Capitol Conversations

Reflections from the SBC in Birmingham, what happened and why it matters

June 25, 2019

This episode of Capitol Conversations was recorded live in Birmingham, Alabama from the 2019 annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention. This episode consists of three brief conversations with ERLC staff and local church leaders at the ERLC booth about the value of cooperation as a convention of churches. The episode finishes with highlights from Russell Moore’s address on the floor of the convention.  

Guest Biography

Daniel Patterson serves as ERLC’s Vice President for Operations and Chief of Staff. In these roles, he directs the executive office of the president, public relations, and helps drive operations across the organization. He completed an MDiv and PhD in systematic theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He and his wife Molly have been married since 2010, and together they have three children. @DLPatterson 

Dean Inserra is the founding and lead pastor of CITYCHURCH, where he leads the vision and preaching. Dean was called to start a church in his hometown of Tallahassee and is passionate to see a worldwide impact made for Jesus. Dean graduated from Liberty University and attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. He holds a MA in Theological Studies from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is pursuing a D.Min from Southern Seminary. @deaninserra 

Ashlyn Portero is originally from Tallahassee and loves calling the city home. She began attending CITYCHURCH in 2009 and joined the staff in 2011, and currently serves as one of the Executive Directors, overseeing and supporting staff and day-to-day ministry operations. Ashlyn graduated from Florida State University in 2010 with a B.A. in English and is currently a student at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary online. She loves seeing the Gospel change lives and enjoys helping people connect at CITYCHURCH. @ashlynportero

Resources from the Conversation

Chelsea
Chelsea Sobolik

Chelsea Sobolik serves as Director of Government Relations for World Relief, a a global Christian humanitarian organization and the largest Evangelical refugee resettlement in the U.S. Previously, she worked for the leading evangelical child welfare organization in the country, the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and on Captiol Hill.. Chelsea has been published at

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Jeff Pickering

Jeff Pickering is the director of the Initiative on Faith & Public Life, a project of the American Enterprise Institute. AEI is a leading public policy think tank in Washington, DC and the initiative exists to equip Christian college students for faithful engagement in public life. Jeff moved to Washington to work for Russell Moore

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Lauren Rae Konkol

Lauren Rae Konkol serves as the Team Coordinator. She assists the Washington, D.C. office with scheduling, event planning, office coordination, and project management. Before joining the ERLC, Lauren worked for the Ethics and Public Policy Center. She received a B.A. in Political Science from The University of Central Florida and an M.A. in Theological Studies

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Steven Harris

Steven Harris holds a B.S. in Religion from Vanderbilt University, an M.Div. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, an M.A. in Religion from Yale University, and is currently a PhD student in the Study of Religion at Harvard University. He previously served as a Policy Director for the ERLC. Steven lives in the D.C. metro

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