ABWE - Association of Baptists for World Evangelism

Initial Response

On Tuesday, March 15, 2011, ABWE was notified of a blog created by an ABWE MK (missionary kid) as a forum to discuss numerous disturbing sexual abuse allegations involving former ABWE missionary, Dr. Donn Ketcham. The blog stated its second purpose was to “document how the mission agency [ABWE] he served under ha[s] protected both his private and public reputation by leaving the impression that he was dismissed from the mission as a result of an affair, not pedophilia.”

We are deeply grieved by the stories being shared on this blog and desire to respond to comments and questions posed there with integrity and compassion. It is our hope to bring healing to the families victimized by these events by communicating clearly, truthfully, and openly as we work to confirm information regarding these allegations.

In 1989 we received a report of sexual abuse of a female minor by Dr. Donn Ketcham, while he was serving as an ABWE missionary in Bangladesh. ABWE immediately investigated and confirmed that incident, and as a result, Dr. Ketcham was removed from the field and terminated from service. 

In 2002 we received additional reports from several now-adult MKs (missionary kids) who expressed their suspicion that Dr. Ketcham might have also sexually abused them as children.  

While we have not been able to confirm these stories through our own investigations, the substantial commonalities lead us to believe they are credible.

ABWE wants to publically express both our love and concern for the MKs who are courageously sharing their stories on the blog. We also want to express our sincere regret for any failure on our part to discover their abuse earlier or to take further actions to prevent the injustice of these women’s silent pain, which coexisted with public praise of Dr. Ketcham’s missionary service. Further, we acknowledge that it was wrong to withhold naming his crime, pedophilia. Not naming that crime enabled further injustice to the victims and also may have put other children at risk.

When Dr. Ketcham’s termination was reported in a letter to supporting churches and donors, the letter referred to “immoral conduct,” not pedophilia, as the reason for his termination. This enabled him to represent himself as a former medical missionary in his community without having to acknowledge his crime.

Donn Ketcham is not a retired missionary; he was terminated from service. He receives a pension from ABWE because he is entitled to it by law. We have not promoted him as an ABWE speaker; and on at least one occasion, we refused to permit him to serve on the board of an ABWE subsidiary. If Dr. Ketcham visited ABWE ministry locations, it was at the invitation of friends and family, not in any official capacity. ABWE has never denied or withheld information about his crime when asked.

Additionally, when we were informed Dr. Ketcham had moved membership from one church to another, ABWE personnel alerted the receiving pastor of the reason for Dr. Ketcham’s termination, so the church leadership could take appropriate action under their policies to protect children.

Despite these sincere efforts, we acknowledge that we could have done more to counter the injustice experienced by the women who were victimized by Dr. Ketcham. We hope this public response will be a step in the direction of healing the hurt we have caused.

We express deep regret for those who were harmed by Dr. Ketcham’s actions.

We regret the way in which the public response of ABWE to Dr. Ketcham’s crimes left an impression that we tolerate abuse or seek to defend the reputation of offenders. We seek forgiveness for those feelings of abandonment or injustice which have been caused by the inadequacy of our past response.  

When requested by victims in the past, we have offered help by providing counseling fees and other services. That stands true today. It is always our heart to give MKs a safe place to voice their pain and tragic experiences, and we welcome any opportunity to participate in their healing.  

We are glad to report that the ABWE Board has adopted a strong child protection policy designed to provide safety for all our MKs and other children in our ministries worldwide. ABWE has always had a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual abuse of children, as described in our Board-approved Child Protection Policy; however, the new policy offers training and strategies for response to better equip our leadership to deal with the perpetrators and victims of these horrible crimes.

Additionally, ABWE has been involved with the Child Safety and Protection Network since its first meeting in 2006, and we are among the first applicants for their newly initiated membership approval process, which is intended to assure best practices in implementing child protection standards.

If you have knowledge or concern about any child who was abused by Dr. Ketcham or other ABWE personnel, please contact our Child Safety and Protection Officer, Nancy Hepworth, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

For questions and concerns regarding the blog or ABWE’s response, please contact Tony Beckett, Vice President of Church Relations, at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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