The ministry of baptism

In March 2018, George Barna released a study revealing that a majority of church attenders in the U.S. have no knowledge of the phrase “the Great Commission.” An additional 25 percent recalled hearing the term but couldn’t remember what it meant. 

For the few who do understand the Great Commission, we know that after his resurrection, Jesus gave his church their “marching orders.” He gave them a command to “make disciples.” In addition, Jesus instructed his followers to baptize the new disciples and initiate the process of teaching them his commands (Matthew 28:19-20). That is the Great Commission: Evangelize. Baptize. Teach. 

As soon as the early church was released and empowered to act on their own, they took the Great Commission of Jesus literally. They followed his instructions even to the point of observing the order of the actions commanded.

For example, in Acts 2:41 the early church “made” their first disciples as people believed the gospel. The apostles baptized the 3,000 converts immediately (2:41), and in the next verse the teaching ministry was launched (2:42). That is the New Testament order: make disciples, baptize them, and teach them. 

In Southern Baptist life, our practice of baptizing converts has defined us to the point of giving us our name. In other words, we don’t baptize because we’re Baptists. Instead, we’re Baptists because we baptize. Fortunately, the ministry of baptism isn’t primarily a denominational distinction—it is a ministry given to the body of Christ by Jesus himself. 

The practice of baptism by immersion predates both the ministry of the early church and Jesus. John the Baptist was probably the first person in history to baptize other people, but for hundreds of years prior to John, the Jews had built and used small ritual cleaning pools called mikvehs for “self-baptism.” Several of these ancient “baptistries” have been uncovered around the Temple area today, and throughout Jerusalem, dating back to at least the Second Temple period. The first converts at Pentecost were probably baptized in these. In addition, mikvehs are also located in an unexpected area where water is the most scarce—Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The frequently discovered ancient baptismal pools throughout Israel illustrate the fact that a form of full-immersion baptism was the Jewish practice even before the New Testament era. No one, for instance, ever questioned John the Baptist or Jesus about what he was doing when people were being baptized. The culture was accustomed to seeing full-immersion baptisms. The critics questioned why John and the followers of Jesus were baptizing; they did not question the method of their baptism—only the meaning.

A review of the book of Acts shows the emergence of a familiar pattern of baptismal practice in the infant church. In every example of baptism occurring after the Resurrection, the baptism is by immersion, for believers only, and takes place immediately after conversion. Baptism was obviously a priority in the rapid expansion of the early church and was always essentially concurrent with the salvation experience. For the early church, therefore, baptism was clearly both the most obvious identification of the new believer and also served as the first step of the discipleship process.

Today, the number of baptisms in Southern Baptist life has plummeted to lows not seen since the 1940s. It is time to recapture a New Testament passion and recommit to effective practices in order to win and baptize more people than we have in the last few years. How can we reverse the negative trends? Here are a few ideas. 

Preach and teach what the Bible says about believer’s baptism. Call people to commitment. 

Hold classes where baptism can be explained and where interested people can ask questions, and receive biblical, practical answers. 

Set goals. Some Christians recoil at the thought of setting goals, thinking perhaps it’s too worldly or manipulative. On the contrary, Jesus commanded us to make and baptize disciples “of all nations.” That’s an aggressive goal. Surely by comparison we can set goals for Vacation Bible School or youth camp!

Always be ready to baptize. If you have a baptistry, keep it full of water. Keep the dressing rooms clean and prepared with the things people need. Imagine what your mother, your children, or a co-worker might need to be comfortable before and after getting soaked in public. If you don’t meet in a location with a baptistry, buy a portable system. Invest in towels and clothes of all sizes suitable for baptism for those who may be ready spontaneously. No matter what it takes, be ready. 

Baptize at any and every service. Be creative. Offer baptism during concerts, Christmas Eve services, Fourth of July picnics, and any other time when your church gathers. In some instances be prepared to baptize during weekdays when family members, church staff, and smaller groups can gather around and support the new believer. In the book of Acts people were baptized in pools, in rivers, in desert watering holes along the side of the road, and even in jail! Expel limits from your thinking imposed by tradition which may lack biblical support. Start assuming that if your church gathers for any reason in any location, you will expect to baptize people or at least be ready to do so. 

Recruit and train baptism teams to assist with baptism. Leave nothing to chance or caprice. Jesus instructed his church to baptize people and we need to teach and equip leaders so that everyone knows what we believe and why baptism matters. 

Jesus gave us the Great Commission and included baptism as part of his plan. He hasn’t changed his mind or suggested an alternate vision. Baptizing every disciple is his priority and must be an immediate and consistent priority for us, too.