Is river baptism more biblical than indoor baptism?

Both are biblical. Every baptism in the New Testament happened in natural water (rivers, roadside pools) simply because that's where people were. Indoor baptism in a church baptistry is just as valid — the obedience matters, not the setting.

Why do you baptize outdoors at Myron Lake?

We're a street outreach, not a building-based church. Baptizing at Myron Lake on the Yakima Greenway mirrors how baptism happened in the New Testament — outdoors, in natural water, publicly visible, and open to anyone walking by.

Is it safe to be baptized in a lake?

Yes. Myron Lake is calm and shallow at the shore. Someone stays with you the entire time, the dunk takes less than a second, and we don't go anywhere you can't stand.

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Jesus Talk·July 24, 2026

Why Get Baptized in a River Instead of a Church?

Name: Simply Jesus Prayer Kitchen
Address: 102 S. Naches Ave, Yakima, WA, 98901, US
Price range: Free

By Evee B

Wide view of Myron Lake on the Yakima Greenway — outdoor baptism setting

Why get baptized in a river instead of a church?

Both count. A person baptized in a heated indoor tank is just as baptized as someone dunked in a lake. The setting isn't what saves anyone. But there's a reason so many people feel drawn to river baptism — and a lot of it goes back to the Bible.

Baptism started outside

Every baptism in the Gospels happens outdoors, in natural water. John the Baptist worked in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:6). Jesus was baptized in the Jordan by John (Matthew 3:13-17). Philip baptized the Ethiopian official at the first roadside water they found (Acts 8:36-38).

Nobody in the New Testament waited for a building.

Why it hits different in a river

It's public in the best way. Anyone walking by on the Greenway can see. That's part of the point — baptism is a public declaration.
Creation is part of the story. God's world becomes the room. The sky is the ceiling. The lake was already there.
It levels the ground. No stage, no lights, no green room. Just water and people. That mirrors the earliest baptisms exactly.
It's memorable. People remember the birds, the wind, the temperature of the water. Those details make the moment stick.

Isn't indoor baptism valid?

Yes. Completely. Churches with baptistries are baptizing people biblically every weekend. If that's where your community is and where you'd feel most at home, do it there. The goal is the obedience, not the aesthetic.

Why we do it at Myron Lake

We're a street outreach in downtown Yakima, not a building-based church. When we baptize outside on the Greenway, we're doing what the earliest Jesus followers did — meeting people where they are, using the water that's already there, and inviting anyone walking by to see.