Paul Pressler, Longtime Southern Baptist Leader, Dies at 94

HOUSTON (AP) — Paul Pressler, a leading figure in the Southern Baptist Convention who was accused of sexually abusing boys and young men and who later settled a lawsuit over the allegations, has died. He was 94 years old.

Pressler’s death, which occurred on June 7, was announced in an obituary published online by Geo. H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home in Houston. A funeral service for Pressler was held Saturday. The cause of death has not been released.

News of Pressler’s death was first reported by Baptist News Global.

Pressler was one of the co-architects of the Southern Baptist Convention’s “conservative resurgence,” an effort in the 1980s that reshaped the direction of America’s largest Protestant denomination. Pressler and others pushed out more liberal leaders, helped forge an alliance between white evangelicals and Republican conservatism, and focused on electing Republican candidates to public office.

The Southern Baptist Convention has more than 47,000 churches, with a total membership of nearly 13 million, according to its website. There are as many as 200 “megachurches,” but the vast majority have fewer than 200 people worshiping weekly. Most of its churches are located in the southern United States. The denomination’s executive committee is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee.

In a 2015 video in which he supported U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz during his failed presidential run, Pressler said he had dedicated his life “to the conservative principles on which our country was founded.”

“I think people are genuinely unhappy with the directions being taken in Washington. I believe if we don’t have good people in Washington, we’re not going to save our nation,” Pressler said.

But Pressler’s religious legacy was tainted after he was accused of sexual assault by a former aide, Gareld Duane Rollins. In a 2017 lawsuit filed in Harris County, where Houston is located, Rollins alleged that Pressler raped him when he was 14 after the two met at a Bible study group run by Pressler, according to court records. Rollins alleged that Pressler continued to sexually assault her periodically over the next 24 years.

The Associated Press generally does not name victims who allege sexual assault or abuse, but Rollins and his lawyers have publicly identified it in court documents.

Rollins also sued the Southern Baptist Convention and others who he claims covered up or enabled Pressler’s behavior. As part of the lawsuit, at least seven other men also came forward with their own accusations of sexual abuse against Pressler.

Rollins’ claims prompted a major investigation by the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News into allegations of sexual abuse within the Southern Baptist Convention. The series of articles revealed that senior leaders ignored or downplayed warnings about a sexual abuse crisis within the Protestant denomination, leading to significant reforms.

In December, Pressler, the Southern Baptist Convention and others reached a confidential agreement to settle the lawsuit.

Pressler has denied the charges against him and has never been criminally charged.

The Southern Baptist Convention held its annual meeting last week but did not appear to acknowledge Pressler’s death during the event. A spokesperson for the Southern Baptist Convention did not immediately respond Sunday to emails seeking comment.

Pressler also served in the Texas House, representing the Houston area in the late 1950s. In 1970, he was appointed a state district judge. Eight years later, he was appointed a state appeals court judge and served in that role until his retirement in 1993, according to his obituary posted online.