Del Sol Church engages families for baptism, discipleship

For Ariel Martinez, ministry has never been just about individuals, but about the whole family coming to know the Lord together.

Through community engagement and leadership within and outside of the church, Martinez and Del Sol Church in El Paso work tirelessly to reach people for Christ.

Martinez, second vice president of the Baptist General Convention of Texas and lead pastor of Del Sol Church, has been part of his church for more than three decades. He said his journey reflects both longevity and transformation within the congregation.

“I’ve been part of the church for about 31 years, like a member, attendee, that kind of thing,” Martinez said. “And then I have served on staff in different roles for 22 years.”

Five years ago, Martinez stepped into the role of senior pastor, following his mentor, Walter Mueller.

Today, that long-term investment is bearing fruit, not just in attendance, but in a surge of baptisms that increasingly involve entire families.

In recent years, Del Sol Church has seen record-breaking baptism numbers, signaling what Martinez describes as a deeper movement of discipleship.

“2023 was the first year we had more than 100 baptisms in a year,” Martinez said. “And then the next year we had about 180, and then last year we had about 140.”

Central to that growth is intentional structure. The church designates a monthly baptism Sunday, encourages sign-ups, and requires pastoral conversations with each candidate.

“Our pastors call every person that’s going to get baptized, and we ask them: ‘Do you understand what baptism is? Why do you want to be baptized? You understand the gospel?’” Martinez said.

Those conversations often uncover deeply personal faith journeys, especially in a community where many were baptized as infants through Catholicism.

Though many in Martinez’s congregation were baptized as infants, many didn’t know what baptism was.

Extending beyond church walls

Family engagement at Del Sol extends into the broader community through outreach ministries designed to connect people to faith before they ever attend a service.

“We have a prison ministry. We have a very strong prison campus,” Martinez said. “We also do food pantry, and we do medical clinics—anything that’s outward facing.”

These ministries serve as entry points for entire households.

“Our hope is that they get the gospel and come to the church,” Martinez said.

To support new believers, the church developed a simple discipleship tool.

“We created a really simple, custom 21-day new believer devotional, and one of those days talks about baptism, what it is, and why you should do it,” Martinez said.

At its core, Martinez said the church’s mission drives its family-focused strategy.

“Our mission statement is to help everyone everywhere know and follow Jesus,” he said.

That vision shapes everything from outreach to baptism to discipleship.

“We want people to know Jesus, and then we want to help them take their steps to follow Jesus. Baptism, we believe, is the first, next step.”

While he acknowledges the challenges, Martinez remains focused on the goal.

“We’re not perfect. We don’t get it all right. People fall through the cracks, sadly, but we really try. We want you to know Jesus,” he said. “We want you to get saved. And then we want to help you follow and grow and be a disciple.”

Building pathways for all ages

Del Sol Church emphasizes whole-family engagement by creating clear, age-specific pathways to discipleship.

Children participate in a “basic beliefs class” before baptism, while adults often encounter baptism through a required membership course.

“We have a membership class for people to become a member. They have to go through this class, and we walk through the gospel … baptism and communion and our Baptist beliefs,” Martinez said.

That process leads to new decisions.

“That’s where a lot of their baptisms come from … people want to get involved,” he said. “They want to serve in the church.”

The church also integrates digital tools and immediate response opportunities during services.

“If this is your next step, go to this page right now or text this word, you know, to get baptized, and we do it right there,” Martinez said.

Families stepping into faith together

One recent baptism captured the church’s family-centered approach: a father and son entering the water together on Easter.

“I said: ‘I don’t think we’ve ever done this, but you could go into the tank and be baptized, and then you just stay there in the water, and you baptize your son, and you guys have that moment together,’” Martinez said.

The moment resonated far beyond the sanctuary.

“It was a really special moment for their family,” Martinez added. “They had a bunch of family there in person … a lot of family from the East Coast watching on our live stream. It was just really neat to see the dad set the example of faith and be baptized, and then to watch his son walk down and give him a hug and dunk him,” he said.

For Martinez and Del Sol Church, these shared experiences are not incidental. They are intentional.