What is Baptism?

When you choose to follow Jesus, you begin to understand and experience more of the love God has for you.

Through His death on the cross and His resurrection, Jesus took all of your wrong and gave you all of His right.

If you believe that and commit to following Him, your life will never be the same. It’s as simple as repenting of your sin, declaring you want to follow Jesus, and believing He is who He says He is.

Once you have decided to follow Jesus, being baptized is your next step. Baptism has been a Christian practice for over 2,000 years to publicly declare their faith in Jesus. Jesus Himself has modelled this rebirth for us.

Why should I be baptized?

As Christ's followers, we get baptized because Jesus modelled and commanded it:

"God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 (The Message)

Jesus also set the example by being baptized himself.

Baptism is not about being perfect or having our whole life together; it's about a step of obedience to Jesus that shows we believe in and follow Him. Since Jesus went public about His love for us, we can go public about our love for Him. Being baptized shows that we turn away from a life of sin, and we turn toward Jesus, the only one who can change us (Acts 2:38-41)

When is the best time to be baptized?

For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is the next step. Anyone who commits his or her life to following Jesus is ready to be baptized (Acts 8:12)

Why do we baptize by immersing people in water?

Baptisms in the Bible were by immersion, and Jesus was baptized by being immersed in the water and rising out of it (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10). Being submerged in the water represents our death to sin and old way of life, and being raised out of the water is a picture of how Jesus gave us a fresh start in life (Romans 6:3-5)! It's a beautiful picture of what Jesus has done for us, and a reminder of His own death and resurrection.

Do you baptize children?

Yes we do. In the Old Testament, God made a covenant with His people, and the sign of that covenant was circumcision, given to infants as well as adults (Genesis 17:7–12). We believe baptism is the New Testament sign of belonging to God’s covenant people, replacing circumcision (Colossians 2:11–12). So, just as children were included in the covenant and received the sign then, we believe children of believers should receive the sign now.

In Acts and the letters, we see several “household” baptisms—whole families being baptized when the head of the household believes (Acts 16:14–15; Acts 16:31–34; 1 Corinthians 1:16). It never explicitly says “infants,” but we see this as consistent with God’s pattern of including families and children in His covenant people.

In Acts 2:38–39, Peter says, “This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away…” We understand this to mean that the children of believers are included in the scope of God’s covenant promise. Baptism, then, is seen as a sign and seal of God’s promise placed on the child, with the expectation that the child will later personally embrace Christ by faith.

In the case of little children/infants we do not fully immerse.  Rather we sprinkle water on the child's head.

Once I sign up to be baptized, what's next?

Once you have filled out the baptism inquiry form, we will contact you and explain next steps. We will meet with you to make sure you really understand baptism and the importance of it. 

Why do we tell stories?

All of our candidates will be asked to prepare their story to be shared. Not only does this make it possible for you to go public with your faith, but your story will also inspire lots of people with the hope of Jesus - what a great opportunity for you to point people to Jesus with your life! No matter what your story is, someone listening will resonate with someone - God uses every story to speak to someone.