It was the last song in our worship gathering when I felt a tug on my sleeve. A young boy accompanied by his father had walked down to the front row to tell me the boy had come to saving faith in Jesus Christ a few days earlier.
I praised God with both of them, prayed and then told them I would follow up to schedule a baptism interview the next day. I was surprised to receive an angry email from the dad the next morning. As it turns out, he was upset that we didn’t take a moment to announce his son’s profession of faith at the end of the service.
His expectations may seem unfamiliar to some, but for many Baptist churches, this is the norm. When I came to faith as a child, this was the common procedure at my home church.
After my parents led me to the Lord, the following Sunday, I walked the aisle and told my pastor, who turned me around, introduced me to the congregation and announced my decision to follow Jesus. After that, my baptism was scheduled. At the time, there was more internal build-up to “walking the aisle” than there was for my baptism.
Looking back, I’ve wondered how the practice of proclaiming my decision to follow Christ after walking the aisle affected my understanding of the meaning of baptism. After all, functionally, they served the same purpose. Now that I serve as a pastor, I have learned to think more constructively and critically about the relationship between convictions and church practices.
The question we need to ask is, “What is the biblical precedent for publicly professing saving faith?” A close examination of Scripture gives us a clear answer, and it’s not walking down the aisle of a church. In the New Testament, baptism is the believer’s profession of faith (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:38-41, 8:35-36, 18:8, etc.). So, when did the practice of walking the aisle begin competing with baptism as a profession of faith in the life of the church?
The practice of “walking the aisle” was born out of the altar calls in evangelistic camp meetings from the early 1800s. It wasn’t long before “walking the aisle” became a permanent fixture in American Baptist life. The aim of “walking the aisle” was simple: After a public appeal to repent and believe, presenting oneself at the end of a worship gathering provided “visible proof” that a decision for Christ had been made.
To be clear, every time the gospel is presented, an invitation to repent and believe in the gospel needs to be made. People need to be told how to respond to the good news. However, I’d ask, is “walking the aisle” more confusing than helpful in light of the function of baptism? Even more, does it obscure the significance of baptism?
As Baptists, we would all agree — new converts need to be baptized. Indeed, the Bible ties obedience in baptism to our repentance and faith. While our repentance and belief are personal commitments, our baptism is what makes that decision known to others.
Again, baptism is the biblical profession of faith.
Our convictions on baptism are not only central to our theological distinctives but are also embedded in our name as “Baptists.” The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 even states baptism is “a testimony to faith.” Even more, when speaking on baptism as a church ordinance, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 outlines believer’s baptism by immersion as a “prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and the Lord’s Supper.”
I’ve had church people ask me before, “If someone is a believer but hasn’t been baptized, why would we withhold church membership or the Lord’s Supper from them?” To which I’ve often responded, “If they are a genuine believer, why haven’t they already made a public profession of faith in the waters of baptism?”
In those conversations, there have been several times when someone would make the comment, “Well, they walked the aisle as their profession of faith in a previous church.” That right there is the heart of the issue and behind my pastoral concern in this matter of church practice.
A believer’s baptism is a matter of obedience to the commands of Jesus. I would argue, then, that any practice, like “walking the aisle,” that confuses the significance of baptism should be reconsidered. This is why I’ve long believed that introducing people after they walk the aisle can, and often will, obscure the point of baptism.
Now, do I think churches that invite people to walk the aisle and introduce them to the church at the end of service are in sin? No. However, I would say it is unwise. To put it simply, when you reflect on the practices of your church, consider how they instruct the people participating, even if indirectly.
(EDITOR’S NOTE — This article originally appeared in the March/April 2025 issue of the Biblical Recorder magazine. Matthew Z. Capps has served as the lead pastor of Fairview Baptist Church in Apex, N.C., since 2015.)
