Global baptism event in the works after ministry baptized thousands in California

By Michael Gryboski, Editor Wednesday, April 22, 2026

A California megachurch pastor's evangelism ministry, which has baptized thousands in recent years in the Golden State, is gearing up to host a global baptism event next month, hoping to baptize tens of thousands. 

Baptize California, overseen by Pastor Mark Francey of the multi-campus Oceans Church in Orange County, has announced the global event “Baptize the World” for May 24.

“We believe it was an idea God gave us,” Francey told The Christian Post in an email. “To go from Southern California the first year, all of California the next year, America last year, and now the world this year.”

This year marks the first time Baptize California will attempt a worldwide observance, with Francey unsure how many people will ultimately be baptized.

“Organizing and onboarding individuals and churches has its fair share of complexities,” he said. “The Baptize the World staff have been doing an amazing job putting all the pieces together.”

“We won’t know for sure, as many don’t get baptized until the day of. We are believing for tens of thousands, and possibly more than 100,000. There are a lot of possibilities," he added. "We just want to organize the nets and help the Church throw them in the water. We will leave the catch up to Jesus.”

In promoting the event, Francey said that each participating nation will advertise “Baptize the World” using its country’s name in the title.

“For instance, Baptize Denmark or Baptize Canada will promote themselves as their own movements, partnering with Baptize the World,” Francey noted.

“This gives personal ownership and excitement for churches, but also connects all of us to something larger than where we are. It’s the best of both worlds.”

Francey and his colleagues “hope that people who show up without a relationship with Jesus at one of these churches or events will hear the Gospel, respond, and then take the next step to get baptized right then and there.”

“We are praying for so many incredible stories of lives changed and divine appointments,” he said. “Our experience over the past three years has been that many are saved, baptized and added to the local church.”

“Unity among churches and their working together are attractive to the non-churched. Seeing the Kingdom expand and the Church grow is why we do what we do.”

In 2024, Baptize California set the record for the largest mass baptism in United States history, with more than 12,000 people baptized across California on Pentecost Sunday of that year.

In an interview with CP at the time, Francey emphasized that each person baptized was provided with resources to help them connect with a local congregation so their faith can grow.

“This isn’t like a parachurch organization that’s going to kind of blow in and blow out, just get a crowd and just trying to get them (people) hyped. Our heart was to unite the local church, to work together, to really reach our world, and then to build a Kingdom by connecting all of these people that are making a decision to get connected to the local church,” Francey said.

“For us, the win isn’t the count of how many got baptized. Really, it’s going to be how that translates into how we are getting people connected to the local church.”

In June 2025, Baptize California partnered with more than 600 churches in the United States, which collectively hosted around 1,000 events resulting in approximately 28,000 people being baptized on Pentecost Sunday.