Brookwood Church Accountability: What More Should Be Done?
Having spent most of last week in a conference learning more about how to keep children safe from predators and sexual abuse, I was unable to respond to several comments in various threads. I would like to address some of those questions, concerns and accusations here.
As I have stated before, protecting people (particularly children) from various forms of sexual abuse is something I have been passionate about for over 7 years. This did not begin for me within the past couple months.
I am choosing to take this opportunity to share some things and hopefully bring better awareness to the things we all face in our communities, churches, schools and in our homes. These types of abuse have been happening since… always.
It always feels a little different though, when the thing you know is always happening somewhere… happens right in your front yard.
It doesn’t feel the same as reading a headline. It’s hard to imagine you’ve become a statistic. A number described with a line on a board or computer screen that doesn’t care about the ways in which you think you are special or disqualified from being included in the victim bracket.
The “Nice Guy” Offender
I should expect that you who have been made to believe that the “nice guy” offender is no risk (-effective grooming as outlined in a previous post) will not be easily made to see what has happened to you.
How your common sense, your threat radar, your intuition and basic protective instincts have all been silenced. I get it, it’s hard to come to terms with the idea that you have been misled, tricked, manipulated and therefore unknowingly exposed your child to a dangerous situation that could have lead to a life altering traumatic experience.
Acknowledging the “nice guy” sex offender as a threat is acknowledging a level of parental failure.
PLEASE hear me, I am not trying to blame or humiliate anyone that finds themself in this position…
MY CHILDREN met this “nice guy” offender and used the private bathroom in the building owned by he and his wife. MY CHILDREN were exposed to the “nice guy” on multiple occasions who posed a risk to them in a big way. I myself have had to come to terms with this.
NOTE: I am not making accusations. I am making observations and pointing out facts.
Without making any specific judgment of character by the day to day activities of a registered sex offender, the law recognizes that individuals convicted of qualifying sexual offenses may present a continued risk to public safety -hence the registry.
One of the more troubling things I have seen is the public defense of this “nice guy”, his actions and the churches actions -or lack thereof.
Having these thoughts and doubts yourself is natural and expected.
On the other hand, coming after the people exposing the threat and trying to sway public opinion back toward complacency and the DANGER of ignorance and denial regarding this real threat is something I hope I can dissuade you of.
Recurring Question
I would like to address a question that has been asked multiple times that typically reads something like this:
“I’m still unsure about what your proposed solution would be for Jerry and Brookwood.”
“What can be done to move forward and grow?”
“The current pastor found out and removed him. He then held a meeting with the church to discuss.. what more are you wanting from him exactly?”
Brookwood Response
When the church allowed a register sex offender to attend their church…
-Their responsibility was to have safeguards in place to keep children safe while allowing him to attend service.
When the church allowed a registered sex offender to lead worship, lead small groups, mentor other congregants, be seen in close relationship with the leadership and then open a music venue that was run and operated almost entirely with volunteers and paid staff from Brookwood -while Brookwood staff and volunteers were also promoting that venue from the stage on Sunday morning as well as via messages to other congregants and while Jerry proceeding to invite families with young children to said venue…
-Their responsibility included removing him from all positions and informing the entire congregation that this man was not to be trusted with their children.
—The trust they built needed to be taken down.
(This is assuming they did not know the extent of his previous crimes. Which is a problem in need of addressing in itself.)
When the church dismissed, shunned, ghosted, blocked and ignored congregants bringing concerns and questions to them…
-Their responsibility grew.
When the church said asking questions and telling the truth is demonic or satanic attacks on the church…
-Their responsibility grew.
When church leadership began making individual phone calls to people they felt they could influence and manipulate to their benefit, all the while ignoring those who they didn’t feel they could persuade…
-Their responsibility grew.
When pastors started preaching, in response to the controversy, about “unity” while actively not following their own teaching.
-Their responsibility grew.
What Is Required of the Church?
So the question “what is required of the church?” becomes harder to answer with each day that passes while Brookwood continues to move in the same direction which feels the opposite of transparency, truth, safety and accountability.
in the beginning, a satisfactory response could have been a simply as:
Full disclosure of Jerry’s past (again, due to the details I have outlined in multiple posts -this is NOT just an ‘RSO in the congregation’ situation), updated and transparent policies, assurance of policy enforcement and removal of Jerry from the congregation (he can worship somewhere else).
This would have likely satisfied the majority of the congregation and community both, myself included.
Today… now we have broken relationships, widespread falsehoods, manipulation and an even further confused and divided congregation that need to be reconciled.
Tomorrow… ?
Originally published by Eric Nierman on October 12, 2026, at 2:35 PM. Read the original Facebook post.
