Georgia Baptist Mission Board

The 2026 SPARK Conference dates and locations have officially been announced, with six regional gatherings planned across Georgia to equip and encourage churches for faithful ministry and Gospel impact. Explore all the dates and locations at the link below.

Churches across Georgia are united in prayer this month for the children and students in their communities. Scripture reminds us that the prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Join the Prayer 365 movement! Claim a day for your church and help fill the calendar as we cover our state in prayer throughout the year. Learn more and join us by clicking the link in the comments.

Summer is here, and June is packed with incredible kingdom opportunities across Georgia. Before we share the exciting news from this month, let us pause and celebrate what God has been doing. Baptisms are up. Church attendance is up. Giving is up. And most importantly, we're seeing a renewed passion across our convention to reach the 7+ million people in Georgia who don't yet know Christ. What a time to be alive in Georgia Baptist ministry. Now, meet Thomas Hammond and three critical things happening this month: 1. Camp Season From the North Georgia mountains to the coast, churches are hosting camps. Impact, Surge, Super Wow, Camp Pinnacle, and so many local church camps are gathering children, teenagers, and young adults for a summer focused on God's love, missions, and growing in their faith. Join us in prayer that God would speak to the hearts of young people, call them into ministry and missions, and draw them into relationship with Christ. 2. Southern Baptist Convention Fellowship The SBC, meets in June in Orlando. On Monday night following the evening session, Georgia Baptists gather for fellowship, treats, giveaways, and great conversation. Register online at the SBC website, and we'll send you all the details. We hope to see you there. 3. New Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) at Georgia Southern A brand-new facility that opens this fall in Statesboro at 1701 Chandler Avenue. With a 300+ capacity gathering space, offices, residential apartments, and a coffee shop, this is a strategic opportunity for students to find community, grow in faith, and hear the gospel. The facility is already 65% full for the coming school year. Bonus: SPARK Conference Six is regional conferences across Georgia and forty different workshops. Bring your staff, leaders, and volunteers. Details are live now. Pastor, we are praying that God would move across Georgia. Thank you for serving faithfully as we reach our state together.

At HILLS CROSSING BAPTIST CHURCH, INC. in Clarkesville, discipleship is more than a program. It’s a way of life. The church has embraced a mission to strengthen families, equip believers, and send people out to serve locally and globally. Through backyard Bible clubs, free soccer camps, public school outreach, and international partnerships in Peru, Hills Crossing is living out Acts 1:8 in practical ways. “We try to be a sending church,” said missions strategist Tony Gray. “The people of Hills Crossing are trying to be missionaries locally, in the state, the nation, and internationally.”

You already pour everything into your church. Now, let us pour into you. 2026 SPARK Conference registration is now open! The total church-equipping conference will make six stops across the state, bringing inspiring worship, powerful keynotes, and 30+ practical breakouts covering nearly every ministry within your church. Mark your calendar and bring your ministry leaders to a location near you! You can find the link to register in the comments.

Check out the speaker lineup for the 2026 SPARK Conference! We are excited for what God is going to do across Georgia through these gatherings. Join us as we hear from faithful leaders, including Hance Dilbeck, Jimmy Scroggins, Ken Whitten, Jason Britt, Daniel Ritchie, and Thom S. Rainer as they encourage and equip pastors, church staff, and ministry leaders for greater Kingdom impact. Whether your focus is discipleship, evangelism, leadership development, church health, or ministry strategy, SPARK is designed to strengthen the local church and help leaders faithfully carry out the Great Commission. Make plans now to attend the location nearest you and bring your ministry team along for a day of encouragement, practical training, and biblical equipping. Learn more and register at https://lnkd.in/dCRV-f4D.

If you’re attending the SBC Annual Meeting in Orlando, we invite you to join fellow Georgia Baptists on Monday evening, June 8, after the evening session for a special time of fellowship and encouragement. Come enjoy food, conversation, and giveaways as pastors, ministry leaders, and church members from across our state gather together to celebrate what the Lord is doing through Georgia Baptist churches. 📍 Orange County Convention Center (West Concourse) Room 315 We look forward to seeing you there.

Here's what Kyle Ruff, Youth Pastor at Tabernacle Baptist Church in Cartersville, discovered in his student ministry: when you equip students to share the gospel, give them ownership, and let them use their own gifts, something powerful happens. Their friends respond. They engage differently. And students realize they have the ability to reach their peers in ways adults never could. But the real revelation came when Kyle asked himself a harder question: why are we limiting this to Wednesday nights and church platforms? If our students won't evangelize in the safety of the church, how will they ever evangelize at school, at work, in their communities? Equipping students for evangelism isn't just about the stage. It's about giving them confidence and courage to share their faith everywhere they go.

There's something beautiful about a church that knows exactly why they exist. At Lakeside Baptist Church in Milledgeville, GA, Sr. Pastor Tim Oliver and his team remind themselves every single Sunday of their vision: reducing lostness in Georgia's Lake Country, one gospel conversation at a time. Grounded in Micah 6:8, they live out a simple mission: love God, be Christ-like, care for others. When a church is clear about its calling and committed to living it out, people notice. And more importantly, the kingdom advances.

Pastor, your college students have changed. Are you ready to reach them differently? These young adults aren't looking for another program or packed calendar. They're looking for you, a mentor who knows their name, walks with them, and helps them see their faith matters now. Swipe through to see what college students really need this summer. And how your church, any size, can answer that call.