Baptism FAQ

On Sunday 7/28 actionchurch will not be meeting at Frank Theaters.  Instead, we’ll be meeting at John Rudy park (11am) for a time of fun, food, and a short baptism service where we celebrate all those who are choosing to go public with their faith in Jesus.   Above is a picture from our very first baptism service at Fat Daddys Nightclub.  Below are the answers to questions that people frequently ask about baptism.

Q. Why would a church that doesn’t seem to care a lot about traditions do some thing like have a baptismal service?

A. Because Baptism is not a tradition…it’s part of being an obedient follower of Jesus. The bible says repent (turn from your old way of living..and join Jesus kingdom plan for life) and be baptized. (Go public with your decision to “choose sides”). (Acts 2:38-39)

Q. Will Baptism make me a member of actionchurch?

A. No. Baptism is entirely about going public with your decision to become a follower of Jesus.  Instead of having members, actionchurch is gathering participants…people who will Join us as we Love God, Love People, and Take action in York County.  Members have “rights”…participants have responsibilities and opportunities!  ANYONE can belong at actionchurch…but our goal is that EVERYONE would one day chose to follow Jesus and express it through public baptism!

Q. Will Baptism “guarantee me a spot in Heaven”?

A. Sorry, no. Baptism won’t “guarantee” you a spot in heaven any more than a wedding “guarantees” a lifetime of wedded bliss. Only your relationship (that you are celebrating in baptism) makes you part of eternity with Jesus…the good news is he promises to never “fail or abandon us” like people sometimes will. He is also legendary for his forgiveness of those of us who fail him.

Q. I was baptized as a baby.  Do I need to be baptized again as an adult?

A.  If you’ve chosen to be a committed follower of Jesus, the next step is to go public with your decision by being baptized.  Even though infant baptism is a tradition of many churches…if you can’t remember choosing to be baptized…now is the time.  (And PLEASE be grateful and respectful to your parents for their attempt to raise you as a Christian…that baptism was about them attempting to do something noble…but impossible.  No one can choose to follow Christ for ANYONE else.)

Q.  Do you baptize children at actionchurch?

A. Yes, children that understand and can articulate that they have turned from their sin and have made Jesus their Lord and Savior.  Luke 18:16-17  No, we do not baptize children at the request of parents.  (see above)   At times we will ask a very young child to wait to be baptized if there is any concern that they do not understand what following Christ through baptism means.

Q. How do you know that everyone who gets baptized is “serious” about following Jesus?

A. We don’t…In fact Jesus said here (Matthew 13:18-23) that some who initially get very excited about the good news of Jesus will not “finish”. He also said here (Matthew 13:24-40) that it is not our job to try to figure out who is “in or out” of the kingdom…

Q. Why do you fully immerse (Dunk) people when you baptize them?

A. Because that’s the way they did it in Jesus time…There is a lot of symbolism in being taken under the water (buried) and brought out of water (raised to new life)…but our main reason for being “old school” about baptism is because that was the way it was done then.

Q. Shouldn’t you be in a “church” to be baptized?

A. It was many hundreds of years after the time of Jesus before the first “Church” buildings appeared…so being baptized in church is a relatively new development.

If you have any further questions concerning the baptism service on Sunday 7/28 at John Rudy Park or Baptism in general please send them to info@actionchurch.com.

Halloween Multiple Choice:

Halloween is less than a week away, so here’s a little multiple choice quiz we’ve been running every October since actionchurch began.   What do you pick?

Halloween is…

a. …a holiday celebrated in October best known for children dressing up in costumes and asking for candy.
b. …a celebration of satanism, occultism, and consumerism in America.
c. …an opportunity for seemingly “normal” guys to squeeze into some size 14 pumps and fishnets and head off to a party without being labeled as cross dressers. (What’s up with that?)

The best way to share your faith at Halloween is…
a. …be generous, friendly and kind. What other time of year do your neighbors actually come to your door? No crappy candy, turning off the lights, or leftovers from your kid’s Easter basket!
b. …answer the door but tell everyone you don’t celebrate Halloween because you are Christians. (I actually saw this on a Wife Swap episode)
c. …Tracts, and only tracts! (NO CANDY) The scarier the better! Extra points awarded for those who mention the Spanish inquisition or name the Pope as the anti-christ! Enjoy getting the toilet paper out of your trees…

The best way for Churches to share their faith with their community…
a. … be generous, friendly, and kind at a community event. Get involved. Give away great stuff! Urge church goers to be the “most generous house in the neighborhood.
b. …have an alternative event. Call it a harvest party, Hallelujah party, or Fall festival. Bonus points if you feature gospel music, ban costumes, or give out prizes for reciting Bible verses. Great entertainment for the religious.
c. …ignore it! Only 196 days ’til Easter!

The best thing to teach your children from Halloween is…
a. …the joy of giving. How to be live out your faith in a post-christian world.
b. …the joy of taking…. Turn out your lights and take them to all the “best neighborhoods“. Grab as much candy as you can…make sure they split with you.
c. …to be scared of witches, Satan, and cultists. …that church Harvest parties are “almost as good as” Halloween parties. …that they can’t waitto grow up and be “normal”.

What’s the “right” choice…It’s up to you.

I choose “a” EVERY TIME…but I will not be shopping for any Size 14 stillettos.   I do like to think; though, that actionchurch is a place that you could attend dressed as a star wars storm trooper and be welcomed…any Sunday of the year. :-)

Doing Church as a Team

One the things that I’m most grateful for, looking back since the beginning of actionchurch, is the great team that we have been able to assemble.  The actionchurch “Crew” is as diverse, talented, intense, funny, opinionated, sarcastic, hardworking, “real”, and loving cast of “characters” that you will ever meet.  I’m thankful to be included in their team.   Here’s a few thought from Sunday about why I think that “doing church” as a team is the best way to do ministry.

  • The “wins” are bigger…and more fun to celebrate.  There’s always going to be a bigger celebration after a winning football game than a winning long jump.  Doing church as a team allows people with specific talents to “carry the ball” for the entire team…and when everyone pitches in to do their part the results are amazing.  SO proud of Kenna, the events team, and the entire crew and crowd of actionchurch for OWNING the BigASKList!
  • When you are Down…someone is up.  Romans 12:15 commands us as followers of Christ to “laugh with those who laugh, and cry with those that cry”  There’s nothing like a team to allow you to encourage others…and be encouraged.  I cannot imagine trying to do something as difficult as a start-up church-alone.
  • You GET TO apologize (often).  At first look that may not seem like a benefit…but it truly is.  Operating with a team of people you care about, will absolutely illuminate your faults and failures.  The ONLY antidote is to apologize sincerely…and often.  The great thing is that apologizing deflates pride…and allows you to experience being accepted and loved IN SPITE OF your failures.
  • Good Stuff rubs off.  It’s mega-rewarding as a leader to see the principles and traits you teach and live “rub off” on your team mates.  It’s even better to realize that you are also being changed by doing church with your team. It is a rare week that goes by that I don’t walk away from a Sunday morning feeling like I have learned something from a fellow crew member or Management team member.  Most weeks I’m the guy with the microphone, but I am constantly learning and being inspired by what happens off-mic!


That’s some reasons I’ve been thinking of since Sunday that make me grateful to be part of the actionchurch team.  Want to be part of the actionchurch team? Talk to a crew member or email info@actionchurch.com.   Did I miss apologizing to you this Sunday? There’s always next week. :-)

Getting Connected at actionchurch

Question: How can you get connected in a growing church like actionchurch with new people showing up each week, no permanent “church building”, and no paid staff?

Answer: Here’s four ways to meet people, get connected, and actually become part of actionchurch’s one mission of  Loving God, Loving People and taking action.

Facebook and Twitter

Follow @actionchurch.  Go to Facebook.com/actionchurch.  Join the conversation.  Stay current.  Share everything from prayer requests…to recipes…to sarcastic comments with Josiah.

Email us

Need a question answered?  Want to share something? Need prayer?  Your email at info@actionchurch.com  goes straight to our iPhones. No office hours. No church secretary.  No appointments needed.

 actiongroups

Stop by the actiongroups or info table.  Click on the actiongroups tab.  Marian will be making major announcements about new groups starting in September very soon.  Now is the best time in the history of actionchurch to get connected to a group.  Groups hang out, learn, serve together, and eat…often.  You will be glad you joined.

Join the CREW

We are always “hiring”.  :-)  There is a place for anyone…with any skill set…to serve at actionchurch.   The quickest way to meet lots of great people, have lots of fun, work really hard, and share the challenges and joys of community is by serving as part of the actionchurch crew.  You will be amazed at how quickly you can go from “guest” to “family” as you serve others.  Check in at the info table.  Ask someone carrying something heavy if they need a hand.  Email us.  Jump in.

The main thing…

We load (and unload) the actionchurch truck often.  Every service.  Every event.  It’s sort of like a 4000 lb game of Jenga…in an oven. :-)  ( I’m super thankful EVERY week for all the help we have making it happen!)

Even though there is a “place for everything, and everything in it’s place” in the truck, sometimes things load better than others.  A few weeks ago, after a particularly good load-in, one of the guys joked that maybe we “should cancel church next week, so we don’t mess up the truck.  We’ll never get it loaded that well again.!”   Everyone laughed, but no one actually considered canceling church just to keep the truck neat.  It’s important, but its simply not the “main thing”.

It’s important to remember what the “main thing” is at actionchurch.  It’s the one thing we can do that NO ONE ELSE can.  We are pretty great at carrying heavy stuff, but there are moving companies that can do the same thing.  We have a great crew that makes great live music possible at the theater each week, but there are nightclubs, bars, and other live music venues that can do the same.   We give away lots of delicious donuts on Sundays, but there are numerous Maple Donut shops where people could get the same yummy fried goodness.  I could go on…and on…but there is only ONE thing that we can do that NO ONE ELSE can.  It’s our “main thing”.   It’s the most important thing we do.

The main thing at actionchurch is changing people’s minds about Jesus.  EVERYTHING we do leads up to that ONE THING.  actionkidz, music, donuts, every sermon, signage, actiongroups, and yes even loading heavy things into “Black Betty the truck” all lead up to that ONE thing.  Jesus.  He’s why we exist. We want people who don’t consider him to be an important part of their lives to change their mind! We want them to consider following Jesus…and placing him in control of their lives.  It’s what makes the hard work worth it every week.  It’s what happens when we “Love God, Love People, and Take action”.

It’s the most important thing.  It’s the main thing.