Evan Lenow has been unanimously elected to fill the role as the next president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention by the organization’s board of trustees.
The ERLC board of trustees voted to appoint Lenow, 47, during a special called meeting on Monday (April 13) in Nashville, Tennessee.
Background
Lenow is coming to the ERLC after serving as the director of the Institute for Christian Leadership, director of Church and Minister Relations, and chair of the Christian Studies Department for Mississippi College in Clinton, Mississippi.
“Dr. Lenow is a proven, trusted servant to Southern Baptists, and he has a demonstrated love for helping churches live out the Great Commission fully in their contexts,” said Scott Foshie, chairman of the ERLC board of trustees. “His biblically rooted ethics resources are trusted by our seminaries, and many local churches have benefitted from his faithful preaching and helpful consultations. We are overjoyed that he has answered God’s call to use his keen intellect and shepherd’s heart to lead the ERLC.”
The ERLC trustee presidential search committee, chaired by Mitch Kimbrell of Williston, Vermont, recommended Lenow to the full board after a seven-month search process. He was announced as the presidential candidate on March 30. As the next ERLC president, Lenow will succeed Gary Hollingsworth, who has served as interim president since October 2025.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This report was released by the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
