Russell Moore can keep his job as the leader of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religion Liberty Commission (ERLC) if he apologizes for criticizing the members who backed Donald Trump in his campaigns for the presidency.

The agency's executive committee declared the decision in a statement released on Mar. 20. "For us not to stand in affirmation of the principles that Dr. Moore has espoused would be unfaithful to the mission entrusted to us by the Convention," the statement said.

The resolution came after months of deliberation, which led to divisions in the denomination, among Moore's supporters. Splits in the ranks were common especially among his supporters who are invested in maintaining ties with the country's Republican country.

In recent months, the divide has reached a point where several churches refused to release their financial contributions for the denomination.

During the presidential elections in 2016, Moore was very outspoken about his views on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump and those who supported him.

Moore repeatedly challenged the motives of Christian leaders who backed Trump, especially since several Southern Baptist members were included in Trump's evangelical advisory board.

A week prior the statement's release, SBC leader Frank Page expressed his support for the embattled Moore. After a two-hour meeting on Mar. 14, the two leaders issued a joint statement stressing their full support for one another. As America's largest Protestant denomination, the SBC oversees the ERLC, and by extension, Moore.

After Moore issued his apology and had a conversation with his critics, the ERLC committee resolved to support him.

"We realize that divisions do not heal overnight," 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 went on to say.