Saddleback Church reached a milestone this past Sunday that demonstrates its dedication to the gospel and evangelism.
The church in Lake Forest California, started by pastor Rick Warren 38 years ago, recorded its 50,000th baptism last Sunday.
On his Facebook page, Warren thanked church members for their role in reaching the milestone.
He wrote, “I’m often asked: Why has this church, by God’s grace, been able to bring so many unbelievers to Jesus? Because of your LOVE!”
50,000 baptisms in 38 years is quite a feat. Warren did the math and found that since Easter 1980, the first service at Saddleback, they’ve baptized almost four changed lives every single day.
He told the congregation “YOU’RE PART OF A MIRACLE!”
Warren wrote that according to Acts 2:47, the first Christian church (in Jerusalem) baptized someone every day. “Think about that. Daily!” Warren wrote on Facebook, “That means, at the very least, the first church baptized at least 365 new members annually! Not many churches have ever matched that kind of growth. But YOUR CHURCH has!”
This weekend’s services also included an acknowledgment of all of those in attendance who had been baptized at Saddleback. A photo montage was displayed with images gathered from throughout the decades at Saddleback.
“Why is baptism such a big deal?” Rick Warren asked while standing in the baptism pool. “There are two reasons. First, Jesus commanded it. Second, he modeled it…this is the way I say to the world ‘I’m in!