often without full disclosure).
c) protected the institution at the expense of survivors.
d) protected an alleged enabler at the expense of survivors.
e) did not immediately report an individual to authorities when made aware of a potential crime.
f) did not provide full transparency in their actions or communications regarding allegations of misconduct.
4. Survivor:
“A survivor is any individual (regardless of age or gender) who is a victim of misconduct.” *
5. Consent:
“Consent is an agreement between participants to engage in sexual activity. Consent should be clearly and freely communicated.”**
“‘Without consent’ means that consent is not freely given or obtained, and is accomplished through force, intimidation, violence, manipulation, coercion, threat, deception, or misuse of authority or power.
Any person who is mentally or physically incapacitated is incapable of providing consent.”*
Integrity
We care about the integrity of this site! This site relies on public news stories and publicly available information for its content. If any incorrect information is found, please contact us and we will gladly correct it. Nothing in this post should be construed as an accusation of guilt. Those accused of crimes are innocent until proven guilty.
Sources:
* is from GRACE Independent Investigation of Eric Dudley, as published on https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2019/11/26/read-full-report-investigation-eric-dudley-document/4306730002/
** is from RAINN website on consent, as published on https://www.rainn.org/articles/what-is-consent