Akin Huddle

This episode gathers the five Akins to talk about the Southern Baptist Convention. After swapping favorite and funny convention memories, they look ahead to SBC 2026, walking through the presidential election between Josh Powell and Willy Rice and the proposed Mohler amendment on the role of women in pastoral ministry. The conversation closes by returning to the heart of it all, why the SBC exists in the first place: fulfilling the Great Commission and getting the gospel to the nations.

The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership

Episode thirteen opens with the brothers reliving Dan Hurley's now-infamous near-headbutt of a referee at the end of the UConn-Duke Elite Eight game, before turning to the main topic of how Christians should think about social media. The brothers share how each of them personally navigates platforms like X, Facebook, and Instagram, with Tim explaining why he stepped away entirely and Dad reflecting on the pros and cons that led him to do the same. They discuss the dangers of doom scrolling, comparison, identity formation, and platforming voices that tear others down, and they offer practical questions to help listeners evaluate whether their own social media use is honoring Christ.

The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership

This episode tackles "the talk," exploring how to have honest, biblical conversations with children about gender, sex, and marriage in a culture that increasingly pushes back against God's design. The brothers share practical strategies they've used in their own homes, including Tim's tradition of taking each child away for a two-or three-day trip at age ten to walk through puberty, sexuality, and identity. They also reflect on the gift of being raised in a home where no topic was off limits and connect these conversations to the bigger picture of marriage, the gospel, and Christ's love for the church.

The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership

Episode eleven centers on how to choose a local church, with practical wisdom drawn from years of ministry experience. The brothers discuss the marks of a healthy church to look for, the balance between finding a good fit for your family and serving where you're planted, and how to leave well when proximity, life stage, or new opportunities make a move necessary.

The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership

Episode ten gathers the five Akins for a conversation on biblical manhood and what it looks like to raise godly sons in a culture confused about masculinity. The brothers reflect on the non-negotiables of Christian manhood, push back against both passivity and posturing, and talk about cultivating courage, conviction, humility, and responsibility in their boys. Along the way they share a few stories from the basketball world, including Nate's time playing for UCLA's Mick Cronin at Murray State.The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership

Episode nine focuses on how parents can navigate children's education and discipleship across the range of school options: public, private, classical, and homeschool. The brothers share from their own experiences as both students and parents, reflecting on what shaped them growing up and how home, church, and school can work together to raise kids who know and follow Christ. Along the way, the family swaps childhood memories of March Madness and the lengths they went to in order to catch every game.

The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership

Episode eight explores the idea that the home is the first seminary, asking how discipleship happens outside of formal ministry structures. The Akins share practical and theological reflections on how parents can faithfully pass faith to their children through the rhythms of daily family life, drawing on texts like Deuteronomy 6 and Jeremiah 29. Danny closes by sharing the advice he gives seminary students who feel tension between academics and family: make an A at home, not just in the classroom.

The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership

Episode seven continues the conversation with David Pollack, picking up on habits, friendship, and the faith commitments that shaped his career at Georgia and beyond. The episode closes with David sharing openly about his wife Lindsay's ongoing battle with brain cancer, the cross they've been called to carry, and the ways God has used a season of suffering to deepen his faith and reshape his priorities.

The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership

Episode six is part one of an interview with David Pollack, three-time All-American at the University of Georgia, former Cincinnati Bengal, and author of Every Day Counts. The conversation covers David's journey to faith through a high school teacher and a church lock-in, the role his wife played in softening his heart toward the gospel, and the moment he led his mother to Christ over the phone during his senior year of college. Along the way, the group swaps Georgia football memories, talks about the influence coaches can have on young people, and explores what it looks like to start where you are and use what you have for God's glory.

The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership

Episode five introduces Tim Akin, the youngest of the brothers, who shares how he came to faith as a young child through a simple, gospel-centered conversation with his parents on the family couch. The family then turns to the increasingly complex world of travel sports, wrestling honestly with how Christian parents can navigate athletic culture without sacrificing the local church, family rhythms, and the spiritual formation of their kids.The Akin Huddle Podcast is presented by Southern Seminary. Southern Seminary exists to train pastors and church leaders for a lifetime of faithful ministry. To learn more, visit https://www.sbts.edu

Meet the Akins:

• Danny Akin is President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.danielakin.com
• Nate Akin is Executive Director of The Pillar Network. Learn more at thepillarnetwork.com
• Jonathan Akin is Vice President for Church Relations and Campus Ministries at Carson-Newman University. Learn more at www.cn.edu
• Paul Akin is Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. Learn more at www.sbts.edu/faculty/paul-m-akin
• Tim Akin is Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church Douglasville. Learn more at gofbcd.org/leadership