October 1, 2026
Summer is often one of the busiest seasons in Next Gen ministry. Calendars fill quickly with Vacation Bible School, youth camps, mission trips, family travel, special events, and gatherings that fall outside the regular rhythm of the school year. For many churches, summer can feel like a sprint. But before churches organize another event, load another van, decorate another VBS room, or finalize another camp packing list, they should first ask a more important question: Are we praying? Krista Staton, children’s ministry consultant with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said, “Prayer is our greatest tool and often our most under-utilized tool.”
The summer months provide unique opportunities for children and teenagers to encounter the gospel, grow in their faith, build relationships, and take meaningful steps of obedience. Many adults can point back to a summer camp, VBS, mission trip, or retreat as a defining moment in their own spiritual journey. God often uses these concentrated seasons to awaken hearts, clarify calling, deepen faith, and draw students to Himself.
Chris Trent, Next Gen catalyst with the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said it well: “It’s important we pray for the next generation throughout the summer, because God often uses things like camps, mission, trips, and VBS, to change lives.”
That should shape the way churches approach the summer. These events are not merely calendar items; they are spiritual opportunities. They are moments when children and students may hear the gospel clearly, ask honest questions, confess sin, discover spiritual gifts, surrender to God’s call, or begin taking ownership of their faith. Because of that, churches should pray with purpose.
Vacation Bible School
Pray for Vacation Bible School. VBS remains one of the greatest outreach opportunities many churches have each year. Children who may not normally attend church often come through the doors because a friend invited them, a parent registered them, or a grandparent brought them. In many cases, VBS is not only a ministry to children but also a bridge to families.
Staton noted, “We get so caught up in the details and the to-do lists of VBS that we don’t take time to pause and pray. Make it a priority this year by offering prayer stations at your church, sending home a prayer calendar, or setting daily prayer reminders.”
Churches should pray that every child who attends VBS would hear the gospel clearly and joyfully. Pray that children would see the beauty of Christ, understand the seriousness of sin, and hear the good news of salvation in a way they can grasp. Pray for teachers, recreation leaders, music leaders, snack teams, greeters, and registration volunteers to serve with patience, energy, and gospel focus. Pray also for families who may be disconnected from the church, asking God to use VBS as an open door for continued relationship.
Youth Camp
Pray for youth camp. During the school year, many students are overwhelmed by schedules, assignments, practices, performances, social pressure, and digital distraction. Camp offers something different. It removes students from their normal routines and places them in an environment centered around worship, Scripture, community, and intentional conversation.
In Georgia Baptist life, ministries such as Impact and SuperWow give churches opportunities to take students into environments designed for gospel proclamation, discipleship, worship, and response. These are not simply trips for students to enjoy with their friends. They are settings where God often works deeply.
Pray that students would not merely have an emotional experience at camp, but a genuine encounter with the Lord. Pray for lost students to be saved. Pray for believing students to be strengthened. Pray for students who are spiritually apathetic to be awakened. Pray for students carrying anxiety, shame, grief, hidden sin, or confusion to experience the grace and truth of Christ. Pray for small group conversations, late-night talks, meals, recreation, and van rides to become moments of discipleship.
Trent also offered a helpful picture of what is at stake: “Imagine hundreds of thousands of kids and teenagers hearing the gospel and being challenged to go deeper in their faith.”
That image should move churches to prayer. Across Georgia and beyond, children and teenagers will gather this summer in sanctuaries, classrooms, cabins, cafeterias, worship centers, and small group circles. They will open Bibles. They will sing. They will listen. They will ask questions. They will respond. Churches should pray that those moments bear lasting fruit.
Mission Trips
Pray for mission trips and service opportunities. Summer often offers students opportunities to serve in ways their normal school-year schedules do not allow. Whether they travel across the country, serve in another community, or meet needs close to home, mission experiences can help students see beyond themselves.
Pray that students would not view missions as a one-week project but as part of their identity as followers of Jesus. Pray that serving others would deepen compassion, strengthen humility, and increase boldness in sharing the gospel. Pray for safety, unity, and flexibility. Pray that students would see people as Jesus sees them and return home with a greater desire to live on mission in their own schools, neighborhoods, teams, and friend groups.
Unique Opportunities
Pray for the moments that cannot happen during the school year. Some of the most meaningful ministry moments of the summer are not always the ones printed on the schedule. They happen during a conversation after worship, over lunch, beside a pool, in a church van, during a service project, or while a leader sits with a student who finally opens up.
The school year provides important weekly rhythms, but summer often provides margin. Students may have more time to talk. Leaders may have more opportunities to listen. Relationships may grow deeper because everyone is outside the normal rush.
Follow Up
Last in this list, pray for follow-up. One of the greatest mistakes churches can make is treating summer events as isolated experiences. If a child responds to the gospel at VBS, follow up. If a student makes a decision at camp, follow up. If someone expresses interest in baptism, church membership, missions, ministry, or deeper discipleship, follow up.
Pray that churches would have the wisdom and discipline to help students take the next faithful step. Spiritual momentum should not end when the buses return or the decorations come down. The goal is not simply a memorable week. The goal is lifelong discipleship.
So Pray
Pray that churches would recognize and steward those moments well. Pray that students who feel unseen would be noticed. Pray that leaders would ask good questions. Pray that students transitioning from children’s ministry into student ministry would feel welcomed. Pray that graduating seniors would be encouraged and sent well. Pray that simple summer gatherings would become spaces for spiritual conversations and lasting encouragement.
Pray before the first child walks into VBS. Pray before the first student boards the bus for camp. Pray before the mission team leaves. Pray during the worship service, the small group, the invitation, the meal, the recreation time, and the quiet conversation after everyone else has left. Pray because the next generation needs more than a busy summer. They need the gospel. They need the church. They need faithful adults. They need the grace of God.
Summer will be full. There will be registrations to manage, supplies to buy, lessons to prepare, vans to clean, parents to contact, and schedules to adjust. But beneath all of that activity, the church must remember that only God changes lives. And this summer, by God’s kindness, many children and teenagers may look back and say, “That was when God changed my life.”
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