Just one month after 170 people were baptised in Devon, 550 people have now gathered in Bridlington for another mass baptism. Merlin Kraft would like nothing more for them to find good local churches, he says. But some congregations have made it more complicated than it needs to be
Last Saturday, we baptised 550 people in Bridlington and, honestly, I’m still trying to get my head around what God did. There was such a buzz on the beach. I’d estimate that there were around 1,500 people altogether. Everywhere you looked, people were chatting, encouraging each other and enjoying fellowship. You could really feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.
But why Bridlington? Last month, we held a baptism in Devon and 170 people turned up. Since then, I’ve received so many messages from people in the north of England, asking us to bring the baptisms closer to them.
We reached out to our church network, and Calvary Chapel York said they’d previously held baptisms at Bridlington. Pastor Dave Sylvester and his church brought tables, a sound system, volunteers and elders to help baptise people. Their band led us in worship and Dave shared the gospel and read from the Bible. Because this wasn’t about numbers or headlines. It was about Jesus Christ.
I do think we’ve made baptism unnecessarily complicated in some places
We had five lines going into the sea, with ten men baptising, including myself. 550 baptisms were recorded over two and a half hours.
A few things happened that I’ll never forget.
A ten-year-old boy came to be baptised. I was speaking to him gently, as you would with a child, and asked whether he believed that Jesus Christ had died and rose again. He looked up at me quite sternly and said, “Of course I believe in Jesus. I’m a Christian!” I burst out laughing! I certainly wasn’t expecting that! What strength of character.
Towards the end of the day, a lady waded waist-deep into the sea with a little speaker, playing gentle worship music and cheering everyone on. She kept shouting “Amen!” and “Hallelujah!” as people were baptised. Pastor Dave and I were among the last men still in the water baptising people and, after more than two hours, we were getting tired! Her encouragement was fantastic.
What about church?
One question I keep getting asked is why so many people are travelling to these baptisms, rather than getting baptised at their local churches. I don’t know for sure, but I think a lot of them are simply unchurched.
Some have discovered Christianity through social media. They’ve been watching Christians online and listening to Bible teaching. Eventually, they’ve started reading the Bible for themselves. Some have come to faith during a really dark time in their lives.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re comfortable walking into a church. Some don’t feel they fit in, or can’t relate to the people there. Others work weekends, have families to look after or simply haven’t found a church where they feel at home.
Are we actually beginning to see revival in Britain? Something is definitely happening
And then there’s the red tape. I’ve heard from people who’ve been told that they need to attend weeks of classes, become members or regularly attend before they can be baptised. Some churches simply don’t have the facilities.
There are some fantastic churches out there, and I’m certainly not against taking baptism seriously. But I do think we’ve made it unnecessarily complicated in some places. Look at the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. He heard the gospel and was baptised. No questions, no classes, no forms to fill in. Just a simple profession of faith in Jesus Christ.
These baptisms are not about replacing the local church. Quite the opposite. It was so encouraging to see other churches and Christian organisations at Bridlington, meeting people and handing out information. I want those who were baptised to find a good, Bible-believing church where they can grow in their faith.
Praying for more
Since Saturday, the response has been absolutely massive. My inbox is now so full that I physically can’t keep up. People are contacting me from all over Britain and Ireland, asking us to bring these baptisms to their areas.
It does make you wonder - are we actually beginning to see revival in Britain? I don’t know if we can say that for certain yet, but something is definitely happening. People are hungry for Jesus Christ, and I find that incredibly encouraging.
Bridlington was our last outdoor mass baptism this year. The sea’s just getting too cold now! But we’re not finished. Lord willing, we’re looking at multiple locations across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland next year. We’re planning something big, and we’ll be announcing it soon.
But if there’s one thing I really want people to understand from all of this, it’s that you don’t need your life to be perfect before coming to Jesus. You don’t need to get yourself cleaned up first. You’re never going to be good enough on your own. That’s why we need Jesus Christ. If you’ve truly repented and want to follow Him, then come as you are. Turn to Him. Repent, believe and be baptised.
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