Baptism

By both example and command Jesus instituted the right of Baptism as a central teaching of faith. While it is an action that is simple in process, it is packed with symbolism and meaning. By Christ’s example, because of his teaching, and confirmed by church history, we believe that baptism is a command for every person who places their faith in Jesus Christ.

Baptism is an act of obedience. The mark of a true Christian is one who does the will of God. One of the first acts of obedience that a new believer can make is to follow the commands of Christ in baptism (Matthew 28:19). Baptism has no saving power. Salvation is the free gift of God. Baptism is a sign of faith already present in the life of a person. Baptism is a public profession of faith. It symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection that Christ did on our behalf in order that we may have new life (Romans 6:4). It often is the first opportunity that a person has to publicly proclaim what God has done for them. While faith is personal, it is also public. Just as a marriage is between two individuals, yet contains outward expression through the wearing of rings, so to faith is between an individual and God, yet has an outward expression through baptism.

Baptism is not required for membership. While we believe that baptism is not an optional command for a Christian, we do not see any link between baptism and church membership. If a person has not been baptized we hope that through maturity they will understand the biblical teaching and then seek baptism. However, we do not hold baptism as a prerequisite for membership.

Many parents struggle as to an appropriate age at which to allow their children to be baptized. Since our focus is more on a lifelong spirituality and not on an immediate response, we believe that parents should encourage their children to wait to be baptized at an older age. While every child is different, baptism can be more meaningful if it happens at a later age of eleven or twelve. However, this decision is up to the parent and is not mandated by the church. We will baptize any minor who with the consent of their parent is willing to publicly confess salvation in Christ.

Some people come from a tradition in which a child is baptized as an infant with the hopes that the child will one day profess Christ. Some believe that from the Old Testament custom of circumcision it can be deduced that infant baptism is biblical and appropriate. However, this link is never specifically mentioned in the New Testament. We believe that baptism is specifically saved for a person after he or she has committed his or her life to Christ and is not a measure taken in hopes that a person will make a commitment. For this reason, baptism is saved for the person, who on his or her own accord, makes a commitment to Christ.

As an alternative to infant baptism we offer a baby dedication. This dedication is intended to set a child apart, for the parents to commit to raising the child in a godly way, and for the church to commit to engaging in that child’s life in a way that promotes faith. This dedication in no way guarantees the salvation of the child but begins the process through which, hopefully, the child will come to faith. A baby dedication is recommended for every child and can be scheduled by calling the church office.

Two theories exist regarding the form of baptism. Some believe it is symbolically important in function while others believe the form also is important. For those who believe function only, two forms are available — immersion or sprinkling. For those who believe that form is also important, immersion is the chosen means for baptism. Since immersion is the only example of baptism in the New Testament and because it symbolically illustrates the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ we choose to baptize by immersion. However, if a person was baptized by sprinkling we do not require them to be re-baptized.

Baptism is most often observed during community worship as a way to testify to the whole church body one’s conversion. However, others prefer to save baptism for after service at which time a celebration can be held or for another time when family members can be present. We are happy to work with any family in arranging an experience that will be most beneficial to the participants and the church as a whole. For more information or to schedule a baptism, contact the church office.