NASHVILLE (BP) — The presidential search committee of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) is asking Southern Baptists to pray for them as they begin their work.

The committee has released a prayer guide, written by chairman Mitch Kimbrell, outlining specific ways to pray for them as they search for the entity’s next full-time leader.

“I shudder to think of our search committee doing its work without the help that comes from God as His people pray,” said Kimbrell, senior pastor of Christ Memorial Church in Williston, Vt.

“Fellow Southern Baptists, please use this prayer guide. Pray as a church, in your Sunday school classes and small group gatherings. Tuck it in among your devotional materials. Our team is acutely aware that we are entirely dependent on wisdom from heaven, and we’re grateful for the Lord’s promise that if we ask Him for wisdom, He will give it to us generously.”

In addition to Kimbrell, the rest of the presidential search team members are:

• Traci Griggs, host of “Family Policy Matters,” a weekly radio show/podcast and member of Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, N.C.
• Matthew Grove, legislative liaison with the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development and member of Redemption City Church in Franklin, Tenn.
• Brad Gwartney, executive pastor of Stetson Baptist Church in DeLand, Fla.
• Jaime Massó, pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista Hispana in Mayfield, Ky.
• Heather Sells, managing editor for CBN News and member of River Oak Church in Chesapeake, Va.

ERLC Chairman Scott Foshie presented the search team members to trustees at a special called meeting Aug. 14. The names were then approved by the full board, and Kimbrell was later named chairman of the search team.

“We’ve sought the Lord’s guidance in appointing this search committee, and I’m grateful for their willingness to serve,” Foshie said upon their appointment. “They represent the varied perspectives and experiences that make the SBC a kingdom-focused, Great Commission force for good.

“The full ERLC trustee board will also contribute detailed input and guidance throughout the process, and we’re committed to listening to Southern Baptists every step of the way. Please continue to pray as your trustees seek God’s direction. I’m eager to see how He uses this team to identify the next man He’s preparing to lead the ERLC.”

The search for the ERLC’s next full-time leader began when former president Brent Leatherwood resigned in July.

Leatherwood had served on staff at the ERLC since 2017. After his predecessor Russell Moore stepped down as president in May 2021, Leatherwood served as acting interim president for a year before being named to the full-time position in September 2022.

Miles Mullin, who served as Leatherwood’s chief of staff, served as acting president following Leatherwood’s resignation until the trustee board unanimously elected retired South Carolina Executive Director Gary Hollingsworth as interim president during their meeting Sept. 16.

Hollingsworth officially assumed the position Oct. 1, with Mullin returning to his previous role.

The points from the prayer guide are included below.

Pray for the Lord to lead the search committee to the person he has called and prepared to be the next president of the ERLC. 

Pray that the Lord would unify the search committee around one candidate. 

Pray for wisdom for the search committee and that the Lord would give them eyes to see the heart, not outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7).

Pray for the person the Lord is raising up as the next president of the ERLC. Ask the Lord to work in his life now, that he would sense the call to this work, and that Christ would remain central in his heart. 

Pray that as the staff of the ERLC works to equip SBC churches and represent Southern Baptists in the public square, they will do so with joy and as unto the Lord, even in a time of transition (Colossians 3:23).

Pray for the endurance and protection of the families and churches of the search committee as each member spends additional time in the search process. 

Pray that the Lord would grant peace to the search committee, the current staff, and the next president during this season (Philippians 4:7).

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Timothy Cockes is news editor at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.)