A multisite church in North Carolina baptized 458 people in a single day, setting a record in the congregation’s 137-year history. Biltmore Church baptized 458 people at a private property in Fletcher, North Carolina, as part of its annual Outdoor Baptism event, held Sunday, Sept. 13.
Biltmore Executive Pastor Devin Goins told The Christian Post in an interview this week that it is “very humbling for us” given that “baptism represents lives being changed and God being at work.” “We see and celebrate all of this while being continually reminded that we do not invite God to be part of our story and that instead He invites us to be part of His story,” Goins said.
The property, which includes a lake, belongs to a friend of the congregation and is near several of the church’s campuses. “While we baptize believers nearly every week as part of our Sunday morning worship services, once a year, we bring all of our locations together to celebrate those who are taking their next step as a disciple after coming to know Christ through salvation,” Goins explained.
“In the days before Outdoor Baptism, anyone interested was personally contacted by our staff to confirm that they knew Christ personally as their Savior and were ready to take this next step of obedience as a Christ-follower.” Goins told CP there were “countless amazing stories” among those present, including a New York resident who drove to Fletcher to be baptized.
“There were also individuals who use wheelchairs who knew this was an important step of obedience and were carried into the lake and baptized with additional assistance,” he said. “We also saw several families where a child’s step of obedience encouraged a parent or another family member to take the same step.”