Marshall FaggWill “A Goal of One: Every Church Baptizing at Least One in 2006” make a difference in South Carolina? It already is, as calls and e-mails pour into the evangelism and missions office from across the state. Pastors are excited. Churches are energized. Baptism is regaining its significance as an ordinance to be obeyed and celebrated by the body of Christ.
In a recent article in Baptist Press, Ken Hemphill says, “We must ask whether we have been willing to compromise our understanding of believer’s baptism for growth statistics.”
A baptism is not a statistic. It is an act of obedience. It is a transformational event. It is a confession of faith. It is a bold witness. It is a resurrection to new life. It is a heavenly affirmation. Every time one new believer is baptized, the Father responds, “This is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.” That is a moment every church should diligently seek and joyfully celebrate!
For Jesus, only the cross and the resurrection held greater significance than his baptism. His life changed that day, beginning a three-year ministry that would impact the world forever. Believer’s baptism is no different. It is the public testimony of one’s death to sin and self, followed by a new life in Christ; a life of commitment to the King of kings and his kingdom. Therefore, every church needs to celebrate the significance of that moment with expectant affirmation of its newest member’s potential for his or her work in the kingdom.
How can this be accomplished? Churches need to make baptism the centerpiece of their worship. Pastors need to make baptismal counseling and participation in baptism an honored part of their work. Church members need to rejoice with and encourage new members as they begin their walk with Christ. Every believer needs to be able to look back on the day of his or her baptism as life-changing, a day of eternal significance.
Will “A Goal of One: Every Church Baptizing at Least One in 2006” make a difference in South Carolina? Tommy Shelley, the pastor of Crossway, a new church plant in the Carolina Baptist Association, answers, “I want to thank you for your response to our reaching our Goal of One – . Our goal at Crossway is to baptize everyone who walks through our door that is lacking a living, breathing relationship with Jesus Christ. This coincides with our vision to transform our community for Christ.” For Crossway and numerous other churches across South Carolina, baptism is far more than a statistic; it is a command to be faithfully obeyed, an event to be joyfully celebrated.
Please inform the office of evangelism and missions as soon as your church reaches its Goal of One so that South Carolina Baptists can celebrate together that special moment in the life of your church and in the life of that new believer who has just become a member of the body of Christ, a child in the family of God and a citizen in the kingdom of heaven. For more information, contact the state convention office at www.scbaptist.org, or 1-800-723-7242, ext. 1111.