He offered an explanation for congregants trying to reconcile this policy with their religious beliefs.
“We believe there is grace and there is forgiveness for sin, that there is no punishment in Jesus, but … there are consequences for actions,” he said. “And we believe very deeply that any sin, but especially those that harm innocent kids and children, would have to require amplified policies.”
Congregants who spoke with The Post and Courier think there are still shortcomings, chief among them being that they can still be left in the dark about which members of their church community are known to its leaders as registered sex offenders. Without that knowledge being shared, members would have to compare names from the thousands who attend with those on the registry across a metro area with more than 1 million people.
“The congregation should be the first guardrail,” McKittrick said.
The members have more eyes and ears than just staff, he said.
“I’m not asking for any person who is on the registry to wear a scarlet ‘A,’ ” he added in reference to the 1850 novel “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne. McKittrick said he just wants the congregation to be told.
Sidell’s involvement with Brookwood
Without naming Sidell, Jones said the man first visited the church in 1999.
“When they visited, they were forthright about their crimes to several of those who were in leadership,” Jones said.
At the time, the church was on Highway 14 in Greenville. It didn’t open at its present location, which is in Mauldin city limits but with a Simpsonville address, until 2005. Founding Pastor Perry Duggar, who started the church in 1993, still had the reins. Jones succeeded him in 2023.
Jones said church leaders placed restrictions on Sidell. He couldn’t serve in spaces for children or students. He couldn’t even set foot in those spaces on Sunday mornings. And if he served in any other capacity, he would have to share his sex offender status and story with the leaders he worked with.
