A multisite church in Georgia reported baptizing hundreds of individuals during a single weekend, describing the event as a spiritually driven moment rather than a long-planned initiative.
Bethlehem Church, which averages about 7,000 attendees across its campuses, said that exactly 400 people were baptized during services held over the weekend of March 1 at its three locations.
Church leaders said the baptisms took place during an ongoing eight-week sermon series focused on the Holy Spirit, led by Senior Pastor Jason Britt.
According to a statement shared with The Christian Post, the mass baptism was not planned months in advance but arose just days earlier as “a prompting of the Holy Spirit that was placed on Pastor Jason’s heart,” a church spokesperson said.
“Seeds had been planted for years, and that weekend was a harvest. What we saw was a culmination of many different points of connection: small groups, lunches and coffees, and meetings with staff members and other believers.”
The spokesperson said Britt had been planning to preach a sermon on Acts 2, which describes the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the early Church.
“I felt prompted, and I read it with fresh eyes. It says, ‘Repent and be baptized,’ and I felt like the Holy Spirit pressed that on me,” Britt said, as quoted by the spokesperson. “A Spirit-filled church is full of Spirit-sensitive people, and Spirit-sensitive people obey.”
The recent event follows similar moments in the church’s history. In August 2021, 114 individuals were baptized in what the church also described as a spontaneous service, and more than 600 people were baptized throughout the previous year.
Church leaders emphasized that discipleship efforts continue after such events, with a focus on guiding new believers in their faith.
Regarding follow-up, the church staff member told CP that their “heart is to always be walking with people through next steps” and that “we want to disciple them in the weeks moving forward.”
“We are offering multiple four-week follow-up groups, which many of those baptized have already started attending, with the goal of helping them understand their new identity in Christ,” the spokesperson said.
