3 Ways to Observe Baptism Sunday
Sunday, October 29, is Student Baptism Sunday. The Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) added the emphasis to the SBC Calendar in 2022. It’s a time to encourage and celebrate baptisms, which are actually on the rise in the SBC. In 2022, baptisms increased by more than 16 percent! Though Annual Church Profile numbers will tell the tale, a cursory scan of Maryland/Delaware church social media sites shows a significant number of baptisms, especially in church plants, and including many young people.
Even across other denominations and church movements, baptism numbers are up and in some cases, exploding. Earlier this year, 4,500 were baptized at Harvest Christian Fellowship’s “Jesus Revolution” baptism on July 8 at Pirates’s Cove. The baptism followed the church’s SoCal Harvest Crusade where 32,500 people gathered and 6,794 made decisions to dedicate their lives to Jesus. Many of those baptized were Gen Z believers.
Shane Pruitt, North American Mission Board’s national next-gen director, says dedicating a day to celebrate the work of God in the lives of young people will communicate the importance of reaching that demographic. He also emphasizes celebrating what you want to replicate. Pruitt encourages churches to share photos and stories celebrating student baptism on social media.
Ways to Observe Student Baptism Sunday
BCM/D Children‘s & Youth Missionary Kris Buckman shares four ways your church can observe Student Baptism Sunday!
- CELEBRATE: Celebrate the student baptisms that have occurred at your church over the last 12 months! Recognize those students by having them stand or come forward. It’s always impactful to put faces with numbers. It also gives your congregation a chance to visually see the influence your church is having on the next generation. It also reminds us that, as a church, everyone plays a role in students’ ongoing discipleship and spiritual growth.
- TESTIMONY: Ask a student who was baptized in the last year to share a brief testimonial. Having previous baptism candidates share their experiences would be empowering and inspiring. They could discuss the significance their baptism has had on their spiritual journey and how it has affected their relationship with God. It may even open the door for others who have been contemplating baptism. Their testimony could be shared verbally or in a written bulletin insert or a short video.
- BLESSING: Offer a special prayer or blessing over the students who were baptized in the last year. A communal prayer for the baptized students by the congregation led by the pastor can be incredibly moving. The prayer could offer blessings and guidance, and they express the church’s shared joy at their decision and its commitment to foster their spiritual growth.
Note also that some churches keep their baptistry filled and ready on Sundays. If your church is comfortable with this option, this Sunday is a great day to do it.
BaptistLIFE is always on the lookout for baptism photos and stories. Send them to [email protected]. Let us celebrate with you.
Kris Buckman serves as the BCM/D children’s & youth ministry missionary.
Feature photo: The Harvest Church, Rehoboth baptisms. (photo used with permission)