A California pastor is on a mission to hold the biggest mass baptism in world history.
Mark Francey of Oceans Church in San Juan Capistrano, California, is gearing up for Baptize America, a one-day event June 8 he hopes will become the “world’s largest synchronized water baptism.”
It’s an ambitious effort that follows two previous events: Baptize SoCal and Baptize California. The former, held in 2023, saw nearly 4,200 baptisms, while the latter, which was held last year, saw more than 12,200 people be immersed.
Now, Mr. Francey wants to up the ante and take those local and state events national.
“We’re going to launch a nationwide movement,” Mr. Francey said. “We just believe that if God could do it here in California, He can certainly do it in Tennessee, or Florida, or some of the other great states.
“We’re gearing up. We’re really, really excited for what God’s doing with this baptism movement.”
Hear Mr. Francey explain:
Mr. Francey is working across denominations and “boundaries” to unite Christians on one of the main elements on which the vast majority of Bible believers agree: baptism.
“I think that baptism could be a catalytic thing that we can all rally around, get excited about to mobilize the church to work together,” he said.
Mr. Francey’s efforts come as claims of Christian revival reverberate across the U.S. Reports of college students being mass baptized in the backs of pick-up trucks and the much-heralded Asbury revival — an event at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, in February 2023 that attracted people from across the globe and resulted in a non-stop church service that lasted two weeks — have made headlines.
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that the percentage of Americans identifying as Christian appears to be stabilizing after years of steady decline. The study, which surveyed 36,908 adults between July 2023 and March 2024, found that 62% identify as Christian — a major drop from 78% in 2007 but a share that has remained relatively steady since 2019.
Baptize America seeks to capitalize on that spiritual fervor, inviting churches across America to hold synchronized baptism events June 8.
Mr. Francey said no one is more surprised by the success of his mass baptisms than he is, calling himself “probably the least likely candidate to try to do something like this.” But he believes he was called to step up to the plate with Baptize SoCal and help lead the movement.
And with that local event expanding to a state effort and now a national quest, he knows he made the right call.
“We’re just a bunch of nobodies that believe that God can do anything,” Mr. Francey said. “And when we tried to partner with God, He’s just created this divine momentum that we could never really reproduce.”
Mr. Francey is hoping to reach people who don’t normally go to church but who might be curious about the Bible and faith.
“We’re going to actually do a campaign that’s massive, basically inviting people that normally wouldn’t come to church to go, ’Hey, do you want to get closer to God? Are you ready to take the next step? Get water baptized. It’s the largest synchronized baptism day in history. Be a part of it,’” Mr. Francey said.
Individuals can register on the Baptize America website.
