Southern lights Conference

JANUARY 17-19, 2025

Welcome to Southern Lights!

On January 17-19, 2025, we invite you to join us for three days in a sacred space to reimagine your faith, enrich your life, and leave renewed with a fresh vision for your future.

Crowd of animated guests conversing

For two decades, Southern Lights has been a beacon of light for leaders and forward thinkers who take our call seriously to "do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God." Through sessions with a stellar line-up of speakers, musicians, and a community of fellow attendees, we invite participants to think more deeply about their faith and how to live as followers of Jesus in these chaotic times. 

Each year, we choose a specific theme and prominent speakers relevant to current concerns and the greater faith community. This January, we will gather to “Reimagine Faith and the Future of Democracy.” 

We hope you will join us at beautiful Epworth By The Sea on St. Simons Island, GA! If you can’t be with us in person, please register and join the hundreds of virtual registrants who participate online each year. All live and virtual registrants will have access to the conference recordings through April 30, 2025.


Lighting the Way

We welcome three extraordinary speakers, additional guests, and musicians under the leadership and direction of Diana Butler Bass and Brian McLaren. 

Diana sits amid books, smiling with hand on chin

Diana Butler Bass (PhD, Duke) is an award-winning author of eleven books, popular speaker, inspiring preacher, and one of America's most trusted commentators on religion and contemporary spirituality, especially where faith intersects with politics and culture.

Meet Diana ⟶

Brian wears a soft smile and round spectacles

Brian D. McLaren is an author, speaker, activist, and public theologian. A former college English teacher and pastor, he is a passionate advocate for “a new kind of Christianity” – just, generous, and working with people of all faiths for the common good. He is dean of faculty member at the Center for Action and Contemplation and podcaster with Learning How to See.

Meet Brian ⟶

Guest Speakers

This year, these three esteemed guests will instruct and encourage us on how we can reimagine faith.

For a complete list of speakers and Musicians,

Mihee Kim-Kort

Mihee Kim-Kort

Mihee Kim Cort is an ordained Presbyterian (PCUSA) minister and serves as co-pastor with her spouse

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Venue

Southern Lights has found a wonderful home at Epworth By the Sea Conference Center, one of the Southeast's premier conference center locations for generations.

Located on beautiful St. Simons Island, famous for its gorgeous beaches, wide sandy lanes, and oaks heavy with Spanish moss, Epworth by the Sea is on the southern coast of Georgia, midway between Savannah, GA, and Jacksonville, FL. This historic conference center faces west with panoramic views of the beautiful sunset over the Mackay River and the rich Barrier Island wetlands. At Epworth, you are only a short drive from the island's eastern coast, which features the Atlantic Ocean coastline with breathtaking beaches and quaint, picturesque tourist hamlets with fantastic shopping and restaurants. It's hard to miss Epworth's rich history and location!

Doug Petersen, Inspire Aerial Visions

Southern lights Conference

JANUARY 17-19,2025