The Public Act of Accepting Christ

By Gayle L. Gresham

Music plays softly in the background as the minister gives the invitation to come to Christ. While the congregation sings “Just As I Am,” a man walks to the front of the church where the minister greets him. The two men confer, then the minister announces to the congregation that this man has made the decision to accept Christ and will be baptized during the following week”s service.

Every week men, women, and children respond to the gospel preached in church services across the country. The day a new believer goes forward to publicly accept Christ and be baptized is a time of celebration and rejoicing. Some churches continue to use the traditional approach as described above while other churches use a variety of approaches, finding what works best for their congregation. And so the Great Commission is carried out and the kingdom of God increases. Here is a sample of what some churches are doing.

Invitation

Not all churches use an appeal and an invitation hymn. At Christ”s Church in Jacksonville, Florida, a decision time is offered at the end of the service. It is a time for non-Christians to respond to the gospel and a time for Christians to decide to take tangible action steps discussed in the sermon. Sometimes a song is used, sometimes not.

“We don”t prolong invitation times,” says senior minister Dennis Bratton. “Our belief is that manufacturing emotional responses does not serve the long-term discipling responsibilities we have toward new believers. Rather than the heart directing the response and hoping it reaches the head, we encourage a head (thinking) response to the gospel that results in capturing the heart (emotions) of the convert.”

Christ”s Church does not ask people to come forward during decision time, but invites people to talk with ministers at the front of the auditorium after the service. Bratton says the church has done this for quite a while, but is considering a change back to using a decision song and asking people to come forward to respond. As Bratton says, “Everything has its season.”

An invitation is offered at First Christian Church in Johnson City, Tennessee. “We offer an invitation in response to God”s Word,” says senior minister Tim Wallingford. “This is a time of celebration, a time of dedication in our church. It gives people a chance to see their new family members.”

During the invitation, people are invited to walk to the front of the church to talk with the minister. If he doesn”t know the person who has responded, a counselor will take him off to the side to talk about the decision and find out where the person is in the process.

Counseling Rooms

LifeBridge Christian Church in Longmont, Colorado, no longer uses a traditional invitation. Dan Scates explains, “The pastor tells about a room called the “˜Connecting Place” at the end of his message and encourages people to go there after the service. Trained people are in this room throughout Sunday morning to share the gospel and guide in decisions of baptism. We also attempt to have people at the front of the church to talk with people and pray with them.”

Shan Rutherford, senior minister of Greenwood (Indiana) Christian Church, says, “We invite people to meet us down front after the service or in a Fireside room with a minister and several members. They are given materials, have questions answered, and can make a decision.”

Baptisms

Once a decision is made to accept Christ, baptism follows. All of the ministers interviewed said baptisms are conducted during their services and at other times.

Shan Rutherford says, “If the person is ready, they go to the baptistery, make their confession of faith from there, and are baptized.”

Christ”s Church has baptisms before, during, and after services. Dennis Bratton says, “Baptisms during the services are scheduled immediately after we”ve completed the Lord”s Supper. We believe this coupling of our two Christian ordinances (Communion and baptism) provides a powerful visual of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, a figurative reenactment of the gospel. Our congregation repeats the good confession along with the candidate for baptism and then breaks out in applause as that person comes up out of the water.”

Today the minister is not necessarily the person who baptizes. At First Christian Church, those who lead new believers to Christ are encouraged to baptize them. Tim Wallingford says, “This creates ownership and responsibility in discipling the new believer.”

Bratton says, “It is more the rule than the exception that family, friends, Sunday school teachers, and small-group leaders baptize in our church. This includes women. These baptisms may present a few awkward, even humorous moments, but they cement relationships and mark the experience as a special memory.”

Some churches offer special baptism services. According to Bratton, “We schedule a Sunday evening when anyone who has been thinking about Christian baptism can come and be baptized. We cultivate those individuals we know need to make this decision, but many unanticipated individuals always show up. We”ve had as few as a dozen baptisms and more than a hundred on some occasions.”

Classes

All of the churches surveyed offer classes as a part of the membership process. In the “What We Believe” class at First Christian Church, those interested are taught basic doctrines of the church with special emphasis on the book of Acts. People often respond to the gospel in the class and will be baptized during the week.

For those baptized at another time than in the weekly church services, Tim Wallingford says, “They are strongly encouraged to go before the church family to make a public proclamation of Christ and join the church. We tell them, “˜You are entering the kingdom of God and you are now a member of this family.” This is a time of celebration and excitement!”

A Private and Public Decision

Accepting Christ and being baptized is an extremely personal decision, but it is also an important public proclamation. As Wallingford puts it, “It”s a time for the church to actually see God at work.”

While each church may handle the public act of accepting Christ a little differently, its importance cannot be diminished. New believers responding to the gospel, accepting Christ, being baptized, and becoming a member of the body of Christ reveal God”s work not only in the individual but in the church. God is increasing his kingdom. God is drawing men and women and children to him. And the new believer is not on his own, but is now a part of a family, the family of God, the local body of Christ.

 

 

Gayle L. Gresham is a member and worker at Elbert (Colorado) Christian Church. Learn more about her writing ministry at www.GayleGresham.com.