WOODSTOCK, Ga. — On Friday, former president of Southern Baptist Convention, Johnny Hunt denied allegations of sexual assault brought on by the independent investigation by Guidepost Solutions.
The report outlines multiple mishandlings of sexual abuse and sexual assault allegations from within SBC megachurch and to address the report, Hunt took to social media to write a letter to his former congregation at First Baptist Church of Woodstock.
In the letter, he denies any form of abuse or assault but states that the contact he had with his accuser was consensual, calling it a “brief but improper encounter.”
According to Hunt, after the encounter, he resolved the matter by privately confessing to his wife and the husband of his accuser and “sought their forgiveness.”
In response to the letter, on Sunday at First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Pastor Jeremy Morton addressed the report and its allegations saying “one instance of abuse in any place, in any church, is a tragedy and it cannot be ignored.”
For 30 years, Hunt served as FBCW's Senior Pastor and Morton expresses in his sermon the close and personal relationship Hunt has had with the church for years, which made reading the report a difficult task.
“No one that loves pastor Johnny and has known him as long as we have could possibly read the contents of the allegations and not get physically sick, or angry, or disturbed, or confused,” Morton said.
He told his congregation that while people may have differing opinions on Hunt and the matter at hand, it is not up to them to resolve it.
“Both parties have acknowledged that something happened 12 years ago. And while I wish with all my heart that things would’ve transpired differently, and things would’ve been handled differently at that time, you and I cannot go backwards,” he said.
“We must show love and respect for those who may feel differently than we do as we process a very confusing and difficult matter," Morton adds.
Since the publishing of the report, Johnny Hunt has resigned from his position on the National American Mission Board.
Hunt maintains that the encounter was brief and consensual.