How ERLC Became the Premier Evangelical Advocacy Group

In recent years, the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission has distinguished itself as the premier conservative evangelical political advocacy group. As the public-policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, the ERLC is governed by a board of trustees elected by delegates (called “Messengers”) to that convention. Under the staff leadership of the Reverend Dr. Russell Moore and a talented cadre of (mostly young) staffers, the ERLC has quietly emerged as a model religious interest group.
Since I am writing about religious interest groups for my doctoral dissertation at Georgetown University, I thought it might be helpful to share some of my observations about what makes some organizations successful/faithful, and others less so.