15 Jul Can Women Baptize

On my first trip to Africa, I conducted three trainings, the second of which was the smallest with about 20 students. Those twenty were mostly women. They were very excited to learn how to be part of the mission of Jesus Christ. They were excited to learn the powerful simplicity of the early church and the way Jesus equipped His disciples to disciple nations. They were eager to learn disciples can be women and that all disciples, regardless of gender, should live out the Great Commission.

The Great Commission, simply stated, is to go somewhere to share the gospel with someone, to baptize those who respond to the gospel and receive Jesus, and then teach them to obey all His commands. It’s not complicated, and it is the work that every person who claims to be a disciple should be doing somehow. When I left that impromptu training in Mbale, Uganda, I traveled on to Kampala, Uganda, to do another training, and then I traveled home.

When my plane landed in the U.S., and I turned my phone on, I had messages from the leader of the first small group I had trained. He said, “Brother, we have a problem.

Those ladies you trained have led 70 people to Christ and baptized them.”

“That’s awesome! So what’s the problem?” 

He said, “Well, the local professional clergymen are upset because they say that women are not allowed to baptize people. What should we do?”

I said, “Ask the local clergymen to show you all of the scripture passages that declare a woman is not allowed to baptize people, and until they show you those verses, you tell those sisters to keep up the good work.”

Of course, no scripture was ever found that says that women are not allowed to baptize, and those ladies have continued to multiply and have now baptized more than 1,500 people the last I heard. Glory to God!

If you want to learn how to be a disciple who knows how to go, share the gospel, baptize those who believe in Christ, and teach them to obey all of His commands, then reach out to us via phone or e-mail. Let’s set up a time to get you trained. We are looking forward to hearing from you. God bless you.