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Photo by Paul Morse; Morris Chapman second from left; Former President George W. Bush at far left. Others pictured: Dr. Frank Page with wife Dayle in 2006; via Wikipedia.
Morris Chapman, a longtime Southern Baptist leader and former head of the denomination’s Executive Committee, died in Nashville on Oct. 20 at age 84, Baptist News Global reported today. Once viewed as a stabilizing force during the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) conservative resurgence, Chapman’s later legacy has become inseparable from the denomination’s handling of clergy sexual abuse.
During his tenure as Executive Committee president from 1992 to 2010, Chapman oversaw a denomination in transition as moderates departed and conservatives consolidated control. But it was under his leadership that a troubling culture of silence began to surface, one that would later be exposed as enabling decades of sexual abuse and cover-ups across SBC churches. One of Chapman’s vice presidents, Augie Boto, came under scrutiny years later for secretly maintaining a list of known sexual offenders within the SBC while publicly denying that the denomination faced a systemic abuse problem.
Survivors and advocates have said Chapman’s administration missed a critical opportunity to take action when credible reports of abuse began surfacing in the 1990s and early 2000s. The Executive Committee could have tracked abusive pastors, implemented training, or supported a national database of offenders, steps that were discussed but never enacted. The eventual revelation of that secret list, following an Houston Chronicle investigation and an independent 2022 review by Guidepost Solutions [PDF 288-page report], deepened the perception that the SBC’s senior leadership had prioritized institutional protection over survivor safety.
Although Chapman later expressed concern about the denomination’s fracturing unity and offered in 2024 to return as interim president to “right the ship,” many believe the crisis that erupted under his successors had roots in his era’s inaction. His legacy, once defined by denominational stability, now stands as a reminder of what early acknowledgment and transparency might have prevented.
If you are or were affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and have experienced clergy sexual abuse, you still have legal rights. Visit the Southern Baptist Sexual Abuse Lawsuit Guide to explore your options toward justice and healing.
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