Full List of Evangelism Resources – English
Full List of Evangelism Resources – Spanish
Praying the Lord’s Prayer
Sphere of Influence Map
Transitioning Conversations
6 Words
3 Circles
Bridge to Life Illustration
Explanation of Baptism

Sharing the Plan of Salvation With Children
Evangelism and Discipleship Strategies for Children
3 Circles Gospel Sharing With Children
Gospel Presentation Videos for Children
How to Share the Gospel With Kids
Is Your ‘One’ a Child?
God’s Special Plan for Children

The Story
Basic Commands of Christ
The Walk
Now What
Timothy Initiative
Reading Plan

Preparing Your Church
4 Preaching “Don’ts” to Avoid
Baptism Message Outline by Mike Pittman
Baptism Message Transcript by Mike Pittman

3 Samples of Evangelistic Sermons:

Story of Hell
Believe and Be Baptized by J.D. Greear
On the Spot by J.D. Greear

Sharing Jesus Without Fear
Easy Questions to Share Jesus

A person who’s just been baptized may have taken their first step of obedience in a life of discipleship, and our churches must prioritize helping them to grow in their faith. Follow up individually with every person to make sure they understand their next step in following Jesus and to ensure they are connected with someone in your church who can continue to disciple them.

No. But, make sure that this question isn’t used to remove the importance of baptism. Baptism is a way to put on display the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Baptism should always be an important step in the life of a believer. For many, this act of obedience is the first way to make the gospel known without speaking a word.

Prepare your pastors and baptism counselors to respond to these people by affirming their desire to be baptized and letting them know how glad you are to have this conversation with them. Explain to them that the act of baptism is just a symbol—it’s meaningless if it does not represent authentic repentance and faith in their life. Let them know that they’ve taken a courageous first step, and you’d love to talk with them a little more before they get baptized. Be clear that you are not saying “no,” but simply “not right now.”

Although there is no age listed in the scriptures, a few things should be considered. First, if parents are faithful in their sharing of Jesus, prayer and Bible study, it shouldn’t be a surprise when a child’s heart is drawn toward Christ. Second, in our churches and homes, we should always encourage two things. We should always encourage any movement toward Jesus. We should always be discipling new believers in the faith, regardless of age, teaching them all things that Christ has commanded. Third, with encouraging steps towards Christ, we should also exercise great caution in baptizing young children. Steps should be taken to make sure any baptismal candidate, regardless of age, understands sin, repentance, Christ’s work, and a life of faith under the Lordship of King Jesus. This is all the more important with children who may want to be baptized to please their parents or out of fear of Hell.

First, we want to start with the Bible. We want to explain that every instance of baptism in the New Testament is done after someone has made a profession of faith. More importantly, the symbol of baptism is a declaration of faith. It’s an outward symbol of an inward reality. When someone is baptized as an infant, they are celebrating the parent’s faith, not the infant’s faith. We thank God for this kind of faith in parents! When that person comes forward for baptism later in life, those parents can celebrate with their child the fact that what they were hoping for has become a reality.

In the New Testament, you find no record of qualifications for the person who performs a baptism. A friend or family member may be invited to baptize or simply stand in the pool with them. Let’s win people to Christ and pray that they be obedient and be baptized. What we celebrate is not who baptizes, but the fact that they are obedient to be baptized.

While the scriptures do not command “baptizing on the spot” much of Acts describes immediate Baptism, though not in all the instances of conversion. Acts 8 details at least one instance of immediate baptism. The Ethiopian Eunuch simply said, “Here is water. What is hindering me from being baptized?” To be sure, calls for spontaneous baptism have been used as a gimmick by some churches. We shouldn’t discard the biblical pattern because some have manipulated or misused it, but we also want to take great caution to consider our context and culture and not encourage baptism because others are doing it or the excitement of the moment.

We need to be concerned that everyone who comes forward to be baptized understands the gospel and the significance of what they are doing, and we should have pastors and counselors available to talk with them. But baptism is the first step of obedience, not the sign of having reached a level of spiritual maturity. We should be equally concerned that we are not creating extra-biblical barriers to obedience.

At the core, the invitation to be baptized is a call to respond to Jesus by surrendering to His commands. Start by clearly articulating the gospel and how to respond in faith to that news — don’t assume even those who have grown up in church understand that. Explain the symbolic nature of baptism as a public symbol of a commitment to follow Jesus, in the same way that a wedding ring is a symbol of a marriage commitment. You may want to proactively address common objections to baptism (see additional FAQs on this page).