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…]

Tennessee State legislators have put forth commensurate bills (House Bill 47/Senate Bill 303) that would allow for the public display of the Ten Commandments in public schools. This is a good idea. Why?

First, the historical and cultural significance of the Ten Commandments is reason enough to display them. Western legal and moral traditions have been based on the Decalogue, and they are often viewed as the foundation of the legal systems in many countries, including the United States.

Axioms like “Thou shalt not steal” or “Thou shalt not kill” or the need for parental respect or the respect for private property are a part of our common law tradition based on the Ten Commandments.

Second, displaying the Ten Commandments acknowledges the religious heritage of our nation. America has never been a theocracy, like Israel was. Yet, take a cultural blood-test of the American psyche and our DNA is Christian.

The Ten Commandments acknowledges the Judeo-Christian framework of our founding and cultural identity. This is not necessarily an endorsement of the Christian religion as much as it is a recognition of its historical influence.

Third, the Ten Commandments have served as moral structure for civilized society as they benefit and promote civil ethics and good citizenship. Honesty, respect for parents, and prohibitions against theft and murder are assumed truths we have depended on for a well-ordered society, truths that could more than help in the cultural milieu of the public schools.

Fourth, the Decalogue has served as a legal framework for law and ethics. The Ten Commandments have been displayed in public spaces under certain conditions. For example, the Supreme Court case Van Orden v. Perry (2005) allowed for their display on the Texas State Capitol grounds. Further, in the U.S. House of Representatives the face of Moses (Ten Commandments in hand) is etched in the balcony panels that face the Speaker’s Chair.

Fifth, the freedom of religion versus freedom from religion debate is often used as a reason not to display the Ten Commandments.

However, the removal of religious symbols from public spaces (and they’re everywhere, especially in the nation’s Capital) may serve as a squelching of religious freedom and expression. Jefferson’s “wall of separation” should not be interpreted to exclude all religious expressions from public life.

Finally, in some communities writ large, there may be a consensus or strong support for displaying the Commandments on public property because they reflect shared community values. For these reasons, and others, the Tennessee legislature should vote to allow for the public display of the Ten Commandments in our public schools. It can’t hurt.