Just hours after the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) announced that it had removed Brent Leatherwood from his position as president, the ERLC retracted their press release.
ERLC said that Executive Committee Chair Kevin Smith acted alone in Leatherwood’s removal. Smith has resigned.
“As members of the ERLC’s Executive Committee, we formally retract the press release which was sent yesterday,” the ERLC posted on its website Tuesday (July 23) morning. “There was not an authorized meeting, vote, or action taken by the Executive Committee. Kevin Smith has resigned as Chair of the Executive Committee.”
“Brent Leatherwood remains the President of the ERLC and has our support moving forward,” the ERLC stated.
RELATED: ERLC Removes Brent Leatherwood as President
Smith serves as a pastor at Family Church Village in Florida. In September 2022, Smith was the first Black man appointed to the position of board chairperson at the ERLC. He previously served as the director of the Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware. Smith has been part of the ERLC board since 2018.
On Monday night, the ERLC’s statement, now known to have been issued by Smith, read:
In accordance with our bylaws, the executive committee has removed Brent Leatherwood as president. Further details, as well as plans for the transition, will be provided at our September board meeting. Until then, the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees will assume directional responsibility for carrying out the ministry assignments for the ERLC.
Leatherwood’s removal came just hours after he provided Baptist Press with comments regarding President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the 2024 presidential election. Leatherwood called Biden’s withdraw “a selfless act” and drew heavy criticism from several influential Southern Baptists, including SBC President Clint Pressley.
RELATED: ERLC’s Brent Leatherwood Criticized for Calling Biden’s Withdrawal From Election ‘A Selfless Act’
Florida Pastor Tom Ascol, who called for the abolition of the ERLC at this year’s SBC Annual Meeting, characterized the ERLC’s actions an “embarrassment for the SBC.”
“This is a complete embarrassment for the SBC,” Ascol posted on social media. “@erlc trustees need to come clean with the churches that own the entity. It’s time for transparency—which churches have been requesting for years.”
ERLC trustees’ next scheduled meeting is Sept. 10-11.
 Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) announced that it had removed Brent Leatherwood from his position as president, the ERLC retracted their press release.){kind=link}