National Baptism Sunday
April 16, 2023 is National Baptism Sunday for the SBC. The Church Life Team of pastors and leaders has set a baptism goal of 3,000 people through our Arizona Southern Baptist churches.
How Did We Land on the 3,000 Baptism Number?
An Arizona pastor called me and asked a question: “What’s the 2023 goal for baptisms in the AZMN?”
So, I brought his question to the Church Life Team, made up of pastors and ministry leaders like you. Together, the team established a vision for 3,000 baptisms, an increase from our current average of 2,225 per years for that last five years. We believe this is a faithful, challenging goal at this time.
The cumulative effect of all our churches working together will be a greater evangelistic thrust. What if all of our churches, regardless of their size, worked their respective fields of ministry, tilled the soil with prayer and faithful presence, and engaged in authentic conversations to plant gospel seeds over the course of a year?
(3,000 ÷ 40,000 = .08)
Here's how the math breaks down. With a baptism goal of 3,000 and the total AZMN members that attend worship weekly being 40,000, each church will need to baptize 8% of their average attendance. In other words, your church’s size multiplied by .08 equals your specific baptism target for 2023.
Some churches will do more and some may do less, yet together we will baptize 3,000 new believers through our mission network of churches for 2023. Join us this year to work together collectively to reach 3,000 new believers.
Let's Remember:
- The Holy Spirit inside the believer testifies about Jesus (John 15:26).
- 9 out of 10 people in Arizona are spiritually lost/spiritually dead without Jesus.
- The Bible is clear that those who don’t know God or obey the gospel of Jesus "will pay the penalty of eternal destruction from the Lord’s presence and from His glorious strength" (2 Thess. 1:9, CSB).
- God has placed your church strategically in her community to make a Kingdom impact.
Sincerely,
Edward Pearson
Discipleship Evangelism Facilitator
Arizona Mission Network of Southern Baptists
Our Goal
To baptize 3,000 through Arizona Southern Baptist churches in 2023. For each local church, this equates to a goal of baptizing a number of people to equal to 8% of their weekly average attendance.
Baptism Goal Breakdown by Church Attendance
Average Attendance x .08 = 2021 Baptism Goal
- 25 x .08 = 2
- 50 x .08 = 4
- 75 x .08 = 6
- 100 x .08 = 8
- 150 x .08 = 12
- 200 x .08 = 16
- 300 x .08 = 24
- 400 x .08 = 32
- 500 x .08 = 40
- 1,000 x .08 = 80
- 1,500 x .08 = 120
- 2,000 x .08 = 160
Baptism: What Is It?
- A symbol of dying to the old life and being raised to a new life in Christ
- A step of obedience to the Lordship of Christ
- Talk to your pastor/youth leader to set up your baptism day
"Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be in the likeness of his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be rendered powerless, so that we may no longer be enslaved to sin."
— Romans 6:4-6 (CSB)
