A church in Nottinghamshire wanted a portable baptism pool. It held 940 litres but the answer was no.
According to the Telegraph, the diocesan judge called it a needless waste of water. He also reportedly said immersion has no theological basis. So let’s take those one at a time.
Water first. Fair enough, this is a lot of water and stewardship matters. But, I’d suggest that 940 litres is only a lot of water if you think of it as water.
Think of it as a person. Someone who has decided to follow Jesus. Someone who walks into that water in front of the people who love them and says, out loud, “This is who I belong to now.”
That’s not a bath. That’s a burial and a resurrection. Paul says we were buried with Christ in baptism and raised to new life (Romans 6). The word itself, baptizo, means to dip or immerse. You go under, you come up, everyone sees it. Nobody forgets it.
That’s the power of a believer’s baptism. It’s a choice you make yourself, and you make it in public. It’s the moment something invisible becomes visible. It’s a declaration of belief in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
This is more of a secular response, arguing about the water and not truly understanding the significance of what it’s for.
There’s good news, though. You don’t need a 940-litre portable anything.
The Ethiopian in Acts 8 spotted some water by the road and said, “Look, here is water! What can stand in the way of my being baptised?” No permit. Jesus himself was baptised in a river.
36 As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?’ [37] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. (Acts 8:36-38 NIV)
There are plenty of options. Hire the local swimming pool for an hour. It’s already full, and it’s going to be used again afterwards, so the water isn’t wasted. That solves the stewardship point completely. Go to the sea. That’s zero extra water. Use a lake, a river, or a friend’s hot tub if you’re desperate. Many have had baptisms in paddling pools.
The point isn’t about thinking of water in terms of litres. Once you become a believer, it’s about following Jesus command and the biblical way of professing faith:
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:18–20 NIV)
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ 38 Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:37–39 NIV)
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