At least 141 people were baptized in a single day earlier this month at a South Carolina megachurch, while dozens made professions of faith.
The mass baptism took place Sunday, Dec. 3, at Upstate Church, a 7,000-member congregation with six campuses. According to The Christian Post, 86 people had made the decision to be baptized in advance, while 55 others made the decision during the worship service in response to an invitation offered by the church.
Wayne Bray, lead pastor at Upstate Church, told The Christian Post that the mass baptism occurred as the church had been doing a sermon series on ordinances, including baptism.
“Every decision was confirmed by a minister prior to being added to the list. We had high expectations, but we never expected 86 new believers to register in the weeks leading up to Dec. 3,” Bray said.
“I can’t adequately express how amazing it was to be a part of the day. More than any other moment in my ministry, I felt like we were living the book of Acts. We had preached from Acts 2, and it seemed we were in the pages ourselves.”
While Bray shared that the congregation has experienced gradual growth over the years, “We have never had spontaneous or mass baptisms before,” adding that the most baptisms the church had in a single day prior to Dec. 3 were 35.
“We are very intentional about discipleship at Upstate Church,” Bray told CP when asked how they plan to follow up with the newly baptized believers.”
“Our Spiritual Formation Team has done a great job creating a systematic process for helping new believers take their next step in the journey, regardless of their previous religious experience. Moving forward, small groups and mentoring will be a major part of this process.”
As reported by Church Leaders, the church also posted pictures of the baptisms across its campuses on social media. Those baptized were shown wearing shirts saying “Raised to Life.”
“We need a whole lot more of this. Glory be to God,” one person wrote in the comments section.
The church has six campuses, three in Simpsonville, with other locations in Anderson, Greenville, and Mauldin.
Photo Courtesy: Hannah Busing/Unsplash
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
