SWBTS president expresses ‘deep regret’ over former staffers implicated in federal investigation
Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary President David S. Dockery expressed "deep regret" Wednesday over the actions of two former staffers now serving as pastors charged or implicated in the U.S. Department of Justice's investigation of allegations that Southern Baptist Convention leaders intimidated whistleblowers and exonerated churches with credible claims of sexual abuse.
"This episode is a matter of deep regret to me," Dockery, who was installed as president of the Fort Worth, Texas-based seminary last August, said in a statement.
He had high praise for staffers like Terri Stovall, dean of women, interim associate dean in the Jack D. Terry School of Educational Ministries and professor of educational ministries, who acted with "integrity" concerning the investigation.
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"I am, however, grateful that several employees in whom I placed great trust acted responsibly, especially Terri Stovall. I commend the service and integrity of these employees. We remain resolute to continue to cooperate fully with the Department of Justice in all aspects of this investigation."
Last week, former Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary evangelism professor and interim provost Matthew Queen, 49, the lead pastor of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church in Greensboro, North Carolina, was charged with one count of falsification of records from his time at the seminary. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
The charge comes nearly two years after the DOJ and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched an investigation into the SBC and its affiliate entities following the release of a Guidepost Solutions report finding that leaders failed to protect victims of abuse.
Following Queen's indictment, Friendly Avenue Baptist Church announced Sunday that he had been placed on administrative leave.
"Our church leaders and staff were first informed of a falsification of records charge against our Lead Pastor, Dr. Matt Queen, in recent days. The actions alleged in the indictment oppose the moral values of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church, and we condemn all forms of sexual abuse," Friendly Avenue Baptist Church said in a statement cited by Baptist Press, the SBC's media arm.
"Dr. Queen has committed to resolve this matter responsibly, and we support his full cooperation with the authorities. To this end, Dr. Queen is on administrative leave from his pastoral responsibilities. He will step away to devote his attention to his family and to assist authorities in their inquiry. As Dr. Queen steps away, we will secure other speakers to fill the pulpit on Sundays. In parallel, the church will continue to monitor events closely."
The charge against Queen stems from a November 2022 report of an alleged sexual abuse committed by a Texas Baptist College student, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary said in a statement on May 21. Seminary officials noted that they later helped facilitate the arrest of the student who went on to withdraw from the college.
Before the sexual abuse allegation in November, however, the Justice Department issued a grand jury subpoena to the seminary in October 2022, which required the seminary to produce all documents in the seminary's possession related to allegations of sexual abuse against anyone employed by or associated with the seminary, among other things.
In November 2022, the DOJ noted that a seminary employee identified as Employee-1, now revealed to be Stovall, received a report alleging that a current seminary student committed sexual abuse. Dockery said he was unaware of the report until late January 2023.
"By way of background, in November 2022, Terri Stovall, longtime-serving dean of women, identified as 'Employee-1' in the indictment, received a report that a student had committed a sexual assault against an individual unaffiliated with the seminary. Stovall followed institutional procedure to care for victims of sexual abuse and immediately reported the allegation to the chief of Campus Police," Dockery said Tuesday.
"No one else on campus was informed of this matter and the chief of Campus Police, who is no longer employed at the seminary, took no further action in November. Stovall documented her actions."
According to the DOJ, the allegation was not reported to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Stovall documented her response in January 2023 and the seminary's failed response.
On Jan. 26, 2023, Stovall met with Queen and another executive staff member of the seminary identified as Employee-2, prosecutors say.
Dockery confirmed in his statement that Employee-2 is the seminary's former chief of staff, Heath Woolman, the lead pastor of Fruit Cove Baptist Church in St. Johns, Florida.
Woolman reportedly told Stovall to make the report of the alleged sexual abuse "go away" in Queen's presence, but Queen told federal investigators more than once that he did not remember hearing Woolman say this until June 21, 2023, when he "testified under oath that he had in fact heard Employee-2 direct Employee-1 to make the document 'go away," authorities said.
"At the end of January 2023, after the seminary had assisted the Burleson Police Department in arresting the student accused of sexual assault, Stovall, following a morning chapel service, discussed a document she prepared regarding the incident with Heath Woolman, then chief of staff, and in the presence of Matt Queen, then interim provost. According to Stovall, Woolman instructed her to make the document 'go away' during this conversation," Dockery said.
"Of particular note here, all employees had previously been made aware of the Department of Justice investigation in an all-employees meeting in August of 2022. Further, upon receipt of a subpoena from the Department of Justice in November 2022, employees with relevant information had been made aware of the subpoena, including the need to preserve and produce any responsive documents," he added.
Dockery said both Woolman and Queen misrepresented the facts of the investigation to him.
"In a follow-up conversation concerning what was said to Stovall, Woolman provided me assurance that he did not instruct her to make the document 'go away.' Queen, for his part, acknowledged to me on more than one occasion that he did not hear Woolman instruct Stovall to make the document 'go away,'" Dockery said.
"For nearly five months we operated within the tension of knowing that employees in whom we had confidence had differences of recollection regarding the January conversation. However, in June 2023, Queen claimed that he now recalled hearing the directive related to the document and also provided additional information that led to the decision for him to resign as interim provost and to be placed on administrative leave," Dockery explained.
Dockery said he worked with the seminary's lawyers to update the DOJ on the developments. Prior to Queen recalling Woolman instructing Stovall to make her report "go away," Dockery said he recommended Queen for a pastoral position. But he said if he knew then what he knows now, he would not have been able to provide him with the same recommendation.
"In April 2023, Woolman became a candidate for the pastoral position he now holds. He requested, and I offered, a brief affirmation of his candidacy to the church given his then role at the seminary, given the fact that he had been a quality student in one of my doctoral seminars, and given the information available to us at the time," Dockery said.
"Woolman resigned as chief of staff on May 5, 2023, to accept the pastoral position. If asked to provide the same recommendation today, and based on information received subsequent to that time, I would not be able to provide the same recommendation," he added.
It was unclear Wednesday if Woolman would continue as pastor of Fruit Cove Baptist Church. Officials there did not immediately respond to calls for comment from The Christian Post.
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