NASHVILLE (BP) — Members of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission’s (ERLC) executive committee acknowledge the events of the last 24 hours have brought confusion and frustration as conflicting press releases have tried to clarify that Brent Leatherwood is still at the helm of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) entity.

“We know that these events have shaken trust in the executive committee, the trustee board, and the organization especially. It is imperative that we commit ourselves as trustees to ensuring that trust is rebuilt,” they said in a statement released late Tuesday (July 23) evening.

A statement in the early evening hours of July 22 from the ERLC executive committee announced it had removed ERLC President Brent Leatherwood.

A second release followed early the next morning saying Leatherwood had not been removed because then-ERLC trustee Chairman Kevin Smith acted without the approval of the full executive committee — a move that is not allowed by the ERLC’s bylaws.

The later statement on Tuesday attempted to give more detail.

“Then-board chair Kevin Smith acted without the approval of the executive committee of the trustees,” the late-afternoon release said. “There was no vote taken. His decision to unilaterally act was outside of his authority as board chair.

“As such, the termination was illegitimate, and thus there was not, as has been reported, a ‘reinstatement’ of Brent Leatherwood as president. He was never terminated.”

In a separate release Tuesday morning, Smith resigned from the ERLC trustee board and apologized, claiming he believed he was following the wishes of the full executive committee. Tuesday evening, the group reiterated they had not approved Leatherwood’s termination.

“While the executive committee recognizes a wide range of opinions on the work of the ERLC, most visible in a recent attempt to abolish the organization at the 2024 SBC annual meeting, the executive committee does not believe that this discontent rises to the level of a dismissable [sic] offense,” the late evening July 23 statement said.

“Further, any insinuations that the events of the previous days are the result of a moral failing on Brent’s part are wholly false. We find Brent Leatherwood to be a man of utmost moral and ethical integrity,” the statement said.

The group said they would work with the staff to address “the real concerns of Southern Baptists.”

Baptist Press reached out to Leatherwood for comment by email but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

“As the executive committee of the trustees of the ERLC, we take seriously the obligation given to us to ensure the execution of the ministry assignment of this institution that’s over 100 years old,” the statement said. 

“In recent days, we have failed to fulfill that trust in ways that ensure the stability of this organization. Over the past 24 hours, we have experienced a flurry of activity which has been destabilizing.”

Stories about the controversy have been reported by The Associated Press, The New York Post, USA Today and CNN among other news outlets.

Many of those stories insinuated a political reason for Leatherwood’s apparent removal, referencing a statement Leatherwood made Sunday afternoon, July 21, praising President Joe Biden’s decision to bow out of the 2024 presidential race and calling it “a selfless act.”

“We know that the task of rebuilding trust will be great,” the executive committee’s statement said Tuesday evening. “We know that it will require listening to Southern Baptists about their concerns. And we know that we are accountable to Southern Baptists, and ultimately God, for how we carry out our work. To that end, we seek your prayers as we faithfully discern the next best steps for us as a board and for this organization.”

The full July 23 evening statement from the ERLC’s executive committee follows:

The executive committee of the board of trustees for the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention has issued the following statement.

“As the executive committee of the trustees of the ERLC, we take seriously the obligation given to us to ensure the execution of the ministry assignment of this institution that’s over 100 years old. In recent days, we have failed to fulfill that trust in ways that ensure the stability of this organization. Over the past 24 hours, we have experienced a flurry of activity which has been destabilizing. To that end, it is incumbent on us to clearly address concerns. 

“At the outset, we wish to affirm our support for the ERLC staff and their faithfulness in fulfilling their assignment to our churches. This board stands behind the staff and will do everything in its power to ensure that the work of the organization—protecting a culture of life, championing God’s good design for marriage and sexuality, and defending a free church in a free state–continues uninterrupted.

“In reference to the events of the last 24 hours, we want to give clarity to how the situation unfolded. Then-board chair Kevin Smith acted without the approval of the executive committee of the trustees. There was no vote taken. His decision to unilaterally act was outside of his authority as board chair. As such, the termination was illegitimate, and thus there was not, as has been reported, a ‘reinstatement’ of Brent Leatherwood as president. He was never terminated.

“While the executive committee recognizes a wide range of opinions on the work of the ERLC, most visible in a recent attempt to abolish the organization at the 2024 SBC annual meeting, the executive committee does not believe that this discontent rises to the level of a dismissable offense. Further, any insinuations that the events of the previous days are the result of a moral failing on Brent’s part are wholly false. We find Brent Leatherwood to be a man of utmost moral and ethical integrity. 

“After Smith acted of his own accord, a press release was sent out by a few members of the staff who believed they were acting under the appropriate authority of the board. This was the first time that the staff, and the trustees, learned of the actions taken. Indeed, the members of the executive board were unaware of the chair’s actions until they received the email. 

“In response, this executive board issued a retraction of the previous press statement acknowledging that it was not a duly authorized action of the board. To be clear, this retraction was about following the procedures laid out in the bylaws of the ERLC, not about responding to pressure from outside organizations. As people who must give an account to God and Southern Baptists for how we have stewarded this commission, we have worked to ensure that every action taken follows the appropriate procedures affirmed by Southern Baptists.  

“Kevin Smith has resigned his position as chair of the board and also as a trustee for the ERLC. Vice chair Tony Beam has assumed the responsibilities of chair of the board. The other members of the executive committee are: Amy Pettway, Anthony Cox, and Nathan Lugbill. 

“As a board, our responsibility is to ensure that this commission can execute the task given to it by the messengers of the Southern Baptist Convention. We commit ourselves to that task.

“We know that these events have shaken trust in the executive committee, the trustee board, and the organization especially. It is imperative that we commit ourselves as trustees to ensuring that trust is rebuilt. We will work with the staff to do so in a way that addresses the real concerns of Southern Baptists and strengthens the good work of this organization.

“We know that the task of rebuilding trust will be great. We know that it will require listening to Southern Baptists about their concerns. And we know that we are accountable to Southern Baptists, and ultimately God, for how we carry out our work. To that end, we seek your prayers as we faithfully discern the next best steps for us as a board and for this organization.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Brandon Porter serves as associate vice president for convention news at the SBC Executive Committee.)