Fox29 WFLX TV, West Palm Beach, Florida-Online baptisms reach Internet believers

Online baptisms reach Internet believers

By Juan Carlos Fanjul - bio | email

PALM BEACH GARDENS, FL (WFLX) - Churches across the country and right here at home are turning to the Internet to spread the word.

In fact, one is performing online baptisms.

A video on YouTube shows a woman being baptized at her home bathtub in Georgia. The pastor is at the church, Flamingo Road in Broward County.

Both parties are connected through Internet  Web cams.

"The church is comprised of people and not the structures that deliver the message," says David Helbig, the Internet campus pastor for Palm Beach Gardens based Christ Fellowship.

He says in addition to their physical location, the church considers it's Web site an extension of it (Christ Fellowship Online).

On the weekends, more than 5,000 people look them up online to not only watch sermons, but also instant message the pastor through Facebook and Twitter.

People from as far as Europe and South America watch the online services.

"One of our objectives is to provide an experience for you online, like you would experience here at Christ Fellowship or one of our local campuses," he said.

Pastor Todd Mullins says his goal was to reach the homebound or military men and women who couldn't make it to church, but now their Internet campus has taken a life of it's own.

Although they do save people online, Mullins draws the line on baptisms. "Absolutely not. It's still important to have that human touch whenever we can."

They do, however, save people online. Pastor Mullins says people from as far as Western Europe and South America watch their Internet services, and the number keeps growing.