The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention recently announced members of its 2019 Leadership Counciland six of them are Florida Baptist pastors.
Erik Cummings of New Life Baptist Church, Dean Inserra of City Church, Jose Abella of Providence Road, Boyd Bettis of The District Church, Gary Shultz of First Baptist Church of Tallahassee and Joseph Thigpen, Discipleship Pastor at City Church alongside Inserra, are members of this year’s Leadership Council. The 2019 Leadership Council is the largest to date with 113 Southern Baptist pastors. The council, which launched in 2014, was created to equip pastors throughout the year,viaconference calls and events,to manage critical issues facing the church today.
“I am humbled and honored by this opportunity,” said Cummings, who is also serving as president of the 2019 Florida Baptist State Convention. “I think that some of the most important issues facing our church today are pro-life, social justice and the attack on family values. Under the leadership of Dr. Russell Moore I look forward to learning how to better position ourselves to address the things that are going on in our world today from a Biblical perspective.”
Dean Inserra is in his fourth year on the council. The most important issue to him is “how Christians are to exist in the political climate of the day. This climate has tempted the church and caused the church to look like the world. The most important thing for me is the church’s witness. The ERLC is helping us figure out how to navigate in faithful engagement.”
ERLC President Russell Moore, commented on the announcement of the 2019 Leadership Council.
“One of my greatest joys at the ERLC 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. The group that have joined the council this year are among the most gifted and godly I know. It’s a privilege to serve alongside them for the sake of equipping churches to address cultural concerns with a gospel focus.”
For more information on this year’s Leadership Council visit https://erlc.com/about/leadership-council.
By Keila Diaz, Florida Baptist Convention, March 11, 2019