What would happen if every disciple in Tennessee embarked on the amazing journey of reaching the spiritually lost? I believe it would turn the world upside down.

More than 50 years ago Roland Q. Leavell wrote,“The genuine objective of the Great Commission is discipleship. Jesus sought to develop quality in His followers, but He also sought quantity. Therefore, Evangelism that produces disciples of quality will multiply as each disciple becomes a partner in the evangelistic enterprise. In this way the Gospel will reach into all nations by the process of multiplication rather than addition.”

These words still ring true today. Evangelism and discipleship are linked and cannot be separated. We have been called to make disciples, not converts, and we do that one person at a time. Jesus always had time for the individual, and we must follow His example. [Read more…]

Confronting mental health; hearing the words spoken together was jarring, and I tried every way I could to advocate for a softer tone. After all, some in Baptist life these days seemingly believe confrontation is a spiritual gift. In the end, I did not get my way. Now I’m glad I didn’t.

Randy C. Davis

Data collected from Tennessee Baptists during 2023 highlighted widespread concern about an intensifying mental health crisis in our state. The  Acts 2:17 Task Force reviewed these findings and identified key ministry priorities that were adopted by Tennessee Baptist Convention messengers at the 2024 Summit. The Task Force assigned the name “Confronting Mental Health” to this initiative, sparking a discussion around the use of the term “confronting.”

The objective is to build a collaborative network of spiritually healthy churches among Tennessee Baptists and using the word confronting seemed opposed to collaboration. However, “confronting” is absolutely the right call given the circumstances in which Tennesseans find themselves. [Read more…]

Chris Turner

Jeff Iorg is the man for the job. He might have been the only man for the job. He is certainly the right man at the right time, and he arrived on the scene just in the nick of time.

Iorg, of course, is the president and chief executive officer of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Executive Committee (EC). He was hired one year ago and has been a stabilizing force through his humility, personality, leadership, resolve, and statesmanship.

The EC and Southern Baptists desperately needed stability. The EC’s credibility was in shambles after six years of making news for all the wrong reasons.

The decline began when former EC president and CEO Frank Page retired in March 2018 following the disclosure of “an inappropriate relationship.” Ronnie Floyd succeeded Page in April 2019 but resigned in October 2021, his troubled presidency marked by the mishandling of sexual abuse cases, as revealed in Guidepost Solutions’ independent investigation report.  [Read more…]

Jerusalem lay in ruins. The walls, once strong, were broken. Stones toppled, gates burned. The people were defenseless. Enemies laughed. The city of God was a joke. The men had returned from exile, but they had no leader, no plan. Fear settled in. The task was too big, too much.

Rebuilding the Wall of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 3-4). Wood engraving, published in 1886.

Then Nehemiah came. He saw the wreckage and felt the weight. He didn’t talk much. Instead, he prayed, he planned, and then he worked. But he did not work alone. He called the people to rise up. Not just warriors. Not just builders. Everyone. Priests, merchants, goldsmiths. Fathers, sons, even daughters. They picked up stone and hammer and built.

One man could not do it alone. Neither could ten. But when the people stood shoulder to shoulder, the wall rose. Nehemiah did not look for experts. He found willing hands. They were not builders, but they became them. Fifty-two days. That’s all it took. Because Nehemiah built more than walls, he multiplied leaders.

Josh Franks

The Acts 2:17 Initiative was a grassroots initiative to identify where we can serve you best. We listened as you spoke. The need is clear: there aren’t enough leaders. Churches are ready, but the workers are few. So to combat this, we’re building a leadership multiplication pipeline with these seven core strengths that’s designed to raise up and send out leaders.

1. A Network That Lifts Everyone

We want to forge a network where ministers and lay leaders sharpen each other. The wisest teachers are already in the field, and when we bring them together, we can learn and grow together.

2. A Plan Fit for Every Church

No two churches are the same, so no plan should force them to be. Our model conforms to urban, rural, large, and small. After meeting with churches, we are aiming to build a pathway that fits every church. But we want to make it clear that though the method changes, the mission does not.

3. Training Built for the Individual

Every leader is different in gifting, passion, and calling. We train leaders for who they are by assessing and discovering their strengths to sharpen what God has given them.

4. Multiplication, Not Just Addition

We don’t simply add leaders — we multiply them through scalable resources and adaptive training, sending them out and mentoring them in a forge of transformation.

5. Developing the Whole Leader

A broken leader cannot lead. A man may build a strong wall but crumble himself. We do not train leaders only for what they do but for who they are through spiritual depth, mental clarity, and physical endurance. We train men and women to stand not just in the pulpit but in life.

6. A Path That Leads to Real Impact

Every stage of our training involves real-world ministry where interns lead, residents serve, and lay-leaders step up under clear expectations and firm accountability, ensuring no time is wasted and every leader knows their purpose.

7. A Door Open to All

God calls every believer to the work of ministry, so every believer should have the chance to answer. We make sure of this through offering free resources, scholarships, and grants. In this way, the body supplies what it needs.

Nehemiah couldn’t do the work alone. Neither can a single church.

In our churches, leaders are waiting. The vision adopted by the Tennessee Baptist Convention is for every church to have growing leaders called to ministry … until every Tennessee hears the gospel. We need you on the wall to get there. There’s more to come on how you can get involved. B&R

I recently saw a diagram listing dozens of artificial intelligence (AI) agents. It looked like the multicolored Wheel of Fortune wheel. I knew there had to be more AIs than that, so I asked an AI application I use how many AI agents existed.

“Estimating the total number of AI agents is quite challenging due to rapid development and deployment,” its response began. “However, as of recent estimates, there could be millions of AI agents in operation worldwide.”

Chris Turner

Millions? That’s a big Wheel of Fortune diagram.

I plunged into AI more than a year ago, slowly at first but by last December AI became partners in my daily workflow. (I know what you’re thinking and no, AI did not write this column. It did edit it however). [Read more…]