Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 14, 2021—The board of trustees of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention announced today they are accepting applications from interested candidates for the office of president and CEO of the ERLC.
ERLC trustees from across the country gathered together Sept. 14-15 for their annual meeting at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn.
During the meeting, trustees approved a presidential profile that includes the following qualifications:
- Spiritually Mature: The candidate must have an authentic testimony of personal faith in Christ, give a hearty affirmation of the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture, and hold a firm conviction that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the world.
- Convictionally Southern Baptist: The candidate must be a member in good standing of a cooperating Southern Baptist church.
- Appropriately Educated: The candidate should have significant education in and demonstrated understanding of theology, biblical studies, ethics, philosophy, political science, law, and/or history, preferably with a Ph.D., D.Min., or J.D. in at least one of these areas.
- An Excellent Communicator: The candidate must possess exemplary written and verbal communication skills, with a specific ability to communicate effectively among a range of audiences, including but not limited to churches, academic settings, media, public policy debates, and conferences.
- A Proven Unifier: The candidate must be a coalition-builder, able to form relationships within diverse groups of people and bring those groups together in order to advocate effectively on the vital issues of our day.
A full description of the presidential profile is available online.
“The ERLC has a rich history and it is our prayer as a search committee that God will reveal to us the right leader He has in mind to continue leading this Commission forward to defend religious freedom and be an advocate for life, the marginalized, the abused and the oppressed across the globe,” said Todd Howard, presidential search committee chair. “We would invite every fellow Southern Baptist to lift up this organization and our committee in prayer, asking God to provide us with wisdom, humility, and discernment.”
The selection of a new president is the responsibility of the ERLC board of trustees. To facilitate this process, the chairman of the board has appointed a search committee of seven trustees who review candidates and then nominate and present the candidate to the full board for approval.
More information about the presidential search can be found online at www.erlc.com/presidentialsearch.
