NASHVILLE (BP) – The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) has announced the hiring of three new staff members to begin 2025.
New hires include Daniel Darling as church engagement strategist and RaShan Frost as director of research. Lindsay Nicolet, who previously served as ERLC editorial director, has been named director of communications. All three have previous ties to the ERLC.
“I am thrilled to announce these moves with our team,” said ERLC President Brent Leatherwood. “Each of these individuals with their new roles will help build out my vision for this Commission to more effectively serve our churches and, from that service, speak into the public square.
“RaShan is a gifted pastor and scholar. He will ensure our research capabilities only continue to grow as we provide timely and helpful resources to our churches about the pressing issues of the day.
“For years, Lindsay has proven herself to be an incredibly valuable member of our team and, in this new role, she will enhance our ability to deliver a consistent, biblical message to those we serve.
“At the same time, our priority is engaging our churches, and to be able to enlist Dan to help us build out this new part of our institution – with his pastoral experience and years of faithful service to Southern Baptists – is a real boon for our efforts to serve our churches.”
Dan Darling
Darling, who previously served with the ERLC as vice president of communications, will also continue in his current role as the director of The Land Center for Cultural Engagement at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and assistant professor of faith and culture at Texas Baptist College.
Prior to his leadership of the Land Center, Darling served as the senior vice president for communications at National Religious Broadcasters. He has also pastored churches in Illinois and Tennessee and authored several books. He and his wife Angela have four children.
“I am pleased to see Dan Darling appointed to this new role at the ERLC,” said W. Madison Grace II, provost and vice president for academic administration of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. “His pastoral sensitivity and cultural awareness, demonstrated in his work for our Land Center and our students, will be invaluable to the ERLC. Southwestern Seminary is delighted to partner with ERLC in support in its important mission for Southern Baptists.”
Dean Inserra, pastor of City Church in Tallahassee, Fla., offered his support for Darling’s appointment.
“I am thrilled to see Dan Darling back serving Southern Baptists at the ERLC,” Inserra said. “Dan has a passion to see the church fulfill our calling to be salt and light and has a track record of faithfulness when it comes to helping Southern Baptists engage the public square concerning issues that matter. He understands our people and will represent us well.”
Andrew Hébert, lead pastor at Mobberly Baptist Church in Longview, Texas, said Darling is a reliable voice for Southern Baptists.
“Daniel Darling is a clear, trusted, and convictional voice on the pressing cultural and theological issues of our day,” he said. “As the ERLC seeks to equip and assist churches, Dan will be an invaluable resource for all Southern Baptists.”
Lindsay Nicolet
As director of communications for the ERLC, Nicolet oversees the communications strategy for the entity.
Nicolet completed a Master of Divinity in Christian ministries at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Arts in public relations from the University of Florida. She is married to Justin, who works in the Christian music industry, and they have a daughter and a son.
“The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention is fortunate to have Lindsay Nicolet serve as director of communications,” said Scott Patty, founding pastor of Grace Community Church in Brentwood, Tenn.
“She possesses the spiritual commitments of love for the truth and the Church, as well as the professional commitment to excellence that will serve the ERLC well. And, she shares the commitments of the SBC to advance the Gospel and to promote biblical ethics and morality that will motivate her work.”
RaShan Frost
Frost was appointed in March 2024 as an ERLC senior fellow with an emphasis on issues related to human dignity. He will continue in this role as he assumes his new position as director of research.
His areas of research interest include:
- Christian ethics with an emphasis in social ethics and human dignity
- Political theology
- The intersection between ethics, faith and public life
Frost is the teaching pastor of Centerpoint Church in North Charleston, S.C., and is also an adjunct professor of Christian studies at Charleston Southern University.
He earned a Doctor of Philosophy in Theology with a concentration in public theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., and also holds degrees from Auburn University and Liberty University.
“In the Palmetto State, Dr. Frost has proven himself a hard-working church planter, a faithful pastor and an active participant in associational and state convention cooperation,” said Tony Wolfe, executive director of the South Carolina Baptist Convention.
“He possesses a razor-sharp intellect baptized in unyielding Baptist doctrine and driven by a hunger for local and global Gospel advance. RaShan’s heartbeat is for local church health that overflows in effective missional living. The ERLC’s director of research position is built for him. I look forward to the breadth and depth of resources his work will extend to our large SBC family.”
South Carolina pastor Marshall Blalock also praised the decision.
“ERLC has wisely chosen a scholar who fully lives his faith in Christ, who has a heart for the church to live authentic biblical values and a heart to see lost people drawn to Christ,” said Blalock, pastor of First Baptist Church in Charleson, S.C.
“RaShan Frost possesses a no-nonsense style and unapologetically shines the light of Christ in every setting, the church, the university, and the community.”
Mark Liederbach, vice president and dean of students at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, said he was “trilled to endorse” Frost’s appointment to the ERLC role.
“With a Ph.D. in Christian ethics from SEBTS as well as extensive experience in church planting and pastoral ministry, Dr. Frost brings both rigorous academic scholarship and a heart for the church to his new position,” Liederback said. “His experience in ministry enriches his teaching perspective as well as his ability to equip both leaders and laymen for real-world ministry.”
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