A California pastor who helped organize a nationwide mass baptism event on Pentecost Sunday says that water baptisms and healthy local churches are necessary if revival is to sweep over cities and states, as some congregations reported conducting the largest-scale baptisms they’ve ever seen this year.
Mark Francey, founder of the evangelism group Baptize America, led over 600 churches in the Baptize America event on Pentecost Sunday, bringing together more than 28,000 people across hundreds of locations.
While largely centered on the United States, the event had an international component, with around 1,100 people attending events held in countries such as Canada, Paraguay, and Sweden.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Subscribe to get daily/weekly email with the top stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.
Francey told podcaster Billy Hallowell in a recent interview for The Christian Post about the importance of local churches in events like these.
“I think the greatest way to evangelize a city or a state is to plant a local healthy church,” said Francey. “And I think the fastest way to make a disciple is to get someone connected to a local church.”
Coordinating mass baptism events with local churches across the U.S., he said, can be very helpful in promoting and volunteering at such gatherings. Some of the local churches that work with Baptize America “will work together and do big events, regional events” as well as coordinate events with his organization.
“What we found is that the pastors that got excited about this, the last two years that participated, made it a big deal, they had big results,” he continued. “The biggest baptisms they’ve ever done. A lot of churches growing by five, 10%.”
For churches and believers, Francey said water baptiism is “one of the greatest evangelistic tools that we have in our arsenal to reach the world” for Christ.
“You invite a neighbor that doesn’t like church or God, and you tell them your little boy or little girl is getting baptized, they’re showing up,” he said.
“It wasn’t until we went to Pirates Cove that we baptized 4,166 people two years ago, that I’m like, ‘this is a scene!’ I mean, you have 12,000 people show up to one place and 4,000 get baptized, the whole beach is going ‘what’s going on? Oh, I’ve never been baptized.'”
Kandi Bailey, care pastor at GrowLife Church of Land O’Lakes, Florida, one of the participating congregations in Baptize America, told CP that her congregation saw 22 people baptized.
“We wanted to be a part of a larger vision — people coming together who want to stand up and say, I’m a follower of Jesus. What a beautiful heavenly perspective that must have been to see so many stand up in faith,” said Bailey.
“I believe there is a move of God happening in this generation. God loves this world and wants to be in relationship with us. I hope people see the beauty of standing up and declaring their faith in God and encourage others to do the same.”
