The president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), Brent Leatherwood, suddenly lost his job Monday in a historic and unprecedented move by trustee leadership.

　　A brief statement from ERLC gave no reasoning for Leatherwoods termination, which came a day after he issued remarks applauding president Joe Bidens decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race.

　　Leatherwood had been on staff with ERLCthe public policy and advocacy arm for Southern Baptistsfor the past seven years and president of the entity since 2021. Just a few hours before his termination was announced Monday evening, Leatherwood was still working and sharing ERLC resources on social media.

　　An increasingly vocal minority of Southern Baptists have called for the defunding of the ERLC year after year. Some of their ire was directed at Leatherwood, his unwillingness to endorse an abolitionist pro-life stance that would criminalize mothers who abort, and his calls for gun reform after his children survived the 2023 shooting at Covenant School in Nashville.

　　Yet Leatherwood also had a reputation as an effective and respected leader for Southern Baptists in Washington, DC. At an ERLC luncheon last month, former vice president Mike Pence had recognized Leatherwood in particular, saying it was only with his advocacy and partnership that the previous Trump administration was able to advance certain pro-life and religious liberty measures.

　　In a brief statement issued Monday evening in a press release and in Baptist Press, the SBCs news service, the ERLC said Leatherwood had been removed by the executive committee of the board of trustees, in accordance with our bylaws. The statement said further details and transition plans wouldnt be shared until their board meeting in September.

　　The ERLC bylaws allow its executive committee to remove any officer of the Commission (including, without limitation, the President/Chief Executive Officer) without a Full Trustee Vote.

　　The last timeand only time in recent memorythat an SBC entity president was fired by trustee leadership was in 2018, when the executive committee of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminarys board of trustees ousted Paige Patterson after a 13-hour-long meeting.

　　The ERLC statement did not list the names of the members of its executive committee who were tasked with voting on Leatherwoods dismissal, and the ERLC did not respond to CTs request for them.

　　Mondays news surprised Southern Baptists, including members of the ERLCs larger board of trustees.

　　I am so sad to see this development. Please pray for Brent and the Leatherwood family, tweeted Philip Bethancourt, a Texas pastor who previously served as an ERLC vice president. I believe that the @ERLC still has a pivotal role to play in the midst of this hostile cultural moment.

　　The Center for Baptist Leadershipa new, conservative group calling for institutional revitalization within the SBCbacked the decision to remove Leatherwood, criticizing the ERLC and calling out Leatherwoods recent comments on Biden.

　　Leatherwood was quoted in Baptist Press as saying, Despite what some partisans will say, to walk away from power is a selfless actthe kind that has become all too rare in our culture. He also wrote an article for the publication calling it an astonishing moment for American history.

　　The centers statement also called for ERLC trustees to share their reasoning in September: This is an opportunity for them to choose accountability and transparency over obstruction and spin as they reveal the reasons for removing Leatherwood. The ERLC needs better leadership. Southern Baptists should both demand and expect this.

　　Leatherwood succeeded Russell Moore, who led the ERLC until his resignation in 2021. Moore also faced backlash for his advocacy and messaging, particularly around Donald Trump. Moore now serves as editor in chief of Christianity Today.