Public policy advocacy is one of the primary ways that the ERLC fulfills its ministry and amplifies the voice of Southern Baptists in the public square. With the release of the ERLC’s 2026 Public Policy Agenda, we outline more than three dozen policy issues that will shape our work in the areas of life, religious liberty, marriage & family and human dignity in Washington, D.C., this year.
The second session of the 119th Congress offers opportunity for the ERLC to continue advocating for the things Southern Baptists care about most, as we seek to bring the truth of Scripture and the hope of the gospel to bear in our public policy work. Last year ushered in the inauguration of a new president and changing congressional tides, yielding a unique season of legislative productivity. In 2025, pro-life victories, the reversal of harmful executive action, the pursuit of peace in wars overseas, political violence, and religious persecution have shaped our headlines. Moving forward, new and reinvigorated proposals to protect life and respect the institution of the family have a renewed possibility to become law. At the same time, threats to religious freedom and conscience rights continue to rear their ugly head and must be vigilantly opposed.
These realities and possibilities shape the contents of this public policy agenda, produced annually by the ERLC, which contains some of our highest priorities as we work in 2026 to engage both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government. In addition, the ERLC will continue to engage the judicial branch on cases of significance to Southern Baptists, primarily at the Supreme Court. In all our work, we seek to reflect the consensus of Southern Baptists—meaningour priorities are rooted in Scripture, reflective of the Baptist Faith & Message, and responsive to the actions taken by messengers from the churches of the Southern Baptist Convention. In doing so, we bring a uniquely Baptist witness in our nation’s capital.
Heading into the new year with these things in mind, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission seeks to engage on the issues of life, religious liberty, marriage and family, and human dignity in a way that proactively and reflectively represents the consensus of Southern Baptists.
The following agenda is not an exhaustive blueprint but an outline of the core public policy priorities for the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission over the next year.
Life
“The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.”
In this way, the Baptist Faith & Message summarizes the biblical revelation that every person bears the image of God, and thus, is worthy of protection and dignity, regardless of age, level of ability, or stage of development.
The ERLC will always advocate for preborn lives to be protected. Following the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision in 2022, much of the fight to protect vulnerable preborn people shifted to the states. While this reality has led to some victories—especially in legislation in some of the most pro-life state legislatures—there have been unfortunate and monumental setbacks in other states, ironically leading to an overall increase in the number of abortions in our country. This only confirms what the ERLC has consistently argued: the federal government still has an important role to play in protecting life and combatting this evil in all forms. With this in mind, we will vigorously advocate with the federal government and the courts, seeking to solidify past pro-life gains even as we press forward in new areas. Below are some of our federal pro-life legislative priorities:
- Protect and Expand Pro-life Riders in the Congressional Appropriations Process
- Protect and Expand the Hyde Amendment
- Support Federal Abortion Restrictions
- Ending the Proliferation of Chemical Abortions
- Supporting Pro-Life Title X Policies
- Defund Planned Parenthood
- Repeal the Biden Administration’s Pro-Abortion Regulations
- Oppose Taxpayer-Funded Expansion of IVF and Support Regulation of IVF Industry
- Oppose Any Pro-Abortion Legislation
- Support the Work of Pregnancy Resource Centers
- Oppose Physician-Assisted Suicide and all Euthanasia Efforts
Visit erlc.com/life to learn more on each of these policies.
Religious Liberty
Historically, the steadfast Baptist commitment to religious liberty is nearly unparalleled. Baptists have long defended “a free church in a free state” as the Christian ideal, working hard to defend “the right of free and unhindered access to God on the part of all men, and the right to form and propagate opinions in the sphere of religion without interference by the civil power.” Our Baptist ancestors were instrumental in formulating the Constitution’s First Amendment, enshrining the free exercise of religion as a first freedom.
“A free church in a free state is the Christian ideal.”
Civil government is ordained by God such that “it is the duty of Christians to render loyal obedience thereto in all things not contrary to the revealed will of God.” Even so, as the Baptist Faith & Message states, “The church should not resort to the civil power to carry on its work. The gospel of Christ contemplates spiritual means alone for the pursuit of its ends. The state has no right to impose penalties for religious opinions of any kind. The state has no right to impose taxes for the support of any form of religion.” Instead, “church and state should be separate” to prevent state intrusion into church affairs that it is not rightly equipped to judge. Furthermore, no “ecclesiastical group or denomination should be favored by the state more than others.”
In 2026, the ERLC will continue this Baptist legacy in our moral education and in our advocacy—defending a legacy of religious freedom for all people before our lawmakers and courts. While religious liberty protections in the U.S. remain legally robust, we must not let down our guard to civil violations and growing cultural trends that seek to undermine these fundamental rights. Here is a list of religious liberty priorities for the ERLC over the next year of our advocacy:
- Support Conscience Protections
- Oppose Attacks on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act
- Respond to the Decision in Landor v. Louisiana Department of Corrections
- Respond to the Decision in First Choice Women’s Resource Center v. Platkin
- Support the Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act
- Finish Repealing the Biden Administration’s Anti-Religious Liberty Regulatory Actions
- Support Charitable Giving
- Support the Equal Campus Access Act
- Combat Global and Domestic Antisemitism
- Combatting Persecution of Religious Minorities by the Chinese Communist Party
- Advocate for a Strong Office of International Religious Freedom
- Advocating for Persecuted Christians Around the Globe
- Support the Religious Workforce Protection Act
Visit erlc.com/religiousliberty to learn more on each of these policies.
Marriage and Family
As the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 states, Southern Baptists hold that: “God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society. It is composed of persons related to one another by marriage, blood, or adoption.”
“God has ordained the family as the foundational institution of human society.”
We celebrate the gift of marriage as “the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime.” Further, marriage “is God’s unique gift to reveal the union between Christ and His church and to provide for the man and the woman in marriage the framework for intimate companionship, the channel of sexual expression according to biblical standards, and the means for procreation of the human race.”
As people made in God’s image, “the husband and wife are of equal worth before God.” Marriage models God’s own relationship to His people, as the husband is to love his wife as Christ loves His church. The husband “has the God-given responsibility to provide for, to protect, and to lead his family.” Wives are to graciously submit to the husband’s servant leadership “as the church submits to the headship of Christ.” Further, the wife “being in the image of God as is her husband and thus equal to him, has the God-given responsibility to respect her husband and to serve as his helper in managing the household and nurturing the next generation.”
As the Bible says, children are a blessing and heritage from the Lord. The parent’s responsibility is “to demonstrate to their children God’s pattern for marriage” and “to teach their children spiritual and moral values,” while leading them “through consistent lifestyle examples and loving discipline, to make choices based on biblical truth.” In turn, it is the responsibility of children “to honor and obey their parents.”
In this way, the Baptist Faith & Message affirms the biblical teaching of marriage and family as vital institutions, established by God, are foundational for our flourishing. However, we live in a fallen world in which these good gifts from God have been corrupted in a way that so often counteracts human flourishing. Thus, the ERLC will continue to advocate for policies that support God’s good design for marriages, families, and children. In 2026, that advocacy includes:
- Support Federal Rulemaking Consistent with Trump Executive Orders on Gender
- Oppose Taxpayer Funding for “Gender Transition” Surgeries and Procedures
- Support Proposals to Ban Harmful “Gender Transition” Surgeries and Procedures
- Respond to Decisions in Two Women’s Sports Supreme Court Cases
- Advocate for Bills that Protect Women’s Sports
- Support Parental Rights
- Advocate for Pro-Family Tax Policies
- Support Adoption and Foster Care Policies
- Ensure Intercountry Adoption Remains a Viable Option
Visit erlc.com/marriageandfamily to learn more on each of these policies.
Human Dignity
“The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man in His own image, and in that Christ died for man; therefore, every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love.
“In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the preborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.”
As stated above, the Baptist Faith & Message reflects the biblical truth that every person bears the image of God, and thus, is worthy of protection and dignity, regardless of age, level of ability, or stage of development. The ERLC advocates for fair and impartial judgment and equitable treatment of all people as we bear witness to a just God and a gospel that saves all who believe, without partiality. This reality that all people bear the image of God and hold immeasurable dignity and value inspires our commitment to the following priorities for this year:
- Support Protections for Children Online
- Support Efforts to Ban Pornography
- Support Efforts to Shape Artificial Intelligence and Technology that Emphasize Human Dignity
- Support Efforts to Restrict Gambling
- Oppose Marijuana Expansion
- Advocate for Victims of Human Trafficking
- Support Immigration Enforcement and the Rule of Law
- Advocate for Needed Clarity, Reforms, and Protections in our Immigration System
- Support Further Criminal Justice Reform
- Support Payday Lending Regulations
Visit erlc.com/humandignity to learn more on each of these policies.
Visit our policy center for resources on each policy.
