Seventh-day Adventist pastors throughout the Inter-American Division (IAD) welcomed more than 11,400 new members into the church through hundreds of baptismal ceremonies at churches, beaches, lakes, and rivers on May 27, 2023. The territory-wide event saw local churches connecting to a live online program led by IAD leaders, hosted at the Mount Zion Adventist Church in Belize City, Belize.

“Pastors, you have to keep preaching what you’ve heard, what you’ve received, and continue making sure that you stand firm in God and continue in mission,” said Pastor Elie Henry, president of the IAD. Pastor Henry reminded pastors to not only lead others to Christ but inspire and engage church members to engage in mission so others can be ready for the second coming of Jesus.

Pastor Henry also encouraged the 33 candidates to be baptized at the Mount Zion Church to rely on the Word of God always, more so when they face challenges in their lives.

Coined as “Pastors Baptism Day,” the event was meant to highlight the primary mission of local church pastors to disciple members and lead people to accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ through baptism. The event coincided with the church’s monthly calendar to hold a baptismal ceremony every last Sabbath of the month, church organizers said.

“Pastors set the tone and pace in their local congregations, so if pastors focus on winning souls to Christ, ultimately, that kind of inspiration is passed on to the members,” said Pastor Balvin Braham, vice president of the IAD overseeing evangelism. It’s about pastors serving as models in influencing souls towards Christ before their members, he said.

It was important to hold this coordinated event together as a church in the IAD to create a renewed motivation for the mission, added Braham. “People are looking for inspiration, and this event was one of those times when we called pastors to come forward with at least three candidates on this particular day to celebrate together.”

As baptisms began to take place across Belize and the IAD territory, each union connected one by one as local church pastors reaffirmed their mission to baptize new believers.

Among the unions with the most baptisms on that day included: Southeast Mexican Union, with 1,970 baptisms; Chiapas Mexican Union, 1,617 baptisms; Panama Union, 1,448; North Mexican Union, 1,144; and South Central American Union, 691.

Aurelio Malpica Cruz is among the 196 local church pastors in the Southeast Mexican Union. He pastors 12 churches with a total membership of more than 400 in the Tulum II district in Quintana Roo. “We work through small groups ministry and with the assistance of church elders,” said Pastor Cruz. He also mentioned his time is mostly spent visiting new believers, discipling them, and scheduling them for baptismal ceremonies each Sabbath. It’s week to week with one, two, three, or more getting baptized, said Malpica.

The territory-wide Pastors Baptism Day event motivates Cruz to continue ministering to the members, small groups leaders, and missionary outreach leaders to intensify their evangelism efforts each week, he said. On May 27, he baptized two people; the previous Sabbath, 45. The rest of June is booked with two-to-three baptisms each Sabbath.

“We want to reach at least 120 new souls this year,” said Cruz, adding that so far, 71 new believers have been baptized. “We are moving through a process to work together with each local church, and so far, more need to be visited for upcoming baptisms in the month of July.”

Celebrating new members who have accepted Jesus is what will be seen across the IAD in the coming months, said Braham. “Our church across the IAD continues this year emphasizing soul-winning and keeping new converts experiencing a life filled with hope and active in preparing others [for] Jesus’ soon return.”

The original version of this story was posted by the Inter-American Division website.