Mar 8, 2010
Are any churches you know of willing to baptize folks who got saved 15 minutes ago?
Yesterday at Hope, during communion, they had open baptism. It was wonderful.
I’ve never seen a church do this before, have you?
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I went to a church called Cornerstone in Simi Valley, CA where Francis Chan is the pastor and they had 4 services a weekend and practiced open baptism at every service and it was always the highlight for me because there was never a service that I went to where someone was not baptized.
we did it last April…it was I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E. We had some people scheduled, but then did on the fly interviews in the hallway with people who responded immediately and baptized them immediately. We’re hoping to do it again in the next couple of months.
That’s exactly how it was there. Elders stationed throughout the sanctuary to talk with people who wanted to be baptized, and some people who had taken the class and planned ahead. It was so amazing.
This is exactly what I was talking to a new Christian friend about the other day. In the Bible it is always, believe and be baptized, not believe, wait twenty years and come and get baptized because you have felt guilty about not getting baptized for twenty years.
I do understand that during the Reformation, there was a move to catechize new believers before they were baptized. The Apostle’s Creed for instance was originally a baptismal creed. “Do you believe in God the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth . . .” That makes sense to me too. If that was the reason that people waited to get baptized, then I think I’d be all for that.
I think sometimes we make too big of a deal of baptism. For instance, baptism should not be a requirement for membership in a church. No other sacrament is required, only salvation. It is as the Westminster Confession of Faith says, a great sin to contemn or neglect this ordinance, yet grace and salvation are not so inseparably annexed unto it, as that no person can be regenerated, or saved, without it: or, that all that are baptized are undoubtedly regenerated.
btw, welcome to Hope. I keep meaning to stop you and say hello…
We do that at Mars Hill, starting with Easter 2008. Pastor Tim, who was leading worship that day, got to baptize his little girl at the end of the 11AM service. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of.
http://www.marshillchurch.org/media/good-friday-easter/easter-2008/11-am-baptisms
I saw it at NewSpring last year. Everyone who got saved was baptized right there. They had clothes for people to change into and everything! Very awesome.
Yes. It is very common in some Fundamentalist churches. Some baptise around one hundred people a Sunday. Few of these people become disciples of Jesus Christ.
Check out First Baptist Church, Hammond IN.
Jason, that was the same thought I had as soon as I read the post.
Yes. I was at FBC Hammond in the 80′s and I believe the baptisms took close to 30 minutes. This would have been week in and week out. They had 100,000 members but about 20,000 attenders. While the practise strikes me as what the NT did, and thus legitimate, it seems it is most closely related with the independent (read fundamentalist) Baptist or Pentecostal traditions.
Our church meets at my friends’ house, so there is no baptistry. That being said, the last time someone decided to follow Christ in our body, we drove to the nearest river and dunked her within half an hour!
The same Sunday that I was baptised, our church also baptised two North Korean refugees that had come to faith the Friday or Saturday night before at a prayer meeting at our church.
Our pastor did ask the guy who was instrumental in bringing them to God to explain them what baptism was about, though, to make sure they knew what they were doing.
All in all, it was a pretty amazing experience.
Harvest Bible Chapel (Chicago area) has done that on occasion. An invitation would be provided at the end of the service, and those that came forward were taken to a room where they met briefly with small group leaders to share when they put their faith in Christ. (They would also share their testimony with the congregation right before being baptized.) Clothes were also provided for them for baptism. It seems like there are always some who had just surrendered their lives to the Lord during that service. Those spontaneous baptismal services are always incredible times.
I’ve attended a couple of after-church bathtub baptisms. Really!
Yeah Mars Hill did this for a month or two this winter! It was really beautiful!
My daughter’s church in SC has regular baptism classes and scheduled baptisms, BUT on baptism day they also open it up for people who’d like to get baptized on the spot. They provide a change of clothes (like basketball shorts and tshirts) and a towel, making it easy for people onsite to be baptized. http://www.baptistcourier.com/3647.article
Love it!
Yeah, they had clothes available for people to change into. So cool!
That’s the way I grew up. No classes, no tests… Kind of like the Ethiopian and Philip. Here’s water, why not?
i grew up in a believe, wait a bit, get baptized when you’re “mature” and “ready to make a real commitment” tradition, which is obviously very common, because the kind of insta-baptism describe here is still pretty unusual.
it’s true that biblically, the decision to believe and the act of baptism were one and the same, they happened concurrently. there’s probably good value to imitating that biblical example.
on the other hand, context is different now, and maybe waiting has merit, too. i mean, as long as the issue doesn’t become something divisive and hateful, as long as there’s love behind when and why you get baptized, it shouldn’t matter how it’s done.
in the catholic catechism, anyone can baptize another. they don’t even have to be baptized themselves. they just have to be sincere. as does the baptisee. it’s not in us to judge another’s sincerity, whether they are baptized fifteen minutes or fifteen years after choosing christ.
Ever been to a Church of Christ or Independent Christian Church? They will dunk ya immediately! I mean what if you got into a car wreck on the way to your baptism??? You might not be saved! (I say that in jest of course! I don’t believe that but I do remember many a late night discussion in bible college about if you could be saved if you died on the way to your baptism!)
Yup, that’s how our girl M chose to be baptized. On our way to the lake for the service, she just up and said she wanted to that day, the pastor asked her and me a few questions, and I waded out with her. Someone who planned ahead lent her a towel, and her clothes dried off during the picnic after.
Elevation Church in NC did, but I live in UK so I’ve only seen it via the Internet !
It’s an amazing thing to do, I agree !
Crystal Cathedral..
I’ve seen this, though where I live it’s rare. It is exciting though when somebody literally can’t wait.
I liked Lyla’s – # 14 – answer because there is lots of Biblical support for doing this. We’ve institutionalized it in most of our churches.
As long as they pull the person back up before the bubbles quit rising.
Calvary Church of Los Gatos does (conservative baptist). Very neat to see!
Yes, when we were members of Erie First Assembly of God (Erie, PA) many years ago, any time there was a scheduled baptism, at the end of the service, when all of the people who had signed up to be baptized had done so, the pastor asked if anyone in the “audience” wanted to be baptized. He would say something like this:
Maybe while you were sitting here listening to the Gospel being shared, you have been convicted of your sins and want to repent and turn to Jesus and be baptized…
It IS wonderful when churches do this–it’s what they did in the book of Acts. People who accepted the Lord were immediately baptized.
As much as I would have loved to be there when our son was baptized while away at college, I’m so glad he was just obedient when he heard the Lord call him and didn’t wait until he came home on break or until we could be there. We didn’t even know about it until he had already been baptized.
The Ethiopian eunuch did get a ‘class,’ y’know…I’m jus’ sayin’.
Still, I’m sure ‘open’ baptism is a beautiful thing if folks on both ends of the bargain really get what they’re doing by it.
I say, if you wanna maximize your experience, have somebody hold yer wallet & ipod & get ‘em back when you’re done; go out in the street wet. After all, if your example’s Phillip & the eunuch, it’s a fair bet nobody hadda towel on hand. At least he could air dry on the chariot ride into town. So, skip the towel and provide a ride home in a church convertible. Chop the top off a church bus whydoncha?!
Not an approach I would care for. Even in cases like the Ethiopian Eunuch or the Philippian jailer, the apostles were able to have more than a 15 minute chat while among a crowd of other people. And it’s worth noting that stories of that sort are remarkable examples of God’s work, not regular examples of how the church carried out baptism.
If we are worried about people who would not later follow their conversion claim with baptism, shouldn’t that cause us to wonder if there was meat behind their claim?
Applegate Christian Fellowship in Jacksonville,OR
does as well. They have an outdoor Ampitheatre with a baptismal pond….it is incredible! I wept as well!
I agree with Andy’s second comment under #3. I also think it’s very cool that you and Molly chose your own church home, popular decision or not. Kudos!
At First Baptist Church of Springdale in Arkansas, our youth ministry does that. They plan so many baptisms during our youth worship events but after the invitation at the end they always offer to those who were just saved or are saved and never have been baptized to come and do so. It’s really really cool. It’s probably my favorite part of the events.
The church I attend has had four Acts 8:36 baptisms. Although inspiring, my fear preventing the baptism to back door syndrome. Followup.
We do this at my church, though we always work it so that there is time to speak (briefly) with each person to get a sense of what they think is happening in baptism. Sometimes we counsel a person to wait, so that we can be sure they have heard and understood the Gospel—but that’s usually only if they say something that is glaringly contrary to the Gospel, like, “I want to be baptized so that I’ll be good enough for God to forgive me.” We want people to grasp the symbolism of what is happening—but we also don’t think baptism should be put off.
Sorry to be a downer, but that sounds dangerous to me. My husband does the testimony videos for our church baptisms, and most people then don’t really know why they are getting baptized, even after sitting down with a staff member. How much could the average person understand after just a couple minutes? I would also be cautious of them just running on emotion, or the “camp high” syndrome. What happens when that rush is gone? Do they still have their faith?
Cornerstone in Simi Valley, CA does
Our church here in Columbus, OH has this year – http://www.vistacommunitychurch.org. Was a really interesting / moving service.
yes, and I’ve heard the argument that it’s possibly more in keeping with the Bible’s instruction. Personally, I see ground for both this and a view that insists on some kind of “probation.” I get ill with some who drag out the “probation” too long, though.
My sister’s church did baptisms in a public pool and ended with a challenge and invitation for any (including passers-by!) who wanted to follow in obedience. One time even did a wedding on the spot for a couple — new believers who had been living together for years.
Being a member of an independent Christian Church, I have to add that every time in the book of Acts there is a salvation, a baptism is a part of it. There i a strong biblical stance ta baptism is part of the salvation process. Not a work that we do, but a work that God does in/for us. Too many churches have marginalized baptism, which is unfortunate.
Lots of churches baptize people as soon as they are saved. I go to an independent Baptist Church and people are frequently baptized on the spot at the end of the services. They always keep the water warm and they provide modest waterproof baptismal smocks and shower caps for the ladies. Spontaneous baptisms are great because the emotions of the salvation experience are so fresh. We had a particularly moving baptism a few weeks ago of a young couple who had been involved in a pretty dangerous lifestyle before coming to our church. Our church makes the ladies wear longer skirts and dresses, and the wife had not worn a modest dress since she was a young girl. Me and some ladies from the church had to take them both to JC Penney’s for church clothes. It was so beautiful to see their transformation from a rough couple with sinful past to two redeemed souls coming forward to accept Christ and submit to baptism. There wasn’t a dry eye in the church. I can’t even describe the look of joy on the wife’s face as she was brought up out of the water. That is baptism as it should be. You don’t get that with planned baptisms. People in the Bible were baptized immediately and so should people today.