Pastor Taffi Dollar of World Changers Church in College Park, GA is on a mission, and has been for the last 25 years.

“I have a heart for women of all ages,” Dollar tells JET. “I think it’s important for women to be empowered and to stay encouraged…to have a good sense of identity…to be centered, focused, passionate, and to live passionately on purpose.” 

This year, that mission will appear in the form of the Refresh Women’s Conference, set to take place from 3/17/16 – 3/20/16 at the World Changers headquarters. We caught up with Dollar, wife of megachurch leader Pastor Creflo Dollar, to find out more about how she hopes to impact the community with the Refresh conference. 

JET: Let’s talk about the conference. What can attendees expect?

Taffi Dollar: I think [they’ll walk away with] a new way of doing you. So many times we find ourselves bringing the old into the new – old baggage into new relationships, or how our past defines who we are; so, it’s having a new perspective. Maybe there are things you can take away that can revive a marriage, revive your relationship with your family, with your children. It’s time for us not to be inundated with fears and apprehension…just to be able to hear different ways of doing things. I think it will help women to be able to do life in a higher way, and have a new sense of energy and a new perspective on living on purpose.

JET: What do you think is the most challenging thing that is facing this generation right now?

Taffi Dollar: I read books a lot and one thing I hear in talking with some of my girlfriends is the entitlement piece. [The older generation] had to earn. It wasn’t given to them. They had to do without or didn’t get it. [Many young women today] feel they have to build their identity around entertainment, or being on a show, or being with a guy or doing all of these other things.

JET: How much responsibility does the older generation of women have to train the younger generation?

Taffi Dollar: I’m an old school mama. You have to be taught that way and I am that way because of how it was instilled in me. I had a relationship with my grandmother and I was close with my mom, so I guess if you don’t really have a generational key, […] you really can’t appreciate what you never had. [The younger generation] has to pursue it. They have to be mature and teachable and have a sense of knowing the importance of what’s been done before you and to not feel as if it’s no longer relevant or not of any value.

JET: What are you hoping will happen to the community as a result of this conference?

Taffi Dollar: I think the real benefit and the real takeaway of any conference or event is what happens afterwards. It’s not so much what you get, but what you’re able to take away and implement once you go home, back to work, and in your relationships.  So my hope is that afterwards, the ladies will feel revived.

We’re going to touch on the spiritual, reviving the mind, body and spirit. We’ll be doing workshops and have several examples and skits and speakers of different ages, different nationalities. We’ll get to talk about things and be honest and not be afraid to talk about what we don’t understand, what frustrates us. I think the speakers that we have are those who are mostly transparent, so I’m excited about it.

JET: How have your experiences prepared you to train a younger generation of women?

Taffi Dollar: I grew up with a lot of fear as a child. [I was] very shy and insecure and did things to appease as a lot of people do. I did stuff in high school and early college, so I can talk about those things now to young people because some of them are just waiting to get out and experience all these things. I just have to make sure that there isn’t anything off limits that we can’t talk about and open up the door to maintain that dialogue and be relevant and purposeful in their lives.

JET: Your husband has come under much scrutiny and there have been several “scandals” regarding your relationship. How has this affected you, your relationship with your husband, and the impact you are personally trying to make on the community?

Taffi Dollar: It really doesn’t. The media and everyone has their opinions about certain things and everyone is entitled to whatever they believe. Pictures are painted through the press, but at the end of the day, I just try to stay focused and to stay positive and not allow the scrutiny or someone’s interpretation to define who I am and who we are as people.

There are always two sides to every story and sometimes you may not always get both sides of it, so I try to stay positive. Those who we have an opportunity to affect and change their lives, that’s what we aim to do on a day-to-day basis.

JET: What do you say to those who question your faith?

Taffi Dollar: At the end of the day, I have my own faith in God. It’s a personal, individual commitment and sometimes it’s misunderstood by people. Certainly, living for Christ, it’s not going to be any different from what Christ experienced when he was misunderstood. I just see it as part of the package.

You can learn more about Pastor Dollar, the Refresh Women’s Conference, and upcoming events at www.taffidollar.org.