AMS charged with abuse in La.

Pineville, La. | The Associational Mission Strategist serving two Louisiana Baptist associations was jailed on a total of $1.4 million bond after he was charged with 16 counts of felony sexual abuse of a minor. The investigation of Daryl Stagg has expanded from three parishes in Louisiana to Kenosha, Wisconsin, just across the Illinois state line where he served as Director of Missions for Lake County Baptist Association from 2005 to 2012.

Stagg was arrested June 8 on 12 counts of felony sex crimes by the Grant Parish Sheriff’s Office. At a later news conference, officials announced four additional charges from crimes alleged to have happened in neighboring Union Parish. At the time, deputies said the investigation was underway in Kenosha, but no additional details were released. They urged possible victims or their families to come forward.

Only one victim has been identified so far.

Stagg led the Big Creek and

CenLA Associations in Louisiana since 2018. Before that he was employed by Harmony Baptist Association in Sedalia, Missouri from 2012-2018, after leaving Lake County. Leaders of the association of local churches north of Chicago were notified after the Illinois Baptist State Association was alerted to the arrest.

The Louisiana Baptist Convention issued a statement after Stagg’s arrest saying they didn’t have supervisory responsibility for local association strategists. “Therefore, we have no comment on this matter as it is being investigated by the appropriate persons and agencies involved. However, more importantly, our prayers are with all those involved for an appropriate and healing resolution to this matter.”

If Stagg posts $500,000 bond in Grant Parish, he will be transferred to jail in Union parish where his bail is $950,000.

– with information from KALB and Baptist Press

Java jive

In his President’s message just three hours before the election, Barber did not deliver a campaign speech. Instead he preached from Philippians 4:8-9, where Paul urged believers to dwell on truth and beauty in a list of uplifting adjectives.

“God is calling on us to dwell on the right things—to develop a distinctively Christian sense of taste,” Barber said. Perhaps Barber was laying the house rules for ensuing debate on abuse, autonomy, women pastors, and church dismissal.

But Barber inserted a joke which was not in his manuscript. His illustration about personally disliking coffee included the comment, “Coffee is bitter water for bitter people facing bitter times.” After a few groans in the audience, he chuckled and said, “I think I just lost the election.”

FBC Fairview Heights pastor Scott Douglas tweeted: “I’m so glad for @bartbarber to be re-elected. But his opinion on coffee is mistaken. So, I happily drink this bitter water to finish the #SBC23 well.”

At a news conference after he had guided messengers through complicated but decisive actions, Barber said some people outside the SBC were having “real difficulty trying to put a label on what has happened here.

“The Bible calls us to defend those who are abused, to defend those who are weak, to oppose the kind of sexual misconduct that hurts people for the rest of their lives,’” Barber said. “We want to be a fellowship of churches who are all committed to that and to also be a fellowship of churches who are not afraid to say, we believe the Bible says things about the roles of men and women that are worth following.”

Barber’s influence will be felt for a long time, as now messengers have charged him with naming a panel to clarify “friendly cooperation,” the constitutional basis for determining which churches can stay in the SBC.