Who We Are

Dr. Jonathan Akin is the Pastor of Fairview Church in Lebanon, TN, a suburb outside of Nashville. Jonathan is passionate about equipping leaders for church planting and world missions. He has a BA from Boyce College, where he used to teach preaching, and an MDiv from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Jon also holds a PhD in Old Testament from Southern Seminary and his dissertation is on the future hope of Proverbs. He is authoring the forthcoming volumes of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in the Christ-Centered Exposition Series. Jonathan is married to Ashley, and they have two daughters, Maddy and Emma Grace, and a son  on the way. 

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Nathan Akin is one of the planting pastors of Imago Dei Church in Raleigh and serves there as the pastor for Disciple-Making. In addition, Nathan serves at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in establishing church partnerships with the Seminary. Nathan has a masters of divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a bachelors degree in political science from Murray State University, where he played basketball.

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Tim Akin serves as a High School Bible teacher at Whitefield Academy and a Middle School Pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, KY. In addition, Tim is pursuing a Masters of Divinity degree at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Tim is married to Anna and they have 2 sons (Levi, 2 and Judah, 8 months). They recently returned from Istanbul, Turkey where they lived for two years coaching an American Football team.

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Bryan Barley is the Pastor of Preaching and Leadership at The Summit Church Denver. The Summit was started out of the Barleys’ living room in 2011 and now gathers in the heart of urban Denver. He has a Masters of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a BA in History from the University of South Carolina, where he also met his wife, Megan.

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Jedidiah Coppenger is the lead pastor of Redemption City Church, a church plant in Franklin, TN. Jedidiah graduated from North Greenville University, where he played basketball and was radically saved. Since graduating from college, Jedidiah has preached to churches and youth groups all over the South and the Midwest. He has a passion to see lives changed by the gospel. Jedidiah graduated with an Masters of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. And he edited and/or contributed to Retreat or Risk: A Call for a Great Commission Resurgence and Theology and Practice of Mission: God, the Church, and the Nations. Jedidiah is married to Melanie and they have three kids: Josiah, Susannah, and Judah  _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nick Moore is the Lead Pastor at Redemption Hill Baptist Church in Fisherville, Kentucky. Nick has a BA in Biblical and Theological Studies from Boyce College, an M.Div from the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary where he also hopes to finish his Ph.d in Old Testament Theology in 2014. Nick has been married to Kyndra for nearly 10 years and they have six children, Jacob, James, Elizabeth, Sophia, Katharine, and Juliet.

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Ronnie Parrott serves as Pastor of Discipleship at Cross Church in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Ronnie has a BS in Student Ministry from Boyce College and a Master’s of Divinity in Great Commission Studies from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is dedicated to making disciples and raising up church leaders and church planters. He has served in two different multi-site churches and has helped both launch new campuses. Ronnie is married to Marci and they have four children, Jack (6), Anna Kate (4), Hudson (3), and Silas (2).

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Benjamin Quinn is an instructor in Theology and History of Ideas at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary/The College at Southeastern, and is a member of North Wake Church in Wake Forest. Benjamin grew up in Corinth, MS and received a BA in Biblical Studies from Union University in ’05, an MDiv in Christian Ministry at SEBTS in ’08, ThM in Christian Ethics at SEBTS in ’10, and is currently pursuing doctoral studies at the University of Bristol in conjuction with the Paideia Centre for Public Theol0gy.  Benjamin married his junior high sweetheart, Ashley, and has three children, Emma Claire, Campbell Schafers (“Camp”), and Dawson Alexander.

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Walter Strickland serves as the Minister of Young Adults at Faith Baptist Church in Youngsville, NC.  He was born in Chicago, and raised in Southern California.  Walter’s passion is for people of all cultures, in the States and beyond to cling to the one true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Walter also has a life-long love for playing sports and music.  Walter is an ordained Baptist minister an holds a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Cedarville University, a Master of Divinity and Master of Theology from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in theology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland.  Walter and his lovely wife Stephanie live in Raleigh, NC.

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Brandt Waggoner serves as the Pastor of Discipleship and Administration at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Decatur, IL. Brandt has a Masters of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and a BS in English from Union University. In the summer of 2008 Brandt married Jill and they are enjoying life together in Decatur, IL.

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Scott Wilson is Lead Pastor of First Baptist Church in Melbourne, Florida. Scott has a BA in Music from Florida State University, a Master of Divinity from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and a PhD in Systematic Theology, also from Southeastern. Scott’s dissertation was on the Trinity and sanctification. Scott is committed to expository preaching and is passionate about calling the church to Gospel-centered living. Scott is married to Megan and they have two boys, Silas and Micah.

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Paul is on the global staff at the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. Paul has a BA from Union University and an MDiv from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Paul is married to his high school sweetheart (Kari), and they have 3 children: a son (Micah)  a daughter (Jordan) and a daughter (Kai). Prior to serving at Brook Hills, Paul and his family spent 2 years living and working in Africa and the Middle East.

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Contact us: baptist21@gmail.com

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Doctrinal Affirmations

We provide the following doctrinal affirmations as a summary of our convictions. However, in keeping with the introduction to the BF&M 2000 we affirm that “the sole authority for faith and practice among Baptists is the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Confessions are only guides in interpretation, having no authority over the conscience.”

Baptist Faith & Message 2000

The Abstract of Principles 1858

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy

The Danvers Statement on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood