Like many pastors, Aaron Pennington of Trace Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado, needed a sabbatical after COVID-19. While away from the church, he felt God telling him that he needed to give people a clear sign and opportunity to respond to the gospel every Sunday.
“I’m not a big fan of the bow-your-head-and-raise-your-hand-if-you-want-to-give-your-life-to-Jesus kind of thing because if we are truly surrendering our life to God, it needs to be more than doing this thing where nobody can see you because their eyes are closed,” explains Pennington.
He thought about what it means to invite people to be a follower of Jesus and contemplated Matthew 16:24: “If anyone wants to come after me, he must deny himself and take up their cross and follow me.”
In 2021, Pennington came up with the idea to place white towels at the front of the stage to serve as a tangible sign of surrendering to begin a new life with Jesus. Each week he invites people to surrender their life to Christ by grabbing a white towel. They then bring that towel to the church’s Next Steps booth in the lobby where a staff member explains the significance of baptism.
“Many people have said they have already heard the ‘pitch,’ but they find themselves looking at those towels because they know the invitation is coming again,” he notes. “People realize that if I am repeating this every week, it must be important.”
Some answer the call the first time they hear it, while others are compelled to do so after repeated invitations. Since Trace Church started using these white towels, baptism numbers have skyrocketed. In 2024 alone, 432 people were baptized, up from 154 in 2023.
“It’s been incredible to see how God has used this practical but tangible illustration to move people into a big life decision,” Pennington adds. “It’s such a simple thing to throw some towels on the front of the stage, but it works.”