Ministry News

Churches Welcome Sex Offenders, States Less Forgiving

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Tuesday, 13 October 2009 13:34

Should churches be forced to welcome convicted sex offenders because of their Constitutional right to religious freedom? That's one of the questions being debated now in North Carolina and Georgia after two separate cases have challenged the states' sex-offender laws.

In North Carolina, state legislators passed a law in December prohibiting convicted sex offenders from coming within 300 feet of any day care or site used primarily to look after minors. This was news to 31-year-old James Nichols, who was convicted three times of sexual crimes in the past but was trying to restore his life by going to church. After worshipping at Moncure Baptist Church in Moncure, N.C., one Sunday, Nichols was arrested in his home because the church has a child-care facility.

In a similar case in Georgia, the Southern Center for Human Rights (SCHR) is fighting on behalf of sex offenders throughout the state who want to volunteer in churches. "Over 16,000 are subject to prosecution if they volunteer at churches, even though none of the activities in which they participate involves unsupervised contact with minors,” says SCHR attorney Sarah Geraghty. "The prohibition against volunteering at a church is substantially overbroad, vague and intrusive of core rights to free exercise of religion."

Georgia's laws currently bar sex offenders from living or working within 1,000 feet of places where minors typically congregate (e.g., churches, schools, child-care centers). Yet for church leaders and members, the lines of forgiveness and welcoming a convict into their congregation aren't so clearly marked.

"I think everybody deserves a chance," said Shawn Cox, a member of one church where Nichols attended. "God turned my life around. I'm not saying that you bring the guy in and put him over the youth program or the youth ministry as soon as he walks in the door. But there's no way he can overcome these things without help and support."

Joseph Green, a pastor of one of the churches Nichols attended shortly after his arrest, echoed a similar sentiment—although with pastoral caution. "I told him as long as he's honest with me, then we're willing to embrace him and help him focus and get his life back on track," Green said. "[But] the Bible talks about wolves coming in sheep's clothing, so I've got to be watchful over everyone coming into my church." [AP, 10/8/09]