Survivors Launch First National Database of Accused Protestant Abusers

Abuse survivors launched ProtestantAccountability.org on August 19, 2026, creating the first searchable national database documenting individuals publicly accused of abuse within Protestant churches.

The site was built by Chellee Taylor, a survivor of Southern Baptist clergy abuse, and Dominique Benninger, a cybersecurity specialist and fellow survivor. Development took two years.

The database tracks over 2,700 individuals across more than 100 denominations, including lead pastors, youth leaders, worship leaders, and other church staff. It aggregates information from court records, state attorney general reports, news accounts, and existing survivor-run archives.

Users can filter results by state, denomination, and job title. The site includes a prominent disclaimer stating that all individuals listed are innocent until proven guilty and that the site does not conduct its own investigations.

The project was modeled after BishopAccountability.org, a long-standing database for Catholic clergy abuse. The founders consulted with that site's founder, Terry McKiernan, and received support from the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests.

Protestantism lacks a unified hierarchy to maintain personnel files or track accused individuals across denominations, which the founders say has allowed abusers to move between congregations undetected. The Southern Baptist Convention attempted a similar project called "Ministry Check" in 2022, but the effort stalled and was deprioritized by 2025.

Organizers plan to expand the database's scope beyond sexual abuse to include financial and physical misconduct as the project grows.