[1]NASHVILLE (BP) — The 2019 Leadership Council of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is its largest to date.
The ERLC — which announced Feb. 1 its latest yearly council that consists of 120 members — provides training to help participants and their churches apply the Gospel of Jesus to all areas of life. The council consists of a diverse group of Southern Baptist pastors, ministry leaders and other church members.
Russell Moore said one of his “greatest joys” as ERLC president “is gathering with this group of leaders throughout the year.”
“Time that I spend with these men and women consistently makes me optimistic about our churches and shared mission,” Moore said in an ERLC release.
This year’s council members “are among the most gifted and godly I know,” he said. “It’s a privilege to serve alongside them for the sake of equipping churches to address cultural concerns with a Gospel focus.”
Among the 2019 council members are:
[2]— Marshal Ausberry, senior pastor, Antioch Baptist Church, Fairfax Station, Va., and president, National African American Fellowship, Southern Baptist Convention.
— Curtis Cook, senior pastor, Hope Fellowship Church, Cambridge, Mass.
— Erik Cummings, senior pastor, New Life Baptist Church of Carol City, Miami, Fla., and president, Florida Baptist Convention.
— Donna Gaines, Bible teacher, author and president of ARISE2Read, a nonprofit focused on breaking the poverty cycle through the Gospel and education, Memphis, Tenn.
— Noe Garcia, senior pastor, North Phoenix Baptist Church, Phoenix, Ariz.
— Mike Glenn, lead pastor, Brentwood Baptist Church, Brentwood, Tenn.
— Christine Hoover, writer, speaker and podcast host, Charlottesville, Va.
— Elicia Horton, rap artist and author, North Long Beach, Calif.
— Jennifer Lyell, trade book publisher, B&H Publishing Group, Nashville.
— Lauren Green McAfee, speaker, writer and corporate ambassador for Hobby Lobby, Oklahoma City.
— Dave Miller, senior pastor, Southern Hills Baptist Church, Sioux City, Iowa, and editor, SBC Voices.
— Lilly Park, assistant professor, biblical counseling, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Ky.
— Vance Pitman, senior pastor, Hope Church, Las Vegas, Nev.
— Kevin Smith, executive director, Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware.
In the ERLC release, McAfee said she is “eager to be trained to have convictional kindness in the face of cultural opposition by Dr. Moore, the ERLC staff and this remarkable cohort of influencers.”
Council members serve an annual term and are equipped by the ERLC through conference calls and events, while providing input to the entity’s staff and occasional content for its website.
The entire list of council members is available at erlc.com/about/leadership-council [3].