Familiar faces of the Southern Baptist Convention gathered Sept. 15 for the installation of Evan Lenow as president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission. The service took place in the historic Provine Chapel at Mississippi Christian University, Lenow’s alma mater and place of his previous position as chair of the Christian Studies Department.
Friends, coworkers and mentors gave meaningful instruction for his next assignment, drawing from personal witness to Lenow’s vibrant relationship with the Lord.
Greg Belser, senior pastor of Morrison Heights Baptist Church in Clinton, has been the Lenow family’s pastor for the last decade. His charge represented local Southern Baptist churches.
Need for a public voice
“We need your public voice,” he directed to Lenow. “We need your policy voice. We need you to speak boldly to power in high places about moral issues and about the religious liberty we all treasure and enjoy. But we need your smaller voice also. The voice that develops resources to train pastors and equip churches to speak to their neighbors, coworkers, school boards and city councils.
“It’s not likely to get you on a Sunday talk show, but it is likely to serve the Kingdom of Christ and the churches who own the agency. I thank God for you. You are a living example of applying the gospel well in your personal life and in your marriage.”
Speakers addressed the current mountain of ethical complications and moral issues, including the unnavigated territory of artificial intelligence. Each speech was challenging, and each speaker willing to cite the pressure and hardships that will come with the role, acknowledging the support and sacrifice Lenow’s family provides to him in his new position.
Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, counseled, “There are many opinions about what this entity should do, what it is designed to accomplish, how it must do this work, and who this audience should be. These are important questions you must answer and continue to answer with patience, consistency and fortitude over the next two decades.
“Lead the ERLC to equip church leaders to address the social, political, ethical and legal dilemmas which really matter to them,” Iorg urged. “Become the most trusted voice for Southern Baptists on these issues.”
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Lindsey Carraway and originally published by Mississippi’s The Baptist Record.
