Religion · Myrtle Beach, SC Metro · October 8, 2026
SC Church, Academy Seek Dismissal of Suit Over Sex Offender Volunteer
Pawleys Island Community Church and its affiliated academy have asked a South Carolina judge to dismiss a lawsuit stemming from a volunteer's criminal sex offender status, according to WPDE. The motion invokes the First Amendment and the ecclesiastical abstention doctrine, which generally bars courts from reviewing internal church governance decisions. The case follows criminal charges against multiple people connected to the church: volunteer Warren Perry, charged with criminal conspiracy and obstruction; Ginny Williams, who held an administrative role at the church, charged with criminal conspiracy and obstruction; and Niki Howard, charged with unlawfully placing a child at risk or willfully abandoning a child, conspiracy, criminal conspiracy, and obstruction of justice. WPDE's report does not detail the specific underlying facts of the abuse allegations or the full scope of the civil complaint. What is established: criminal charges have been filed against church-connected individuals, and the church and academy are now arguing in civil court that the First Amendment shields their internal decisions from judicial review.
Source: WPDE
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Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
Bible-believing Christians should watch closely when a church invokes constitutional doctrine to avoid scrutiny over child safety rather than pursuing full transparency. Ecclesiastical abstention exists to protect churches from government interference in doctrine and ministerial decisions — not to shield institutions from accountability when children may have been placed at risk. Scripture places severe weight on the protection of children and the integrity of those entrusted with their care. Congregations and academies that claim biblical authority must not use legal doctrine as a substitute for honest answers about how a known or suspected offender gained access to children, and how leadership responded once concerns arose.
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. — Matthew 18:6
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