NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP) - Following a successful launch of the "'Everyone Can' Kingdom Challenge" at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting SBC President Bobby Welch is urgently challenging each of the 1,188 Baptist associations across the nation to hold two "associational baptism rallies" between Oct. 1 of this year and Sept. 30, 2006.

His focus on local associations is the key to his strategy for accomplishing the goal of witnessing to, winning and baptizing one million people within a year.

The associational baptism rallies, Welch explained, should be a joint effort among all the churches of an association. They should choose a neutral outdoor site at which to hold the rally, and ideally, each participating pastor should bring at least one person to be baptized into his church fellowship at the rally.

Welch emphasized that the rallies should be held outdoors - unless inclement weather prohibits - so that church members practice getting outside the walls of the church and into the community where people who need Christ roam.