Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Mr. and Mrs. Sprinkled Prospect
Dear Courteous Reader,
Discussions about baptism and Baptist church membership always remind me of the time when the Prospect family visited our church. Mr. and Mrs. Prospect were in their 30s at the time, with two children, Buddy (5), and Leddy (14). The Prospects had been Presbyterians before moving to our community, but had not found a conservative Presbyterian church in our area. When Mr. Prospect’s cousin invited them, the Prospect family attended our Baptist church. They felt welcome, liked the music, appreciated the biblical preaching and Sunday School, and soon wanted to become members.
As the pastor/elder, I took their cousin Dennis Deacon along with me and visited with the family in their home. In asking a few questions, I learned the following:
-Mr. Sprinkled Prospect had been born into a family that did not attend church. As a teenager, he was invited to a Methodist church, believed the Gospel, and was sprinkled. He considered this sprinkling experience to be his baptism. After the Prospects married, he joined the Presbyterian church with his wife.
-Mrs. Christened Prospect had been born into a good Presbyterian family, and had been sprinkled as an infant. At age 10, she had understood and believed the Gospel. She considered her sprinkling as an infant to be her baptism.
-Miss Leddy Prospect had been sprinkled as an infant in the Presbyterian church. At age 6, she had attended Vacation Bible School at a Baptist church, where the pastor had told her, “If you want to have Jesus in your heart and go to heaven instead of hell, repeat this prayer after me.” After repeating the prayer, she was told, “Now you need to be baptized.” (Confused, but not wanting to hinder the child’s Christian experience, the parents had consented.) So, she had been immersed in the Baptist church. Later, as a 12-year-old girl, back in her Presbyterian church, she had understood and believed the Gospel. Although somewhat confused about salvation and baptism, Miss Leddy was pretty sure that she had been saved and baptized one way or another.
-Buddy Prospect had been sprinkled as an infant in the Presbyterian church. He liked going to church, and knew many of the Bible stories, but had not yet made a profession of faith in Jesus.
Mr. and Mrs. Prospect wanted to become members of our Baptist church.
After the Prospects had told me their story, Dennis spoke up and said, “They can’t join by transfer of letter, can they, because they’re not Baptists?” I said, “That’s right. Transfer of letter means that the sending church writes a letter to the receiving church testifying that the people are members in good standing. Then the church votes on whether or not to accept them as members. But Baptist churches exchange letters only with other Baptist churches.”
Dennis had been a Baptist long enough to know a bit of our jargon, so he said, “But they can join by statement, right?” I asked Dennis, “What does a person have to state to join our church by statement?” Dennis thought for a minute, and answered, “Well, I guess you have to state that you are saved.” I answered, “That’s the first part, yes, but there’s more. A person must state that he has been saved by faith in Jesus Christ, then baptized (by immersion). Then the church votes on whether or not to accept him as a member. But the Prospects have not been baptized (by immersion), so they cannot state that.”
At this point Mr. Prospect said, “I don’t understand all this. What does it mean to be baptized by immersion? We’ve all been baptized. Leddy has even been baptized in a Baptist church! We don’t need to be baptized; we just want to become members of your church.”
I then had the great joy of explaining to this family that baptism can only be done by immersion (dunking all the way under) of a believer in water. “You see, the Greek word baptizo means ‘to immerse.’ The Bible’s record of baptisms mentions going to a body of water, going down in it, and coming back up out of it. And the believer’s identification with Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection cannot be symbolized by sprinkling, but only by immersion. Our Baptist forefathers believed this so strongly that many of them braved severe weather conditions and suffered persecution in order to baptize by immersion in water.”
When I had finished, I said, “This does pertain to church membership, but the primary issue at hand is obedience to Christ. He has commanded that every believer be baptized. Since baptism can only be by immersion of the believer, sprinkling is no baptism at all. Even Leddy’s immersion was not baptism, because she was not yet a believer at the time. Each of you has undergone a religious ceremony that you were told was baptism. But the ministers who told you this were mistaken. They offered you baptism, but instead provided experiences that were not baptism.”
Chaos reigned for the next few minutes. Questions, accusations, angry looks, and even a few tears flowed from the family members (except Buddy---issues of baptism did not seem important to him).
Eventually Dennis restored order and said to the Prospects, “It’s simple. You just have to be re-baptized to join the Baptist church. That’s what our last pastor used to do.”
That almost made me choke on my iced tea, but I managed to swallow, and said, “Dennis, we Baptists recognize that baptism can only be by immersion. Therefore no one who has merely been sprinkled can be ‘re-baptized,’ because he wasn’t really baptized in the first place. The word ‘re-baptized’ really shouldn’t be used, at least among Baptists. ‘Re-baptism’ simply doesn’t exist.”
Turning, I said, “Mr. and Mrs. Prospect, Miss Leddy, I am thankful for your testimony of faith in Christ, and for your desire to join our church. I truly do desire for you all to become members. But my primary concern at this point is your baptism. The Bible says, and we Baptists affirm that baptism can only be done by immersion of the believer in water, and therefore cannot be done any other way. Now that you have heard the truth about this, would you like to receive true baptism?”
To make a long story short (is it too late for that?), the Prospects did not become members of our church, and I took some heat over it. (If you were wishing for a happy ending to this story, believe me, so was I!)
Having believed in infant baptism for her whole life, Mrs. Christened Prospect could not accept that there was anything wrong with it. She said that since her whole family had already been baptized, there was no reason why the opinion of one person (me) should keep them out of membership.
Mr. Sprinkled Prospect read the scriptures I provided, and agreed that immersion was the “best” way to baptize. He even allowed that there might be something lacking about infant baptism, but still held that his sprinkling was his baptism. He was willing to undergo immersion, if he had to do so to join the Baptist church, but I was not willing to do it. I told him and the church that to do this would violate Mr. Prospect’s conscience and mine, would teach the church a false view of baptism, and would admit as a member a man who was not convinced of our church’s most distinctive Baptist belief. This offended Mr. Prospect and some members of my church, especially Dennis Deacon. He blamed me for the problem and, along with several other members, eventually quit the church in protest. I don’t really know what Miss Leddy Prospect thought about the whole thing, because we didn’t get to talk about it again. Buddy is a good-natured little boy, and we miss him in our church.
The Prospects, the Deacon family, and the other members who left our church are now attending Hillside Community Church. They seem to be doing fine, and we are able to exchange polite greetings when I see them at Fifth Sunday Singin’ or at Stuff Mart from time to time.
Most of the members who remained appreciated what I did, and now understand the Baptist position on baptism. (Even though they had worshipped under the name “Baptist” for years, they hadn’t thought much about it before.) I hope that with great patience and careful instruction on my part, in a few years we will have a truly Baptist church, that will faithfully follow our Lord’s command to baptize, and will provide all sprinkled prospects the opportunity to obey the Lord’s command to be baptized.
Love in Christ,
Earnest S. Baptist, Pastor/Elder
Typical Baptist Church
Discussions about baptism and Baptist church membership always remind me of the time when the Prospect family visited our church. Mr. and Mrs. Prospect were in their 30s at the time, with two children, Buddy (5), and Leddy (14). The Prospects had been Presbyterians before moving to our community, but had not found a conservative Presbyterian church in our area. When Mr. Prospect’s cousin invited them, the Prospect family attended our Baptist church. They felt welcome, liked the music, appreciated the biblical preaching and Sunday School, and soon wanted to become members.
As the pastor/elder, I took their cousin Dennis Deacon along with me and visited with the family in their home. In asking a few questions, I learned the following:
-Mr. Sprinkled Prospect had been born into a family that did not attend church. As a teenager, he was invited to a Methodist church, believed the Gospel, and was sprinkled. He considered this sprinkling experience to be his baptism. After the Prospects married, he joined the Presbyterian church with his wife.
-Mrs. Christened Prospect had been born into a good Presbyterian family, and had been sprinkled as an infant. At age 10, she had understood and believed the Gospel. She considered her sprinkling as an infant to be her baptism.
-Miss Leddy Prospect had been sprinkled as an infant in the Presbyterian church. At age 6, she had attended Vacation Bible School at a Baptist church, where the pastor had told her, “If you want to have Jesus in your heart and go to heaven instead of hell, repeat this prayer after me.” After repeating the prayer, she was told, “Now you need to be baptized.” (Confused, but not wanting to hinder the child’s Christian experience, the parents had consented.) So, she had been immersed in the Baptist church. Later, as a 12-year-old girl, back in her Presbyterian church, she had understood and believed the Gospel. Although somewhat confused about salvation and baptism, Miss Leddy was pretty sure that she had been saved and baptized one way or another.
-Buddy Prospect had been sprinkled as an infant in the Presbyterian church. He liked going to church, and knew many of the Bible stories, but had not yet made a profession of faith in Jesus.
Mr. and Mrs. Prospect wanted to become members of our Baptist church.
After the Prospects had told me their story, Dennis spoke up and said, “They can’t join by transfer of letter, can they, because they’re not Baptists?” I said, “That’s right. Transfer of letter means that the sending church writes a letter to the receiving church testifying that the people are members in good standing. Then the church votes on whether or not to accept them as members. But Baptist churches exchange letters only with other Baptist churches.”
Dennis had been a Baptist long enough to know a bit of our jargon, so he said, “But they can join by statement, right?” I asked Dennis, “What does a person have to state to join our church by statement?” Dennis thought for a minute, and answered, “Well, I guess you have to state that you are saved.” I answered, “That’s the first part, yes, but there’s more. A person must state that he has been saved by faith in Jesus Christ, then baptized (by immersion). Then the church votes on whether or not to accept him as a member. But the Prospects have not been baptized (by immersion), so they cannot state that.”
At this point Mr. Prospect said, “I don’t understand all this. What does it mean to be baptized by immersion? We’ve all been baptized. Leddy has even been baptized in a Baptist church! We don’t need to be baptized; we just want to become members of your church.”
I then had the great joy of explaining to this family that baptism can only be done by immersion (dunking all the way under) of a believer in water. “You see, the Greek word baptizo means ‘to immerse.’ The Bible’s record of baptisms mentions going to a body of water, going down in it, and coming back up out of it. And the believer’s identification with Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection cannot be symbolized by sprinkling, but only by immersion. Our Baptist forefathers believed this so strongly that many of them braved severe weather conditions and suffered persecution in order to baptize by immersion in water.”
When I had finished, I said, “This does pertain to church membership, but the primary issue at hand is obedience to Christ. He has commanded that every believer be baptized. Since baptism can only be by immersion of the believer, sprinkling is no baptism at all. Even Leddy’s immersion was not baptism, because she was not yet a believer at the time. Each of you has undergone a religious ceremony that you were told was baptism. But the ministers who told you this were mistaken. They offered you baptism, but instead provided experiences that were not baptism.”
Chaos reigned for the next few minutes. Questions, accusations, angry looks, and even a few tears flowed from the family members (except Buddy---issues of baptism did not seem important to him).
Eventually Dennis restored order and said to the Prospects, “It’s simple. You just have to be re-baptized to join the Baptist church. That’s what our last pastor used to do.”
That almost made me choke on my iced tea, but I managed to swallow, and said, “Dennis, we Baptists recognize that baptism can only be by immersion. Therefore no one who has merely been sprinkled can be ‘re-baptized,’ because he wasn’t really baptized in the first place. The word ‘re-baptized’ really shouldn’t be used, at least among Baptists. ‘Re-baptism’ simply doesn’t exist.”
Turning, I said, “Mr. and Mrs. Prospect, Miss Leddy, I am thankful for your testimony of faith in Christ, and for your desire to join our church. I truly do desire for you all to become members. But my primary concern at this point is your baptism. The Bible says, and we Baptists affirm that baptism can only be done by immersion of the believer in water, and therefore cannot be done any other way. Now that you have heard the truth about this, would you like to receive true baptism?”
To make a long story short (is it too late for that?), the Prospects did not become members of our church, and I took some heat over it. (If you were wishing for a happy ending to this story, believe me, so was I!)
Having believed in infant baptism for her whole life, Mrs. Christened Prospect could not accept that there was anything wrong with it. She said that since her whole family had already been baptized, there was no reason why the opinion of one person (me) should keep them out of membership.
Mr. Sprinkled Prospect read the scriptures I provided, and agreed that immersion was the “best” way to baptize. He even allowed that there might be something lacking about infant baptism, but still held that his sprinkling was his baptism. He was willing to undergo immersion, if he had to do so to join the Baptist church, but I was not willing to do it. I told him and the church that to do this would violate Mr. Prospect’s conscience and mine, would teach the church a false view of baptism, and would admit as a member a man who was not convinced of our church’s most distinctive Baptist belief. This offended Mr. Prospect and some members of my church, especially Dennis Deacon. He blamed me for the problem and, along with several other members, eventually quit the church in protest. I don’t really know what Miss Leddy Prospect thought about the whole thing, because we didn’t get to talk about it again. Buddy is a good-natured little boy, and we miss him in our church.
The Prospects, the Deacon family, and the other members who left our church are now attending Hillside Community Church. They seem to be doing fine, and we are able to exchange polite greetings when I see them at Fifth Sunday Singin’ or at Stuff Mart from time to time.
Most of the members who remained appreciated what I did, and now understand the Baptist position on baptism. (Even though they had worshipped under the name “Baptist” for years, they hadn’t thought much about it before.) I hope that with great patience and careful instruction on my part, in a few years we will have a truly Baptist church, that will faithfully follow our Lord’s command to baptize, and will provide all sprinkled prospects the opportunity to obey the Lord’s command to be baptized.
Love in Christ,
Earnest S. Baptist, Pastor/Elder
Typical Baptist Church
Ruralarea, Texahoma
P.S. This is a story to help us understand the relationship between baptism and membership in a Baptist church. Don’t try to figure out who these people are---they are typical, but fictional!
Permission is given to quote from this article, or to reprint it in its entirety for the edification of the church. Please credit the author, Jeff Richard Young of Corinth Baptist Church in Ravenna, Texas.
www.corinthbaptist.net
Comments:
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What you have described here is the hard way. Wouldn't it have been so much easier on everyone involved to simply change your church's bylaws to allow these fine Prospects to become members? Then you wouldn't have lost your influence on them, and you could teach them about proper baptism...
When I grow up, I'd like to be able to write with the imagination and insight that you have shown here. Great job.
By the way, our struggle isn't with telling the paedobaptist that he needs to be baptized and expecting them to do so. Our struggle is with the person who was sprinkled after salvation, as a testimony of his identification with Christ. In other words, in his mind he is a baptized believer. I know that he is wrong, but sincerely wrong. In that case, we question whether or not it would be better to accept their request to join the church but commit ourselves to continued follow-up, urging them to be immersed. In other words, retain the ability to influence them. Early Baptists called this irregular baptism. I find it instructive that they call it "baptism."
Jeff, if you preach like you write, with imagination and unique insight, then your people are richly blessed. No doubt that is the case.
By the way, our struggle isn't with telling the paedobaptist that he needs to be baptized and expecting them to do so. Our struggle is with the person who was sprinkled after salvation, as a testimony of his identification with Christ. In other words, in his mind he is a baptized believer. I know that he is wrong, but sincerely wrong. In that case, we question whether or not it would be better to accept their request to join the church but commit ourselves to continued follow-up, urging them to be immersed. In other words, retain the ability to influence them. Early Baptists called this irregular baptism. I find it instructive that they call it "baptism."
Jeff, if you preach like you write, with imagination and unique insight, then your people are richly blessed. No doubt that is the case.
Dear Brother Dennis,
You have honored my humble little blog with your visit. Thanks for coming by! You're almost like a celebrity in Baptist life lately.
Would you please point my attention to where I can find early Baptists using the term "irregular baptism" as you mentioned?
Thank you for the nice things that you said about my writing. You're just trying to butter me up, aren't you!?!?! Well, flattery will get you everywhere with me. Oops, I mean nowhere, it will get you nowhere with me!
Along with everyone else who is saying so, I admire your desire (ooo, that rhymes) to follow the scriptures rather than tradition. But I am not at all convinced that you are right. If someone Mr. Sprinkled Prospect refuses to accept your biblical teaching about Baptism, he should still be loved and discipled, but he should not be accepted as a member. That is a loud and clear statement that your church does not hold very strongly to baptism (by immersion).
I'm continuing to pray for you and your church as the big vote day approaches.
Love in Christ,
Jeff
Brother Wes,
Ix-nay on the arcasm-say. Rother-bay Ewkerk-nay is right below you!
Love in Christ,
Jeff
You have honored my humble little blog with your visit. Thanks for coming by! You're almost like a celebrity in Baptist life lately.
Would you please point my attention to where I can find early Baptists using the term "irregular baptism" as you mentioned?
Thank you for the nice things that you said about my writing. You're just trying to butter me up, aren't you!?!?! Well, flattery will get you everywhere with me. Oops, I mean nowhere, it will get you nowhere with me!
Along with everyone else who is saying so, I admire your desire (ooo, that rhymes) to follow the scriptures rather than tradition. But I am not at all convinced that you are right. If someone Mr. Sprinkled Prospect refuses to accept your biblical teaching about Baptism, he should still be loved and discipled, but he should not be accepted as a member. That is a loud and clear statement that your church does not hold very strongly to baptism (by immersion).
I'm continuing to pray for you and your church as the big vote day approaches.
Love in Christ,
Jeff
Brother Wes,
Ix-nay on the arcasm-say. Rother-bay Ewkerk-nay is right below you!
Love in Christ,
Jeff
Jeff,
I appreciate the humor (and I don't think I've ever seen written pig-latin before), but your point is right on.
Our brother at HHBC has taken some very over-the-top abuse in the course of this debate, and my sarcasm here was not helpful.
What I should have said is that you have beautifully illustrated here the difficulty of holding to this important distinctive. While there may be advantages to lowering the bar for membership, they are outweighed by the imperative of correct teaching on the issue.
I disagree with Pastor Newkirk, but he deserves more respect than my comment showed, and for that disrespect I apologize.
I will email this comment to him as well.
I appreciate the humor (and I don't think I've ever seen written pig-latin before), but your point is right on.
Our brother at HHBC has taken some very over-the-top abuse in the course of this debate, and my sarcasm here was not helpful.
What I should have said is that you have beautifully illustrated here the difficulty of holding to this important distinctive. While there may be advantages to lowering the bar for membership, they are outweighed by the imperative of correct teaching on the issue.
I disagree with Pastor Newkirk, but he deserves more respect than my comment showed, and for that disrespect I apologize.
I will email this comment to him as well.
Brother Jeff,
AMEN AMEN AMEN
I PASISE THE LORD that you are here in North Texas, Bonham area, where we need Pastors who are TRUE to our LORD and SAVIOR. JESUS said GO and make DISCIPLES, and you are true to JESUS'S Commandment.
We, my WIFE and I searched for four years for a Church or I should say a Pastor who Preaches, Teaches and makes DISCIPLES. I'm so THANKFULL that we are now members of THE CHURCH YOU PASTOR.
Your Brother in CHRIST
AMEN AMEN AMEN
I PASISE THE LORD that you are here in North Texas, Bonham area, where we need Pastors who are TRUE to our LORD and SAVIOR. JESUS said GO and make DISCIPLES, and you are true to JESUS'S Commandment.
We, my WIFE and I searched for four years for a Church or I should say a Pastor who Preaches, Teaches and makes DISCIPLES. I'm so THANKFULL that we are now members of THE CHURCH YOU PASTOR.
Your Brother in CHRIST
Dennis, Jeff,
I'm not defending this as right or wrong, just a testimony of ONE time it worked.
I too was saved in a Methodist church as a child and sprinkled baptized. When my wife and I married we moved to another state and found a Baptist church there we felt led to join. I was very immature in my faith and felt as though my sprinkled baptism was acceptable. That made me uncomfortable with Baptist churches demanding me be immersed. The pastor of the church we joined shared with me that he didn't want baptism to be a hangup preventing someone from joining. He was willing to let teaching and the Holy Spirit convict if you were holding out on this issue. After about 6 months I realized my faulty conviction and came forward for true believer's baptism.
Again I am not saying this was right or wrong, but just a testimony of how it worked in my life. I guess that is my I am sympathetic to those who wrestle with the issue of baptism and churches who are willing to be patient with those people.
Btw, the church I was speaking of consistently led their state in baptisms year after year.
I'm not defending this as right or wrong, just a testimony of ONE time it worked.
I too was saved in a Methodist church as a child and sprinkled baptized. When my wife and I married we moved to another state and found a Baptist church there we felt led to join. I was very immature in my faith and felt as though my sprinkled baptism was acceptable. That made me uncomfortable with Baptist churches demanding me be immersed. The pastor of the church we joined shared with me that he didn't want baptism to be a hangup preventing someone from joining. He was willing to let teaching and the Holy Spirit convict if you were holding out on this issue. After about 6 months I realized my faulty conviction and came forward for true believer's baptism.
Again I am not saying this was right or wrong, but just a testimony of how it worked in my life. I guess that is my I am sympathetic to those who wrestle with the issue of baptism and churches who are willing to be patient with those people.
Btw, the church I was speaking of consistently led their state in baptisms year after year.
It is better to be faithful to the Lord and preach His commands which are not burdensome but nevertheless call for complete obedience rather than seek to please man and allow all kinds of erroneous doctrines into the Body of Christ which is His Church. Thank you for being faithful to Him and not caring for the opinions of man.
# posted by 
: 1:41 AM
: 1:41 AM
Dear Anonymous,
Thank you very much for the good word of encouragement. I think God sent you to me, because I was JUST praying, asking God to help me care only about His opinion of me, not about man's. Then I saw your comment to that effect. Thanks!
Love in Christ,
Jeff
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Thank you very much for the good word of encouragement. I think God sent you to me, because I was JUST praying, asking God to help me care only about His opinion of me, not about man's. Then I saw your comment to that effect. Thanks!
Love in Christ,
Jeff
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