October 1, 2026
The Georgia Baptist Mission Board is once again launching a new round of Public Affairs Training events this month! These sessions are designed to equip pastors and church members with the tools and insights they need to effectively engage in today’s cultural and governmental landscape.
Brad Hughes, chairman of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s Public Affairs Committee and director of field operations for Gov. Brian Kemp, and I are very excited again about this year's events! We are also very blessed again to have speaking with us Kevin Cooke, men’s soccer coach at Shorter University and former state representative; and Josh McKoon, a constitutional attorney and former state senator.
We live in a nation with a government of the people and by the people, which means Christians have a responsibility to help shape the future of our nation. Since we are called to be salt and light in the world, that means we can have the greatest influence on having laws and policies that shape our communities.
Every policy decision impacts your life, your family, and your church. If we stay silent, we allow those who oppose God's Kingdom values to be the only voice at the table. And those decisions won't just affect us; they will affect our family, our neighbors, and future generations.
Some of the most important issues affecting Georgia Baptists are debated inside the state Capitol, and citizens need to make their positions known regarding each of them.
This was my 19th year working at the Georgia Capitol on legislation dealing with social and moral issues. It was my 13th year with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board. This year was very busy, with a lot of new legislation and a lot of changes to current legislation in the final days.
As usual, Georgia Baptists monitored a lot of legislation in the second-year cycle that started in 2025. We watched up to 47 bills, and out of these, we supported 32 and opposed 15. There has been a lot of legislation to monitor over the past two years. Once again, as Georgia Baptists, we have been privileged to support more legislation than we were against.
When Georgia Baptists engage in supporting or opposing legislation, we can make a big difference in what happens at the Capitol! We represent approximately 1.4 million Georgians and some 3,400 churches.
Most of the bills we monitored dealt with subjects such as pro-life issues, religious freedom, child protection, gambling, and addictive substances such as alcohol, marijuana, and hemp. See this year’s Legislative report for details: https://christianindex.org/stories/from-the-capitol-a-challenging-legislative-session-with-successful-action-on-some-bills,106412
Our Public Affairs training events are about educating pastors and church members on why it’s important that a witness to the life-changing power of the gospel be seen in our local, state, and national government. This is why it’s important for ministry leaders and churches to be engaged in the policy-making process.
Note the following topics that will be covered:
The Mission Board has scheduled at least ten of these training events during the months of April through October. They will be held across the state, in Cordele, Bowman, Grey, Alpharetta, Columbus, Valdosta, Brunswick, Swainsboro, Dalton, and Rossville.
There is no charge for these events, and a free lunch is included. The sessions start at 10 a.m. and go till 2:00 p.m. To register or find out more information, please visit this site: Public Affairs Training 2026 - Georgia Baptist Mission Board
Make sure you don't miss this unique opportunity to learn, connect, and grow as an influential Christian leader in our state!
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Mike Griffin is the Public Affairs Representative of the Georgia Baptist Mission Board.
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