October 1, 2026
Georgia Baptist girls in grades 6-12 will gather this fall for the brand-new NextGen Girls’ Conference, a one-day event designed to help female students grow in their relationship with Jesus and take their next step in making Him known.
The conference will be held Sept. 26 at Calvary Baptist Church in Columbus. The event begins at 9 a.m. and will feature Amanda Mejias, Lifeway Girls brand specialist, as the keynote speaker.
Chris Trent, NextGen Catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said the conference was created out of a desire to help churches disciple teenage girls more intentionally.
“The NextGen Girls’ Conference is born out of a desire for us to disciple teenage girls well,” Trent said. “We felt like there was an opportunity to offer a one-day conference-type gathering where girls from all of our state could come together for worship and Bible study — plus a whole lot of fun.”
The conference is being launched as a gathering for female students from across Georgia who come together around one shared purpose: Jesus. Though students will come from different churches, communities, experiences and cultures, the event is designed to unite them around a shared desire to grow in their relationship with God.
Through worship, breakouts and time together, girls will be encouraged to take their next step in following Jesus and making Him known.
For local churches, the conference provides an opportunity to invest specifically in the discipleship of middle and high school girls.
Rob Craft, Next Gen pastor at First Baptist Moultrie, plans to bring a group of students to the event. He said he believes the conference can help the girls in his ministry grow both spiritually and relationally.
“I’m hoping this is a great opportunity for our girls to grow closer together and to be challenged in a setting that may more specifically meet some of their needs and answer some of their questions,” Craft said.
Craft said he hopes the impact of the conference continues after the students return home.
“I hope it helps our girls create a stronger bond between themselves,” he said. “Then, I hope it pushes them to be more intentional with some of the other girls in our student ministry and in our community.”
Local church connection is one of the key opportunities of the conference. While the event will bring girls together from across Georgia for one day, leaders hope the impact will continue as students return to their churches, schools and communities.
For many middle and high school girls, a gathering designed specifically for them can create space to address questions, challenges and pressures they may be facing. It can also remind them that they are not following Jesus alone.
Craft said that reminder is one of the reasons he believes the conference matters.
“The reminder that they’re not alone is a big one,” he said. “Girls from all over coming together to worship helps them see that they’re not competing with one another.”
Craft also said some girls may feel more comfortable engaging freely in worship and conversation in a setting designed specifically for them.
“Some who attend might be more comfortable to worship freely without boys around,” he said.
The NextGen Girls’ Conference comes as Georgia Baptist churches continue seeking ways to disciple the next generation in a culture filled with competing messages about identity, purpose and belonging. For girls navigating the middle and high school years, the event is intended to point them back to Christ and encourage them to live faithfully in their everyday lives.
Mejias, who serves as Lifeway Girls brand specialist, will speak to students during the event. In her role, she helps create and shape resources aimed at discipling girls and equipping churches to minister to them.
The conference is designed not only to encourage individual students, but also to strengthen the ministries they are part of. As girls worship together, hear biblical teaching and connect with others from across the state, leaders hope they will return home with renewed confidence in Christ and a deeper desire to make Him known.
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For more information and to register, visit https://brushfire.com/gabaptist/nextgen-girls2026/630406.
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