Leatherwood’s Resignation is a Long-Overdue but Crucial Opportunity for Major Course Correction at the ERLC
Today, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) announced that President Brent Leatherwood—successor to Dr. Russell Moore—resigned from his position.
Despite our substantial disagreements with Leatherwood’s leadership, we commend this development and wish him well in his future endeavors. We do not question the sincerity of his faith nor his love for Southern Baptists, but we believe that his record indisputably shows that he was not the right Baptist for this job.
In the four years since he was elevated to President, Leatherwood largely followed the course set by his predecessor and mentor, Dr. Moore. The Leatherwood-run ERLC continued the same posture of political misalignment, theological division, and SBC infighting that defined the Moore era.
From his opposition to legislation in Louisiana to end abortion and protect preborn life, to his steadfast ties to the George Soros-funded Evangelical Immigration Table, to his recent support for the controversial Dignity Act, which would grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens, to his support for unconstitutional “red flag” laws in Tennessee that undermine our Second Amendment rights, Leatherwood repeatedly championed personal policies out of step with the convictions of Southern Baptists. Each of these positions contradicts messenger resolutions supporting the abolition of abortion (2021), opposing immigration amnesty (2018, 2011), and Second Amendment rights (2018).
A striking atrophy in organizational effectiveness accompanied these controversial misjudgments. The ERLC’s Washington, D.C. office was marked by high turnover and unfilled positions. Even conservative Baptist allies in Washington, D.C., told reporters that the ERLC has been absent in important battles, including on core Baptist issues like life and religious liberty.
These miscues continued despite clear evidence of Convention frustration. In June 2024, a significant number of SBC messengers supported abolishing the ERLC in an unrecorded show of ballots. Following that, and in response to Leatherwood’s tone-deaf praise for Joe Biden’s exit from the presidential race in July 2024, ERLC Chairman Dr. Kevin Smith announced that Leatherwood had been removed from his position—only to see Board leaders reverse course, after pressure from secular news organizations, and allow him to remain. These events should have led the ERLC to pursue new leadership a year ago; instead, they doubled down.
Then, the ERLC embarked on an expensive and aggressive public relations campaign, centered around praising Leatherwood as an “effective” spokesman for Baptists and justifying his administration of the ERLC’s $3 million-plus budget. But denying the obvious problems only created more frustration; nearly half of the messengers to the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting voted, on record, to abolish the ERLC entirely. These numbers revealed not merely dissatisfaction with one individual but profound opposition to the ERLC’s direction.
In response to this announcement, CBL Executive Director William Wolfe said:
“I wish Brent Leatherwood well in his next steps. However, Leatherwood’s resignation is a long-overdue yet crucial opportunity for a major course correction. It is time to put the theology and tactics of the Moore-Leatherwood era firmly behind us. The last decade of the ERLC’s divisive posturing has strained its relationship with the churches it is meant to serve. The next president of the ERLC must be someone who understands his role as advocating for Southern Baptists in the public square, not advocating for elite sensibilities to be imposed on Southern Baptists.”
As an organization, we call on the ERLC’s Board of Trustees to appoint a successor who will break from the pattern of institutional compromise. Southern Baptists want theological clarity, cultural courage, and church accountability. If the ERLC is to continue representing Southern Baptists in the public square, the next president must be qualified and have proven experience. He must be a man of deep biblical conviction, unafraid to speak the truth in love, and equipped to help churches navigate ethical challenges with fidelity to Scripture and the Gospel.
With the right leadership, the ERLC can once again serve as a unifying and prophetic voice for Southern Baptists in the United States and worldwide.
As the ERLC Board of Trustees prepares to undertake its search for a new President, we ask all Southern Baptists to join us in prayer for a successful outcome.
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For interviews or further comment, contact CBL Executive Director William Wolfe at media@centerforbaptistleadership.org.
