By ERLC
NASHVILLE (ERLC) – 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 during a special called meeting, April 13, in Nashville, Tenn. Lenow, 47, 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, Miss.
“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, Vt., 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.
“I am humbled that the board of trustees elected me as the next president of the ERLC,” Lenow stated. “The Lord has worked through my academic and professional life to prepare me for the work entrusted to this very important entity by Southern Baptists. I believe the best days are ahead for the ERLC as our team comes alongside SBC churches and leaders to equip them to address the essential ethical and moral questions of our day with confidence and biblical fidelity.”
Before joining Mississippi College, Lenow served at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, where he was associate professor of ethics, director of the Land Center for Cultural Engagement, director of the Center for Biblical Stewardship and held the Bobby L. and Janis Eklund Chair of Stewardship.
Since 2012, he has served as a research fellow in Christian Ethics for the ERLC. Lenow is the author of “Ethics as Worship: The Pursuit of Moral Discipleship”(co-authored with Mark D. Liederbach, 2021), “Biblically Sound: Embracing Doctrine for Life” (2014), and “Biblically Correct: Engaging Culture with Truth” (2013).
Lenow holds a Ph.D. in Theological Studies with a concentration in Christian Ethics from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.Div. in Advanced Biblical Studies from SEBTS, and a bachelor’s in communication from Mississippi College.
Lenow will assume his full-time role on June 1, while Hollingsworth will continue serving as the ERLC’s interim president until that transition occurs.
To read the full news release from the ERLC, click here.
