ERLC executive committee affirms Russell Moore's leadership following speculations of his firing

The executive committee of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has voiced its support for the leadership of Russell Moore, amid speculation that he might be fired from his post as the president of the organization.

In a statement published on the ERLC website on Monday, the executive committee said Moore will continue to serve as the leader of the commission "with the confidence" of its support.

The committee noted that Moore had engaged in numerous private conversations with many of his critics over the last few months. The members of the committee expressed their belief that the ERLC president had been attentive and responsive to the concerns that were raised by his critics.

"We realize that divisions do not heal overnight, and as needs arise our Board will be happy to address them," the committee stated.

"But in terms of leadership and support, Dr. Moore is the man to whom it has been entrusted to lead this entity—speaking prophetically both to our culture and to our Convention. He will continue doing so with the confidence of our support," it continued.

Moore also issued an apology for tensions that emerged within the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) due in part to his criticisms of Donald Trump's candidacy and supporters during the presidential campaign.

The ERLC president admitted that he had made "contextless or unhelpful posts on social media" and said that he failed to "distinguish between people who shouldn't have been in the same category with those who put politics over the gospel." He also noted that he had used words that were "overly broad or unnecessarily harsh."

Moore's apology came after several reports emerged about approximately 100 churches escrowing funds to the SBC's Cooperative Program due in part to their displeasure with Moore's statements during the election.

The 40,000-member Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, was one of the congregations to escrow funds amounting to about $1 million to the program in protest of Moore's "disrespectfulness" to Trump's evangelical supporters. Its pastor, Jack Graham, said in a tweet on Monday that Moore's statement was "gracious" and "unifying."

The SBC's Executive Committee has recently launched a study to find solutions to the issue of churches either escrowing or discontinuing Cooperative Program funds. Those who are overseeing the study are expected to release their findings in September.