SBC's Leatherwood and the ERLC continue to make headlines for all the wrong reasons
An August 2 statement sent to the Baptist Press from the Executive Committee of the Southern Baptist Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) affirms the group’s support of Brent Leatherwood as president and leader of the SBC entity following his ouster on July 22 and reinstatement the next day.
“In light of ongoing questions surrounding the recent events at the ERLC, the executive board of the trustees wishes to affirm our support for Brent Leatherwood as president and his leadership of the organization. Our goal is to do everything within our power to set up the ERLC and its staff for success,” the statement said.
Committee members authoring the statement were interim Chairman Tony Beam, Amy Pettway, Nathan Lugbill, and Anthony Cox.
The statement continued,
“There was no meeting of the executive committee with a vote taken or any permission given for the actions taken by then-chair Kevin Smith. None of us, as executive committee members, were aware that Kevin was planning to drive to Nashville to meet with Brent on July 22.
“In addition, none of the executive committee members (other than Kevin Smith) had interactions or discussions with the ERLC staff about the press release sent on July 22. We did not know about it until it was published.
“The board is taking seriously the good faith questions raised by those outside the organization about recent events. As we move forward, the executive committee is operating with two priorities in mind. First, we are committed to operating transparently knowing that all we do is visible to our God, before whom we ultimately must give an account.
“Second, we want to make sure that every vital decision concerning the present and future success of the ERLC should be made by the full board of trustees. Therefore, the board will meet during our regularly scheduled September trustee meeting, and we hope to provide more information at that time.”
In an article headlined, "Southern Baptist ethics leader's near ouster: How a board crisis sparked a scandal," Liam Adams of the Nashville Tennessean, wrote “The events disrupted ERLC leadership’s sense of cohesion and consistency between staff and trustees. It also eroded trust among some throughout the Nashville-based SBC in the effectiveness of the denomination’s system of democratic representation to lead influential and well-funded ministries.”
Read the Nashville Tennessean article
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