The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) will sell its Nashville headquarters to cover the cost of sexual abuse cases.
Clergy abuse lawsuits have cost SBC $12 million (£10 million) since 2021. On Tuesday, the executive committee announced they would be selling the building to foot the bill.
The Southern Baptist Convention is the world’s largest Baptist organisation, and the largest Protestant organisation in the United States.
Former president Johnny Hunt has claimed his reputation was ruined by reports of past sexual misconduct, as well as the inclusion of his name in a report on allegedly abusive leaders.
On Thursday, Hunt will meet with SBC lawyers in a court-mandated mediation session to discuss settling their dispute.
The Convention’s executive committee’s building was originally built for $8 million ( £6 million) in the 1980s, on land donated by the SBC’s publishing arm, Lifeway. It sits at 901 Commerce St, Nashville.
In 2021, it was valued at $31.7 million, according to The Tennessean newspaper.