WINDER, Ga. — Over the course of seven services across three campuses, Bethlehem Church celebrated 33 baptisms between Jan. 15-18. Senior Pastor Jason Britt says the baptisms at Bethlehem Church campuses in Winder, Hoschton and Bishop are the result of intentional Gospel conversations, prayer and personal engagement.
“We believe there are a lot of conversations before conversions,” Britt explained. “The larger we become, the more we fight for personal relationships. People want to be known, not just be a face in the crowd. The more intentional we are, the more fruit we continue to see.”
Britt said Bethlehem’s leadership team has worked deliberately to cultivate a church culture where Gospel conversations and baptisms are a natural overflow of everyday ministry rather than isolated moments on the calendar.
“Whatever you celebrate gets repeated,” he pointed out. “There is no greater celebration at Bethlehem Church than baptism weekends. We believe that every weekend, there is someone giving God one more chance, so we try to think through that lens of creating avenues for Gospel conversations.”
That intentionality includes prayer teams available after every service and a short gathering for guests called “First Step,” where pastors are available to connect personally with newcomers. “We want to make sure there are clear next steps for everyone,” he said.
Steve Foster, evangelism catalyst for the Georgia Baptist Mission Board, said Britt regularly reminds Bethlehem members that evangelism is not reserved for pastors or special events.
“Jason consistently tells Bethlehem Church there are three things every believer can do,” Foster said. “Everybody can pray for a lost person. Everybody can invite a lost person to church. Everybody can share their personal testimony or the Gospel with a lost person.”
Britt recently shared many of these principles with pastors from across the state as a speaker in the Georgia Baptist Mission Board’s Engage 6 evangelism gatherings, which are designed to help churches strengthen their focus on personal evangelism, prayer, and Gospel intentionality. He said high-attendance weekends can be powerful opportunities when churches approach them with clarity and purpose.
“Every community has rhythms,” Britt said. “What if the church worked within the rhythms of the community?”
Britt added that lasting fruit comes through follow-up and faithful leadership. “Next steps, personal relationships, and clear pathways for people to engage in community” are what distinguish a crowded room from genuine disciple-making.
Britt also noted that while many assume people are resistant to the Gospel, his experience has shown otherwise.
“People are curious and make assumptions, but very few are actually resistant to the Gospel,” he said. “Religion, for many, is a nonstarter. The conversation around spirituality, though, is wide open. Clarity of the Gospel has to be defined — again and again and again.”
Foster said the fruit seen at Bethlehem reflects principles being encouraged across Georgia. “When churches consistently prioritize prayer, invitation, and personal Gospel conversations, God honors that faithfulness,” he said.
For pastors who long to see similar spiritual response but feel weary or discouraged, Britt offered a word of encouragement rooted in vision and hope.
“Think vision. Think dreaming,” he said. “We underestimate the toll ministry can take on our dreaming of the future and envisioning what could be. We believe that if God can do it at Bethlehem Church, God can do it anywhere.”
Bethlehem Church, founded more than 130 years ago, has experienced revitalization in recent years, something Britt said reinforces his confidence in what God is still able to do.
“Ours is a story of revitalization,” he said. “We have seen God be faithful in the past, and we are convinced the best is yet to come. We still love to dream.”
This article originally appeared in The Christian Index.
Related posts:
Gaines at rally: Evangelism should be priority 
Door-to-door nurture yields soul-winning daughters 
Right place, right time: 4 professions of faith 
Crossover 2018 Incorporates Personal Evangelism 
Track captain, in newfound faith, begins Bible study Pastors’ Task Force Releases Report on Declining Baptisms 
FIRST-PERSON: What about your coworkers? 
With stains removed, he returns to the streets
